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
-
Day 38: Summary of the Trinity
February 7th, 2023 | 14 mins 46 secs
divine economy, divine works, father, holy spirit, son, trinitarian, trinitarian mission, trinity, unity
We have arrived at the “nugget day” or In Brief section for the paragraphs examining the nature of the Father in the Trinity. Fr. Mike reiterates some of the “nuggets” of wisdom from these past few days. He emphasizes the importance of how Baptism allows us to share in the life of the Holy Trinity. We conclude this section with a reflection on this profound call to share in the glory of the Trinity even though it exists “in the obscurity of faith.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 261-267.
-
Day 37: The Divine Economy
February 6th, 2023 | 14 mins 36 secs
blessed elizabeth of the holy trinity, divine economy, father, holy spirit, holy trinity, son, trinity
Fr. Mike continues to unpack the Church’s teachings on the Trinity. Today, we move into an examination of the divine economy or how God has revealed and communicated himself on earth. The divine economy is not just the work of the Father, but rather the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as one. Fr. Mike concludes this episode with a reflection on the impactful words of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity who asks God to “make our hearts his heaven.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 257-260.
-
Day 36: The Nature of the Trinity
February 5th, 2023 | 17 mins 40 secs
divine persons, father, holy spirit, son, three persons, trinity, unity
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our exploration of the Church’s teachings on the nature of the Holy Trinity. We examine three main ideas. The first is the unity of the Trinity, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one God. The next is the Divine Persons as distinct from one another: one God, three distinct persons. As Fr. Mike states, “The Son is not the Father, the Father is not the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not either.” Finally, Fr. Mike discusses the relation between each person of the Holy Trinity. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 253-256.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.