The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Episode Archive
Episode Archive
815 episodes of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) since the first episode, which aired on October 7th, 2022.
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Day 251: Authorities in Society
September 8th, 2023 | 19 mins 15 secs
abuse of power, anarchy, authority, common good, duty of obedience, governing authority, government, human community, obedience, obey, participation in social life, political regime, politics, rule of law, social authority, society, the state, unjust laws
The Catechism shows us that, in order for any good in society to last and flourish, legitimate authority must be instituted and respected by all. Furthermore, it is our duty as those under authority to obey those invested with authority. Fr. Mike acknowledges that most of us resist authority, but he bolsters the Catechism’s claim that legitimate authority in society is good and necessary. “Anarchy doesn’t work.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1897-1904.
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Day 250: Conversion in Society
September 7th, 2023 | 22 mins 19 secs
conversion, hierarchy of values, inner conversion, justice, means to an end, social change, social justice, society, unjust structures
Before we can see outward changes for the good in society, there must be inward conversion in the hearts of its members, so says the Catechism. Fr. Mike highlights the fact that societies are made up of people with both body and soul—and the soul is often overlooked. Because we are broken, there is a “permanent need” for our conversion, and any society that fails to take this into account is doomed to do violence to human dignity. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1886-1896.
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Day 249: The Person in Society
September 6th, 2023 | 20 mins 53 secs
community, family, freedom, power, society, unity
Man is made for communion. God created man in his triune image, making us naturally social and communal beings. We learn that various societies weave us together: the family, the state, our professions, and recreational activities, among others. Fr. Mike explains how the Church promotes the principle of subsidiarity to protect the goodness of the various levels of society as each level pursues the common good. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1877-1885.
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Day 248: The Spread of Sin
September 5th, 2023 | 20 mins
injustice, justice, morality, oppression, sin, society
We close the section on human dignity and goodness by learning how sin engenders vice. Our readings today discuss the proliferation of sin and how capital sins, in particular, lead to vices that can become rooted in a person or society. Fr. Mike reminds us that while sin is a personal act, it is also possible for us to cooperate in and encourage the sins of others. This can lead to the formation of “structures of sin” that lead others down the path of evil and contribute to establishing “social sins.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1865-1876.
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Day 247: The Weight of Sin
September 4th, 2023 | 21 mins 47 secs
bullfighting, freedom, hell, love, mercy, reconciliation, sin
We can consider the variety of sins in light of their gravity or seriousness. In doing so, we see that some sins weaken charity while others destroy it. The first we call venial sins, the second mortal. Our very freedom makes possible this rejection of God. Yet, God’s mercy has no limits. God can and will forgive every sin of which we repent. Fr. Mike invites all listeners to seek this forgiveness and go to Confession. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1854-1864
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Day 246: Mercy and the Mystery of Sin
September 3rd, 2023 | 24 mins 37 secs
conversion, forgiveness, love, mercy, reason, sin
Jesus reveals God’s offer of loving mercy to sinners. To accept this gift, we must identify and admit our failings. Recognizing our sins enables us to further cooperate in our redemption. Sin can be understood and categorized in several ways, but every sin wounds our nature and damages our relationships with God and neighbor. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1846-1853.
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Day 245: Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit
September 2nd, 2023 | 19 mins 19 secs
courage, gifts, joy, love, perfection, spirit
As we end our exploration of the virtues, we learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts perfect our virtues and increase our ability to respond to God’s guidance and inspiration. The fruits of the Holy Spirit perfect us, are signs of a life lived in the Spirit, and are “the first fruits of eternal glory,” as the Catechism tells us. Our cooperation with the Holy Spirit sustains and perfects our moral life, enabling us to live a more full and joyful life. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1830-1845.
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Day 244: The Virtue of Charity
September 1st, 2023 | 21 mins 43 secs
charity, love, virtue of charity, virtues
The greatest of all the theological virtues is charity. Fr. Mike explains that charity, or love, is to love God above all things for his own sake and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This includes loving our enemies and also obeying God's commandments, two actions that are not always easy. Most importantly, today's readings remind us that true charity is not loving the Father as servants in fear or as mercenaries looking for a reward but rather as his beloved children responding to him who "first loved us." Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1822-1829.
