The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
A day-by-day walk through the transformative beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.
About the show
In Ascension’s The Catechism in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz guides you through the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 episodes, providing explanation, insight, and encouragement along the way.
Unlike any other Catechism podcast, The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast follows a reading plan inspired by Ascension’s Foundations of Faith approach, a color-coded approach that reveals the structure of the Catechism, making it easier to read and understand. With this podcast, you’ll finally understand what it means to be Catholic and how the beliefs of the Catholic Faith come together.
Listen and…
- Read the ENTIRE Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days
- Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter
- Understand how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture
- Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition
- Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness for your life
Each 15-20 minute episode includes:
- A guided prayer to help you enter into each episode
- A reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
- An explanation from Fr. Mike Schmitz about the reading
The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Episodes
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Day 287: The Gratitude of Children (2024)
October 13th, 2024 | 20 mins 52 secs
children, duties, gratitude, kids, parents, respect
Gratitude is the proper response of children toward their parents. Out of this gratitude comes respect. When we are children at home, this respect includes “true docility and obedience.” Fr. Mike emphasizes respect for parents doesn’t expire when we leave home as adults. Grown children are responsible for caring for and supporting their parents in their old age. As Fr. Mike stresses, this can be the simple but often overlooked phone call to mom or dad. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2214-2220.
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Day 286: The Family and Society (2024)
October 12th, 2024 | 18 mins 11 secs
community, family, freedom, relationships, rights, society
The family is the foundational element of society. Fr. Mike explains how families initiate us into societal life and act as the foundation of freedom and community. Because of its indispensable importance, we learn that civil authorities are responsible for supporting and honoring the family. Familial relationships also enlighten those found in society; we see our neighbor not as an anonymous individual but as “someone.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2207-2213.
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Day 285: The Nature of the Family (2024)
October 11th, 2024 | 17 mins 18 secs
children, evangelization, husbands, marriage, trinity, wives
In learning the core and fundamental definition of the family, we read today that a family is formed by a “man and a woman united in marriage, together with their children.” The Christian family is a communion of faith, hope, and love and an image of the Trinity. Fr. Mike shares how important he believes friendship and family are in spreading the Good News of the Gospel. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2201-2206.
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Day 284: The Fourth Commandment (2024)
October 10th, 2024 | 22 mins 27 secs
children, family, honor your mother and father, honoring parents, loving parents, parents, respecting authority, respecting parents, the fourth commandment
The fourth commandment addresses the most universal human relationship: our relationship with our parents. Why does God command us to honor our father and our mother? Fr. Mike explains why this commandment sets the foundation for all the other commandments. He shares the 3 levels of respect and what it looks like to honor our parents despite their brokenness and imperfections. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2196-2200.
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Day 283: The Day of Rest (2024)
October 9th, 2024 | 22 mins 48 secs
day of rest, holy leisure, not working on sundays, resting on sunday, sabbath, sunday
We all tend to make an idol of work. The Catechism teaches us that Sunday is a day of grace and rest from work. Fr. Mike explains what holy leisure looks like, emphasizing the importance of spending time with family, serving the poor, and taking time to meditate and pray. Resting on the Sabbath reminds us that our freedom and identity are found in the Lord. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2184-2195.
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Day 282: The Sunday Obligation (2024)
October 8th, 2024 | 22 mins 51 secs
church on sundays, eucharist, paschal mystery, sabbath, skipping mass, sunday mass, sunday obligation, worship
Why are Catholics obligated to attend Mass every Sunday? The Catechism teaches us today about the centrality of the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. Fr. Mike emphasizes that Sunday Mass is at the heart of our worship because it is the participation in the representation of the Paschal Mystery. He invites us to honor the Sunday obligation out of love for Jesus. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2177-2183.
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Day 281: Keep Holy the Lord’s Day (2024)
October 7th, 2024 | 20 mins 54 secs
10 commandments, 3rd commandment, article 3, article three, commandments, how we live, life in christ, love of god, outward, part 3, part three, public, regular, rest, st ignatius of antioch, st justin martyr, sunday, ten commandments, the lord’s day, the sabbath day, the seventh day, third commandment, visible, worship
We begin exploring the third commandment and learn about rest and worship concerning the Lord’s Day. The Catechism points out that God models what he wants for us as he also rested on the seventh day. Fr. Mike explains the importance of prioritizing rest for ourselves because we are free and no longer enslaved people. The Catechism describes how we are to keep the Lord’s Day holy with “outward, visible, public, and regular worship ‘as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.’” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2168-2176.
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Day 280: The Christian Name (2024)
October 6th, 2024 | 16 mins 48 secs
10 commandments, 2nd commandment, article 2, article two, baptism, baptismal name, christian, christian name, commandments, how we live, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, life in christ, love of god, nugget, nuggets, part 3, part three, second commandment, sign of the cross, ten commandments, the lord’s name
What does it mean to bear the Christian name? The Catechism reminds us that in Baptism, we are given our Christian name, which is sacred. Our name represents the dignity of each of us and depicts how God loves us each uniquely. Fr. Mike explains that each time we make the Sign of the Cross, we call upon the Lord to bear witness to what we are about to do. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2156-2167.
