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 “catechism”.
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Day 9: The Fullness of Revelation (2025)
January 9th, 2025 | 18 mins 24 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, covenant, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, fullness of revelation, fullness of truth, god the father, god the son, god’s word, jesus, jesus christ, revelation, scripture, tradition, word made flesh
In our Catechism reading today we learn how out of love, God has fully revealed himself by sending his Son, Jesus Christ who established God’s covenant forever. We also learn that the Son is the Father’s definitive Word, but this Word has not yet been made completely explicit. Fr. Mike explains how private revelations may not claim to add to the Faith and must not contradict the Faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 65-73.
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Day 8: God Forms His People (2025)
January 8th, 2025 | 16 mins 35 secs
abraham, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, chosen people, christian joy, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy men, holy women, hope, hope in the lord, israel, jesus, prophets, redemption, saints, salvation, scripture, tradition
God chose Abraham and made him the “father of a multitude of nations.” Then God formed Israel as his people, freeing them from slavery in Egypt. Fr. Mike explains why God reveals himself in stages, and through the prophets who are honored as saints, he continues to form his people in the hope of salvation. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 59-64.
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Day 5: How We Know God (2025)
January 5th, 2025 | 12 mins 48 secs
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What can we know about God? The Catechism tells us three important things: 1) We can know God with our human reason, but 2) that knowledge will always be limited, and 3) we rely on God to reveal himself to us. Fr. Mike warns us that learning who God is requires self-surrender and abnegation, for the human heart struggles to recognize the infinite gap between Creator and created. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 36-43.
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Day 4: Our Capacity for God (2025)
January 4th, 2025 | 18 mins 16 secs
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The Catechism begins to explore what it means “to believe” by examining our innate desire for God and all the ways we can come to know him. Fr. Mike grounds us in a refrain he promises to repeat throughout the year—God loves you. Not in an abstract way, but in a concrete, unique way. God knows you, and he wants you to know him. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 26-35.
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Day 3: What We Believe (Part 1 Introduction with Jeff Cavins) (2025)
January 3rd, 2025 | 47 mins 55 secs
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Part 1 of the Catechism—the first pillar—is the longest part of the four parts of the Catechism, and arguably the most foundational. Fr. Mike sits down with Jeff Cavins to discuss the big picture behind this important pillar and prepare us for the journey ahead.
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Day 1: To Know and Love God (2025)
January 1st, 2025 | 16 mins 27 secs
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Welcome to Day 1 of The Catechism in a Year! Today, we begin our journey with Fr. Mike through the Catechism from the very beginning: the Prologue. The Catechism tackles some big questions right out of the gate. Why did God make us? How can we know him? How do we help others understand him as well? Fr. Mike invites us to discover God’s plan for us and accept the challenge he has placed before us. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1-10.
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Day 29: Knowing the Name of God (2024)
January 29th, 2024 | 15 mins 57 secs
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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 15: Interpreting Scripture (2024)
January 15th, 2024 | 16 mins 32 secs
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How do Catholics interpret Scripture? Fr. Mike breaks down the three basic principles for interpreting Scripture: attentiveness to the content and unity of the whole Bible, reading Scripture within the living Tradition of the Church, and attentiveness to the analogy of Faith. These criteria allow the Church to interpret Scripture accurately and prevent us from taking Scripture out of context. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs are 109-114.