The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
A day-by-day walk through the transformative beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.
We found 10 episodes of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag “belief”.
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Day 143: Amen (2024)
May 22nd, 2024 | 16 mins 8 secs
amen, belief, death, grace, judgment
Congratulations, we have come to the conclusion of Part One of the Catechism! Fr. Mike reviews the last “nugget” section on death and judgment, inviting us to regularly ponder the moment of our own death and judgment before our Lord. We conclude today with an explanation of the meaning of the word “amen” and the significance it has for our belief in God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1051-1065.
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Day 105: Christ’s Church and its Mission (2024)
April 14th, 2024 | 17 mins 2 secs
belief, believers, church, creed, holiness, holy spirit, light
The Church has no other light than Christ's, and the Holy Spirit is the source of all its holiness. We believe that the Church is "holy," "catholic," "one," and "apostolic." Fr. Mike explains that Jesus has promised to guide the Church in the truth. Members of the Church are called and uniquely belong to the Lord. We also learn that the word 'church' has three inseparable meanings: the liturgical assembly, the local community, and the universal community of believers. The Church draws her life from the body of Christ and so becomes Christ's body. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 748-752.
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Day 29: Knowing the Name of God (2024)
January 29th, 2024 | 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.
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Day 28: The Nature of God (2024)
January 28th, 2024 | 15 mins
almighty god, apostles, belief, catechism, catholic belief, catholic teaching, catholic wisdom, christian belief, creator, creed, explaining faith, father, gift of faith, god the father, growing in faith, nicene creed, persecuted christians, shared faith, sharing faith, statement of faith, structure of faith, testimony, what we believe, why we believe, witness
In this episode, we discuss the nature of God, “who” God is, beginning with God the Father. Our reading explains how the Creed begins with God the Father because he is the first Divine Person of the most Holy Trinity. God is one Divine Being made up of three persons, and his identity is a deep mystery. Fr. Mike explains that God is a single ‘what’ made up of three ‘who’s.’ Despite this mystery, God is not an anonymous force. He has revealed himself to us by making his name known to us, and he has thus made himself accessible. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 198-204.
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Day 27: The Gift of the Creed (2024)
January 27th, 2024 | 11 mins 19 secs
apostles, belief, catechism, catholic belief, catholic teaching, catholic wisdom, christian belief, explaining faith, gift of faith, growing in faith, nicene creed, persecuted christians, shared faith, sharing faith, st ambrose, statement of faith, structure of faith, testimony, what we believe, why we believe, witness
The Catechism we are reading follows the structure of the Apostles’ Creed with frequent references to the Nicene Creed for further details and explanations. Together, these Creeds aid us in articulating the beliefs we share with all members of the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike discusses why St. Ambrose refers to the Creed as “an ever-present guardian” and “treasure of our soul.” He encourages us not to take this gift for granted. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 193-197.
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Day 25: Summary of Faith (2024)
January 25th, 2024 | 12 mins 7 secs
belief, belief in god, believing, catholic, catholic teaching, gift of faith, growing in 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. Fr. Mike teaches us to pray daily to be good students as we learn and grow from our mother, the Church. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 176-184.
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Day 24: Unity of Faith (2024)
January 24th, 2024 | 15 mins 52 secs
apostolic succession, belief, church, cultures, faith, formulas, st ireneous, 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 (2024)
January 23rd, 2024 | 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 (2024)
January 22nd, 2024 | 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 (2024)
January 21st, 2024 | 14 mins 6 secs
belief, believing god, faith, freedom, having faith, revelation, supernatural virtue, 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.