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Day 279: False Oaths (2024)
October 5th, 2024 | 16 mins 10 secs
commandments, false oaths, oaths, perjury, second commandment, ten commandments
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the second commandment. Fr. Mike emphasizes that an oath engages the Lord’s name, and the Lord is the Lord of truth. We, therefore, have a duty as Christians to respect God’s name in matters of truth. He also emphasizes that everything we say is either in conformity to truth or in opposition to truth. Today’s readings are paragraphs 2150-2155.
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Day 278: The Second Commandment (2024)
October 4th, 2024 | 18 mins 57 secs
blasphemy, commandment, names, oaths, promises, second commandment, ten commandments
We begin our examination of the second commandment, to not take the Lord’s name in vain. Fr. Mike emphasizes that God has revealed his sacred name to us, and it is our duty to treat that name with reverence. He also emphasizes just how easy it is for us to take the Lord’s name in vain in our day and age, and how vitally important it is for us to treat his holy name with respect. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2142-2149.
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Day 277: Agnosticism and Graven Images (2024)
October 3rd, 2024 | 15 mins 45 secs
agnosticism, commandments, first commandment, graven images, iconoclasm, icons, indifferentism, ten commandments
As we reach the conclusion of the section on the first commandment, we end by taking a closer look at agnosticism and graven images. Fr. Mike unpacks the different forms that agnosticism can take. He also examines the veneration of images and their relation to the first commandment. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2127-2141.
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Day 276: Irreligion and Atheism (2024)
October 2nd, 2024 | 22 mins 40 secs
atheism, commandments, irreligion, practical materialism, sacrilege, simony, tempting god, ten commandments
We continue our examination of the first commandment, unpacking irreligion and atheism. Fr. Mike highlights the different elements of irreligion, namely tempting God in words or deeds, sacrilege, and simony. He emphasizes that the sin of tempting God is easy to fall into when we are deeply troubled or afraid. Fr. Mike also spends time unpacking the many different aspects of atheism, and its impact on our world today. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2118-2126.
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Day 275: Superstition, Idolatry, and Magic (2024)
October 1st, 2024 | 19 mins 33 secs
commandments, divination, first commandment, idolatry, magic, superstition, ten commandments
Superstition, idolatry, divination, and magic are all things we can encounter in our daily lives, and, with Fr. Mike, we unpack how they break the first commandment. Fr. Mike reiterates that superstition represents an “excess of religion” and can affect the worship we offer to God. He points out that we can be superstitious even in our Catholic practices. He also explains that idolatry consists of divinizing anything that is not God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2110-2117.
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Day 274: Social Duty of Religion (2024)
September 30th, 2024 | 17 mins
civil liberty, evangelize, natural law, religious freedom, religious liberty, right to religious freedom, social duty of christians, social duty of religion, society
The social duty of religion and the right to religious freedom are presented to us in the Catechism. We examine what it means to have respect for other religions and the freedom, within limits, to exercise our convictions. Fr. Mike makes it clear that it is our calling as Christians to evangelize and bring our Catholic Christianity to the public square. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2104-2109.
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Day 273: Him Only Shall You Serve (2024)
September 29th, 2024 | 20 mins 21 secs
10 commandments, 1st commandment, act of the apostles, adoration, cannon law, charity, chastity, commandments, decalogue, deuteronomy, faith, first commandment, hope, justice, love, obedience, poverty, prayer, promises, sacrifice, st augustine, st francis desales, st paul, ten commandments, ten words, vows, worship the lord your god and him only shall you serve
How can we serve God? The Catechism identifies ways in which we can keep the first commandment through adoration, prayer, sacrifice, and promises and vows. Fr. Mike relates these to us and identifies how we can truly worship and serve the Lord throughout our daily lives. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2095-2103.
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Day 272: You Shall Worship the Lord Your God (2024)
September 28th, 2024 | 25 mins 10 secs
10 commandments, 1st commandment, acedia, apostasy, article 1, article one, chapter 1, chapter one, charity, commandments, decalogue, despair, faith, first commandment, hatred of god, heresy, hope, incredulity, indifference, ingratitude, love, love the lord your god with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, lukewarmness, presumption, schism, st justin, st paul, ten commandments, ten words, voluntary doubt, worship the lord your god and him only shall you serve
“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Taking a look at the first commandment, we see how we are called to love and worship God above all else. The Catechism also lists the ways in which we may potentially fall into sins against faith, hope, and charity. Fr. Mike elaborates on these violations and reminds us that while it may seem overwhelming, God loved us first, and we must trust in him. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2083-2094.