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 68 in total of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag “love”.
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Day 318: Love for the Poor (2025)
November 14th, 2025 | 21 mins 39 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, charity, commandments, corporal works of mercy, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, love, poor, scripture, seventh commandment, spiritual works of mercy, st. lawrence, ten commandments, the beatitudes, tradition, works of mercy
The Church’s charity for the poor is a “part of her constant tradition.” Fr. Mike unpacks how the poor are the “true treasure of the Church.” He emphasizes that when we give to the poor what they need, we satisfy the requirements of justice. He also reiterates the importance of mercy and showing mercy to others. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2443-2449.
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Day 308: Same-Sex Attraction (2025)
November 4th, 2025 | 32 mins 32 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, chastity, children, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, homosexuality, jesus, love, marriage, scripture, sexuality, tradition
Fr. Mike guides us through the Catechism’s discussion of same-sex attraction. He highlights that all of the Church’s teachings on sexuality stem from her embrace of God’s intended and revealed purpose for sex. Fr. Mike stresses that this understanding of sexuality is core to our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2357-2363.
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Day 301: Peace (2025)
October 28th, 2025 | 17 mins 54 secs
10 commandments, 5th commandment, anger, article 5, article five, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, charity, commandments, dignity, father mike, father mike schmitz, fifth commandment, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, hatred, high call, how we live, jesus, justice, kill, life in christ, love, love of neighbor, mortal sin, part 3, part three, peace, peacemakers, prince of peace, respect, revenge, scripture, st augustine, st thomas aquinas, ten commandments, tradition, vengeance
Peace is not simply an absence of war. Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism’s teachings about peace as the "work of justice and the effect of charity.” We learn that to cultivate true peace, we must do more than avoid anger, hatred, and harm to our neighbor; we must actively work toward becoming agents of peace. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2302-2306.
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Day 116: The Church Is Holy (2025)
April 26th, 2025 | 17 mins 35 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, charity, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, glorification, holy, jesus, love, sanctification, scripture, st. therese of lisieux, the church, tradition
Fr. Mike examines the next characteristic of the Church, the Church is holy, and he emphasizes two important ideas. The first is that the Church is unfailingly holy only because of God’s gracious gift to us. The second is that each and every one of the activities of the Church are for two purposes: the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God. We conclude with a reminder from St. Therese on the importance of charity, that love of God is the “vocation which includes all others.” Today’s readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 823-829.
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Day 107: Origin of the Church (2025)
April 17th, 2025 | 20 mins 28 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift, god’s plan, heart, holy spirit, jesus, love, origin, salvation, scripture, tradition
The origin of the Church is just one of the ways we can come to know the depth of God’s love for us. From the very beginning, the Church, as a gathering of the people of God, has been a plan born of the Father’s heart. Fr. Mike explains that Jesus Christ instituted the Church, that salvation comes to us through the Holy Spirit in the Church, and that this was God’s plan from the very beginning of time. The Church is not man-made; the Church is God-made, and it is a great gift to us. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 758-766.
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Day 88: Christ’s Definitive Sacrifice
March 29th, 2025 | 17 mins 35 secs
ascension, atonement, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, cross, crucifixion, death, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, love, obedience, redemption, sacrifice, scripture, suffering, tradition
Christ’s death is the unique and definitive sacrifice. It is both the Paschal Sacrifice that accomplishes redemption and the sacrifice of the New Covenant that restores man’s communion with God. Fr. Mike tell us that Jesus Christ is the one mediator, and yet invites us to participate in his sacrifice when he calls on us to take up our crosses and follow him. When we accept our sufferings out of love, we are united to Christ. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 613-623.
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Day 68: The Mystery of the Incarnation (2025)
March 9th, 2025 | 17 mins 41 secs
ascension, bible, body, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine, divine love, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, heart, human, human love, incarnation, jesus, love, mystery, nature, sacred heart, salvation, scripture, tradition, will, word made flesh
We learn more about Jesus Christ’s nature as fully God and fully human. Because he was fully human, “like us in all things but sin,” Jesus had a human will that was perfectly aligned with the will of God the Father, a human body that can be seen and venerated, and a human heart with which he loves us. Fr. Mike sums up the teachings in recent readings by reviewing that the Incarnation is the mystery of the union of the divine and human natures in the one person of the Word. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 475-483.
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Day 65: Why the Word Became Flesh (2025)
March 6th, 2025 | 19 mins 9 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, divine nature, father mike, father mike schmitz, flesh, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, holiness, incarnation, jesus, love, salvation, scripture, son of god, tradition, word
The Word became flesh to reconcile us with God, to manifest God’s love for us, to model holiness, and to make us partakers of the divine nature. We learn that the “Incarnation” refers to the fact that the Son of God assumed human nature in order to accomplish our salvation. Fr. Mike explains that belief in the Incarnation of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 456-463.
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Day 53: Man in Paradise (2025)
February 22nd, 2025 | 16 mins 17 secs
adam and eve, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, concupiscence, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, friendship with god, harmony with creation, in brief, in-brief, jesus, labor, leisure, love, mastery of self, original justice, original sin, scripture, the garden, tradition, work
In the beginning, humans were in friendship with God and in harmony with creation. The Catechism unfolds this harmony and introduces us to the “original justice” that our first parents lost in sin. Fr. Mike reminds us that, although our original callings to leisure, love, and labor have been twisted by sin, they are renewed in Christ. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 374-384.
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Day 42: The Work of Creation (2025)
February 11th, 2025 | 17 mins 47 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, creation, existence, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gods create, holy trinity, jesus, love, recreation, scripture, tradition, trinity, world
Why did God create? The Catechism today gives us a glimpse into the reason for our existence as we learn about God’s marvelous work of creation. Fr. Mike emphasizes that creation is ultimately a work of the Holy Trinity and a work of love that reveals the glory of God. He also reminds us that creation is not a work of the past; God is constantly forming and breathing new life into our lives and hearts. Today we read Catechism paragraphs 290-298.