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 Episode 1 - 10 of 55 in total of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag “faith”.
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Day 341: The Theological Virtues (2025)
December 7th, 2025 | 13 mins 58 secs
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The Catechism reveals the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love as additional “wellsprings” of prayer for us to connect with the Father. Fr. Mike explains that we must enter into prayer with faith, pray in hope, and love as God loves us. Fr. Mike also addresses the Catechism's view on praying in the present, not looking at the past or future. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2656-2662.
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Day 339: Prayer of Praise (2025)
December 5th, 2025 | 13 mins 20 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, doxology, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, praise, prayer, prayer of praise, scripture, the eucharist, tradition, wonder
We examine both prayers of praise and also the “nuggets” for this section on the forms of prayer. Fr. Mike emphasizes that praise is giving God glory for who he is. He also emphasizes that the Eucharist is the ultimate prayer of praise, and that every time we pray we are joining our lives to the saints and prophets who have gone before us. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2639-2649.
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Day 335: Jesus Teaches Us to Pray (2025)
December 1st, 2025 | 18 mins 52 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, christian prayer, conversion of heart, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, jesus prays, parables, prayer, scripture, sermon on the mount, teaching, tradition, watchfulness
At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to pray through his own prayer to the Father. As we watch Jesus pray, his prayer becomes our template for our own prayer. Fr. Mike emphasizes that our prayer should not just be external, but rather should be an internal conversion of heart. This internal conversion of heart involves many aspects such as, reconciliation, loving our enemies, praying to the Father in secret, and prayerful forgiveness. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2607-2615.
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Day 330: The Revelation of Prayer (2025)
November 26th, 2025 | 21 mins 38 secs
abel, abraham, article 1, article one, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, chapter 1, chapter one, christian prayer, covenant, creation, enoch, enosh, esau, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, genesis, god calls man, how we pray, israel, jacob, jesus, noah, old testament, part 4, part four, prayer, prayer in the christian life, promise, revelation of prayer, scripture, section 1, section one, source of prayer, tradition, universal call to prayer
As the Catechism reveals, we are made for worship and called to a relationship with the Lord through prayer. God is the initiator and wants us to walk with him as he “tirelessly calls each person to the mysterious encounter known as prayer.” Fr. Mike reminds us that just like Abraham in the Old Testament, the more we get to know the Lord through prayer, the more we become like him. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2566-2573.
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Day 329: The Gift of Prayer (2025)
November 25th, 2025 | 21 mins 41 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift, heart, humility, jesus, mind, mystery, prayer, scripture, tradition
St. Thérèse said that “prayer is a surge of the heart.” Do we pray from our pride or from a place of humility? The Catechism tells us that “humility is the foundation of prayer.” In humility we can feel God’s thirst for us, accept his gift of prayer, and pray to him from our heart. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2558-2565.
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Day 24: Unity of Faith (2025)
January 24th, 2025 | 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, scripture, 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 (2025)
January 23rd, 2025 | 15 mins 52 secs
apostles creed, ascension, belief, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic creed, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, community, creed, eternal life, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, hope, jesus, profession of faith, scripture, tradition, 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 (2025)
January 22nd, 2025 | 17 mins 26 secs
ascension, belief, believing god, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, doubts, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, miracles, proofs of god, scripture, signs, struggles with faith, tradition, 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 (2025)
January 21st, 2025 | 14 mins 6 secs
ascension, belief, believing god, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, freedom, having faith, jesus, revelation, scripture, supernatural virtue, tradition, 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.
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Day 20: Stepping in Faith (2025)
January 20th, 2025 | 15 mins 13 secs
abraham, ascension, belief, believing, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, faith, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, mans response to god, mary, obedience, revelation, scripture, stepping in faith, tradition
As we dive into a new chapter today, we learn about how we are called to respond to God’s Revelation. In particular, we discover that Mary and Abraham are models of faith who show us how to be obedient by submitting our intellect and will to God. Fr. Mike assures us that even though God doesn’t usually give us the whole picture of our lives, he gives us just enough light to take the next step in faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 142-149.