The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

727 episodes of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) since the first episode, which aired on October 7th, 2022.

  • Day 35: Formation of Trinitarian Dogma

    February 4th, 2023  |  15 mins 45 secs
    dogma, father, formation, holy spirit, son, trinitarian, trinity

    Fr. Mike explores the formation of the Church’s dogma on the nature of the Trinity. He unpacks the terms used by the Church in an attempt to explain the nature of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, as Fr. Mike reminds us, with the story of St. Augustine and the child on the seaside, the Trinity is a mystery that none of us can fully comprehend. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 249-252.

  • Day 34: Unity in the Holy Spirit

    February 3rd, 2023  |  19 mins 40 secs
    advocate, constantinople, consubstantial, eastern church, eastern orthodox, father, filioque, holy spirit, niceno-constantinopolitan creed, orthodox church, paraclete, proceeds from the father and the son, proceeds from the father through the son, roman catholic church, son, the great schism, third person of the trinity, trinitarian, western church

    The Catechism introduces us to the Holy Spirit and describes how the Spirit reveals the Father and the Son to us. It also gives us some background and context regarding the way we describe the Holy Spirit in the Roman Catholic Church compared to the way that the Eastern Orthodox Church describes the Holy Spirit. Fr. Mike breaks it down for us and gives us some hope for a future reconciliation between Eastern and Western Churches. Today’s reading is Catechism paragraphs 243-248.

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    Day 33: God as Father

    February 2nd, 2023  |  14 mins 17 secs
    begotten not made, consubstantial, covenant with israel, god as father, god as mother, god the father, god the mother, john 1, trinitarian, trinity

    The Catechism describes the various ways that God has revealed himself to us as Father over the ages, and gives us insight into God the Father “in relation to his only Son,” Jesus. Fr. Mike entreats us to examine our relationships with our earthly fathers and how they might be impacting our vision of God as Father. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 238-242.

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    Day 32: The Most Holy Trinity

    February 1st, 2023  |  14 mins 56 secs
    baptism, blessed trinity, christian mystery, economy, hidden in god, in the name of the father, most holy trinity, mystery of faith, mystery of the trinity, oikonomia, one god, sign of the cross, the trinity, theologia, theology, three persons, trinitarian, trinity, truths of the faith

    Christians are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” not the “names” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Catechism explains this distinction by introducing us to the “central mystery of Christian faith and life”: the Trinity. Fr. Mike slows us down to meditate on what God reveals to us concerning his inner life, the very thing that “many prophets and righteous people longed to see… [and] hear.” Today’s reading is CCC 232-237.

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    Day 31: The Meaning of Faith

    January 31st, 2023  |  12 mins 48 secs
    dignity of all men, god’s greatness, god’s majesty, image and likeness of god, implications of faith in one god, living in thanksgiving, st. joan of arc, st. nicholas of flue, st. teresa of jesus, trusting god, unity of all men

    The Catechism wraps up our “I Believe in God” paragraphs with an In Brief and “The Implications of Faith in One God”—or, what God’s being means for us and our lives. Faith in our God means knowing his greatness, living in thanksgiving, knowing the dignity of all men, making good use of creation, and trusting God in every circumstance. Fr. Mike reminds us that “in every circumstance,” meaning even in adversity, God uses all things for the good. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 222-231.

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    Day 30: God Is Who Is

    January 30th, 2023  |  17 mins 43 secs
    1 john 4, 1 john 1, 1 john 5, 2 samuel 7, communion of persons, deuteronomy 7, exodus 34, father son holy spirit, fullness of being, god alone is, god is love, god is truth, god’s promises, god’s secret, i am who am, infidelity, james 1, john 17, john 18, john 3:16, malachi 2, psalm 102, psalm 115, psalm 119, psalm 138, psalm 85, the divine name, trinity, wisdom 13, wisdom 7, yahweh

    God is truth, God is love, and God is being itself. Today's Catechism readings begin to unpack the eternal nature of God and share with us God’s “innermost secret." Fr. Mike teaches us that because God made us in his image and likeness, then we too are called to embody truth and love. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 212-221.

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    Day 29: Knowing the Name of God

    January 29th, 2023  |  15 mins 57 secs
    almighty god, belief, catechism, catholic belief, catholic teaching, catholic wisdom, christian belief, creator, explaining faith, father, god alone, god revealed, god the father, god’s people, growing in faith, holiness, i am, mystery, mystery of god, name of god, respect for god, reverence, sacred name, shared faith, sharing faith, statement of faith, structure of faith, testimony, witness, yahweh

    We can learn a lot about the nature of God from his Divine Name revealed in Scripture. When God said to Moses, “I am who I am,” this was a revelation of a name as well as a refusal of a name. Fr. Mike explains how this mystery reveals truths about God: he is infinitely above all things; we cannot comprehend him, yet he draws close to us. This Divine Name expresses the steadfast, faithful, unchanging love of God for his people, even when we betray and abandon him. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 205-211.