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Day 243: The Virtue of Hope
August 31st, 2023 | 14 mins 24 secs
beatitudes, eternal life, gods promises, hope, hope of abraham, theological virtue of hope, trusting god
A desire for the Kingdom of heaven and eternal life is at the heart of the virtue of hope. Fr. Mike breaks down the definition of the theological virtue of hope and explains how it protects us from discouragement and selfishness. By placing our trust in Christ’s promises, we are free to love the people around us and endure all circumstances because we know that God is faithful. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1817-1821.
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Day 242: The Virtue of Faith
August 30th, 2023 | 18 mins 26 secs
belief in god, believing in god, faith, theological virtues, trusting in god, virtue of faith
The origin, motive, and object of the theological virtues are God himself. Today, we dive into the theological virtues, beginning with the virtue of Faith. Fr. Mike unpacks the meaning and purpose of the virtue of Faith and emphasizes that Faith is deeply rooted in trust in God. Lastly, Fr. Mike reminds us that Faith should be lived out along with Hope, and Love, and also professed to those who do know yet know God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1812-1816.
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Day 241: The Cardinal Virtues
August 29th, 2023 | 22 mins 2 secs
being a good person, cardinal virtues, fortitude, human virtues, justice, moral life, morality, prudence, temperance
A virtuous person is someone who consistently chooses the good. Fr. Mike unpacks the four human or cardinal virtues that are essential in helping us become more like Jesus: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. We learn that these four virtues make possible “ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life.” Today’s Catechism readings are paragraphs 1803-1811.
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Day 240: Erroneous Judgment of Conscience
August 28th, 2023 | 12 mins 58 secs
conscience, culpability, erroneous judgments, ignorance, moral conduct, moral conscience, sin
It is possible for our moral conscience to remain in ignorance for a variety of reasons. Fr. Mike delves into the sources of errors of judgment in moral conduct and how habitual sin blinds our conscience. As we wrap up this article, Fr. Mike reminds us that a well-formed conscience sets us free and gives us the power to do what we ought. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1790-1802.
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Day 239: The Formation of Conscience
August 27th, 2023 | 22 mins 18 secs
conscience, morality, reason, truthful, upright, well-formed conscience
Together, with Fr. Mike, we unpack the formation of our conscience. Fr. Mike emphasizes that a well-formed conscience is one that is both “upright and truthful.” He also highlights the idea that a well-formed intellect is vital to having a well-formed conscience. We cannot just say something is either right or wrong, we have to understand why we think that. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1783-1789.
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Day 238: Our Moral Conscience
August 26th, 2023 | 18 mins 51 secs
conscience, evil, good, judgement, moral, morality, prudence, reason, responsibility
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the moral conscience. Fr. Mike emphasizes that even though our intellect has been weakened by sin, we still have some sense, our conscience, that tells us that there is a right and wrong. He also emphasizes the difference between our conscience and our passions. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 1776-1782.
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Day 237: The Morality of the Passions
August 25th, 2023 | 22 mins 45 secs
anger, desire, fear, feelings, hatred, joy, love, morality, passions, sadness, sensitive appetite, vices, virtue
Together, we examine The Morality of The Passions. Fr. Mike unpacks and explores the different elements of the definition of “passions”. He emphasizes that while passions, themselves, are neither good nor bad, there still is a moral component to them. It is what we do with our passions that can either contribute to virtue or vice. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1762-1775.
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Day 236: The Morality of Human Acts
August 24th, 2023 | 18 mins 24 secs
agency, circumstances, evil, freedom, good, human acts, intention, morality, morality of human acts, object, right, sin, wrong
Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the article on the morality of human acts. Fr. Mike unpacks the three “sources” of morality: the object chosen, the end in view or the intention, and the circumstances. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the categories of right or wrong, good or evil. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1749-1761.