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 “fr mike schmitz”.
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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
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, esus, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jeff cavins, part 1, part one, pillar 1, pillar one, scripture, the apostles creed, the nicene creed, the profession of faith, tradition, what we believe
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
1 timothy 2, acts 4, ascension, beginning, bible, catechesis, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, council of trent, doctrine, education in the faith, extraordinary synod of bishops, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, handing on the faith, jesus, john 17, john paul ii, make disciples, mark 16, matthew 28, proclaim the gospel, proclamation of the gospel, prologue, scripture, the good news, the life of man, to know and love god, tradition
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 15: Interpreting Scripture (2024)
January 15th, 2024 | 16 mins 32 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catholic, catholic church, catholicism, faith, father mike schmitz, fr mike schmitz, holy bible, holy spirit, interpretation of scripture, interpreting scripture, revelation, scripture, scriptures, tradition, word of god
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.
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Day 14: The Eternal Word of God (2024)
January 14th, 2024 | 17 mins 8 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, eternal word of god, father mike schmitz, fr mike schmitz, free will, grace, living word of god, religion, revelation, sacredness of scripture, scripture, scriptures, tradition, truth, word of god
Fr. Mike reflects on the sacredness of Scripture and why the Church venerates Scripture with great reverence. He helps us understand the mystery behind the powerful reality that God speaks to us through human authors. Most importantly, Fr. Mike reminds us that the eternal Word of God is both living and true. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 101-108.
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Day 365: So Be It
December 31st, 2023 | 15 mins 58 secs
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Congratulations, you have reached Day 365! We conclude our journey through the Catechism with the final “nugget day” as we review the seven petitions of the Lord’s prayer. In closing, Fr. Mike reminds us of the purpose of our time with the Catechism: recognizing that every part of our human experience matters to God simply because he loves us. It matters to God that we know him, worship him, live in his love, and draw near to him in prayer. We respond to God’s astounding love for each of us with our final “Amen- so be it.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2857-2865.
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Day 364: Deliver Us from Evil
December 30th, 2023 | 23 mins 48 secs
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Toward the end of the Lord’s Prayer, we implore God to protect us from temptation and from the evil one. Fr. Mike clarifies what we mean when we ask God not to “lead us into temptation” and emphasizes the importance of discerning between trials and temptations. Lastly, we review the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, known as the final doxology. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2846-2856.
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Day 363: Forgive Us Our Trespasses
December 29th, 2023 | 25 mins 31 secs
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Forgiving those who have hurt us is a challenging call. Fr. Mike explains what it means to "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." We learn that forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing and that we can transform our hurt into intercession with God's grace. We ask the Lord to soften our hearts so that they may remain open to loving and forgiving others. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 2838-2845.