The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
A day-by-day walk through the transformative beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church.
Displaying items 1-10 of 465 in total of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag "catholic doctrine".
-
Day 39: The Father Almighty (2026)
February 8th, 2026 | 20 mins 12 secs
almighty, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, evil, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, god, god the almighty, goodness, jesus, omnipotence, scripture, suffering, tradition
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of God as Almighty. Fr. Mike discusses three important points to keep in mind about the reality of God’s power. The first is that God’s power is universal. God rules over everything; it is an infinite power. He is loving, he adopts us as his sons and daughters and shows us his mercy. Fr. Mike concludes with a reflection on God’s mysterious power in relation to the reality of the problem of evil and suffering in our world. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 268-278.
-
Day 38: Summary of the Trinity (2026)
February 7th, 2026 | 14 mins 46 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine economy, divine works, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, jesus, scripture, son, tradition, 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 (2026)
February 6th, 2026 | 14 mins 36 secs
ascension, bible, blessed elizabeth of the holy trinity, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine economy, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, holy trinity, jesus, scripture, son, tradition, 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 (2026)
February 5th, 2026 | 17 mins 40 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine persons, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, jesus, scripture, son, three persons, tradition, 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 (2026)
February 4th, 2026 | 15 mins 45 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, dogma, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, formation, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, jesus, scripture, son, tradition, 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 (2026)
February 3rd, 2026 | 19 mins 40 secs
advocate, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, constantinople, consubstantial, eastern church, eastern orthodox, father, father mike, father mike schmitz, filioque, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holy spirit, jesus, niceno-constantinopolitan creed, orthodox church, paraclete, proceeds from the father and the son, proceeds from the father through the son, roman catholic church, scripture, son, the great schism, third person of the trinity, tradition, 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 readings are Catechism paragraphs 243-248.
-
Day 33: God as Father (2026)
February 2nd, 2026 | 14 mins 17 secs
ascension, begotten not made, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, consubstantial, covenant with israel, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, god as father, god as mother, god the father, god the mother, jesus, john 1, scripture, tradition, 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 (2026)
February 1st, 2026 | 14 mins 56 secs
ascension, baptism, bible, blessed trinity, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, christian mystery, economy, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, hidden in god, in the name of the father, jesus, most holy trinity, mystery of faith, mystery of the trinity, oikonomia, one god, scripture, sign of the cross, the trinity, theologia, theology, three persons, tradition, 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 readings are Catechism paragraphs 232-237.
-
Day 31: The Meaning of Faith (2026)
January 31st, 2026 | 12 mins 48 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, dignity of all men, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, god’s greatness, god’s majesty, image and likeness of god, implications of faith in one god, jesus, living in thanksgiving, scripture, st. joan of arc, st. nicholas of flue, st. teresa of jesus, tradition, 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 (2026)
January 30th, 2026 | 17 mins 43 secs
1 john 4, 1 john 1, 1 john 5, 2 samuel 7, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, communion of persons, deuteronomy 7, exodus 34, father mike, father mike schmitz, father son holy spirit, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, 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, jesus, john 17, john 18, john 3:16, malachi 2, psalm 102, psalm 115, psalm 119, psalm 138, psalm 85, scripture, the divine name, tradition, 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.