  • Day 28: The Nature of God

    January 28th, 2023  |  15 mins
    almighty god, apostles, ascension, belief, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic belief, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teaching, catholic teachings, catholic wisdom, catholicism, christian belief, creator, creed, explaining faith, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift of faith, god the father, growing in faith, jesus, nicene creed, persecuted christians, scripture, shared faith, sharing faith, statement of faith, structure of faith, testimony, tradition, what we believe, why we believe, witness

    In this episode, we discuss the nature of God, “who” God is, beginning with God the Father.

  • Day 27: The Gift of the Creed

    January 27th, 2023  |  11 mins 19 secs
    apostles, ascension, belief, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic belief, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teaching, catholic teachings, catholic wisdom, catholicism, christian belief, explaining faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift of faith, growing in faith, jesus, nicene creed, persecuted christians, scripture, shared faith, sharing faith, st ambrose, statement of faith, structure of faith, testimony, tradition, what we believe, why we believe, witness

    Today we learn that the Catechism we are reading follows the structure of the Apostles’ Creed with frequent references to the Nicene Creed for further details and explanations.

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    Day 26: Communion of Believers

    January 26th, 2023  |  19 mins 29 secs
    apostles creed, ascension, baptism, beliefs, believe, believers, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholic tradition, catholicism, common language, communion, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, nicene creed, pledge, scripture, sharing faith, summary, summary of faith, symbol of faith, tradition, understanding, what we believe, witness, witness of faith

    Fr. Mike tells us that these Creeds help us to share the essential elements of Catholicism, acting as “symbols of faith,” and encouraging communion between believers.

  • Day 25: Summary of Faith

    January 25th, 2023  |  12 mins 7 secs
    belief, belief in god, believing, catholic, catholic teaching, gift of faith, knowing god, learning, revelation, salvation, tradition, understanding, word of god

    As Catholics, we can’t pick and choose the areas of Church teaching we want to accept; we must believe the entire truth of the Faith because we believe in God, who has revealed it to us.

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    Day 24: Unity of Faith

    January 24th, 2023  |  15 mins 52 secs
    apostolic succession, ascension, belief, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, church, cultures, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, formulas, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, religion, scripture, st iraneous, tradition, united church, unity of faith, universal faith

    As we wrap up the current section, we learn about the unity of faith and how the Church is meant to be united in Christ through apostolic succession. In addition, Fr. Mike reminds us that, as Catholics, we don’t just believe in formulas. We believe in the realities those formulas express. Lastly, Fr. Mike encourages us to trust in the Church, who guards the truths of the Faith and passes them down through the ages. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 170-175.

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    Day 23: We Believe

    January 23rd, 2023  |  15 mins 52 secs
    apostles creed, belief, catholic creed, community, creed, eternal life, faith, hope, profession of faith, we believe

    While faith is deeply personal, it is not an isolated act. Today, Fr. Mike reflects on the reality that our faith is communal. It is lived out and passed down in the context of community. We also learn that faith is truly the beginning of eternal life. Despite the sufferings of this world, when we walk by faith, we experience a taste of heaven here and now. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 163-169.

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    Day 22: Wrestling with Faith

    January 22nd, 2023  |  17 mins 26 secs
    belief, believing god, doubts, faith, miracles, proofs of god, signs, struggles with faith, trusting god, wrestling with faith

    In our Catechism readings today, Fr. Mike reflects on the motives of credibility for believing in God. We learn that God offers us signs and proofs that show us that he truly is who he says he is. Fr. Mike also clarifies the difference between doubting the Faith and struggling with it. He assures us that wrestling with faith is a normal human experience. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 156-162.

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    Day 21: Believing God

    January 21st, 2023  |  14 mins 6 secs
    ascension, belief, believing god, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, freedom, having faith, jesus, revelation, scripture, supernatural virtue, tradition, truth

    Fr. Mike continues reflecting on the meaning of faith and how it works in our lives. We learn that faith is a grace from God, a supernatural virtue that is not contrary to human freedom or reason. Fr. Mike reminds us that to have faith is not just to believe in God, but to believe God and everything he says. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 150-155.

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    Day 20: Stepping in Faith

    January 20th, 2023  |  15 mins 13 secs
    abraham, ascension, belief, believing, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, mans response to god, mary, obedience, revelation, scripture, stepping in faith, tradition

    As we dive into a new chapter today, we learn about how we are called to respond to God’s Revelation. In particular, we discover that Mary and Abraham are models of faith who show us how to be obedient by submitting our intellect and will to God. Fr. Mike assures us that even though God doesn’t usually give us the whole picture of our lives, he gives us just enough light to take the next step in faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 142-149.