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 “prayer”.
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Day 364: Deliver Us from Evil (2024)
December 29th, 2024 | 24 mins 2 secs
deliver us from evil, evil one, final doxology, lead us not into temptation, lords prayer, prayer, satan, temptation, trials
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 360: Hallowing God’s Name (2024)
December 25th, 2024 | 18 mins 12 secs
glory, holiness, holy, name, prayer, recognize
What does it mean to hallow God’s name? We are not the source or cause of God’s holiness. As the Catechism says, we hallow God’s name so it may be glorified, loved, and known. Jesus instructs us in the Our Father to petition and desire that we be drawn into God’s plan of loving kindness. In time, God’s name is hallowed in how we live and how we pray. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2807-2815.
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Day 359: The Seven Petitions (2024)
December 24th, 2024 | 13 mins 2 secs
divine mercy, divine mercy chaplet, petition, prayer, the lord’s prayer, the our father, the seven petitions
In the Lord’s Prayer, we make seven different petitions to our Father in heaven. Together, we examine what makes each set of these seven petitions different. Fr. Mike unpacks how the first three petitions emphasize love of the Father, the next two concern us in the present world, and the final two concern the battle of prayer. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2803-2806.
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Day 358: Who Art in Heaven (2024)
December 23rd, 2024 | 14 mins 45 secs
heaven, prayer, presence, the lord’s prayer, the our father, thrice-holy
As we reach the conclusion of the article on the opening words of the Our Father, we take a closer look at the phrase, “Who Art in Heaven.” Fr. Mike emphasizes that God is not distant, but is imminently present all around us. He also emphasizes that while sin has exiled us from heaven, conversion of heart allows us to return to the Father in heaven. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2794-2802.
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Day 357: God, “Our” Father (2024)
December 22nd, 2024 | 13 mins 28 secs
individualism, prayer, relationship, the lord’s prayer, the our father, unity
God’s love has no bounds, and neither should our prayer. Fr. Mike emphasizes that when we say “our” we are highlighting that we have become God’s people. We belong to God, not in a possessive way, but in an “entirely new relationship”. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2786-2793.
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Day 356: We Dare to Say (2024)
December 21st, 2024 | 21 mins 39 secs
children of god, father, filial boldness, god’s children, holy spirit, humility, prayer, son, the lord’s prayer, the our father
When we pray the Our Father, we are invited to pray with “filial boldness” as children of God. Fr. Mike emphasizes that we are God’s adopted sons and daughters, and so because of that, we are able to call him “Abba, Father.” He also emphasizes that because of this adoption we are called to “continual conversion and new life.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2777-2785.
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Day 355: Summary of the Lord’s Prayer (2024)
December 20th, 2024 | 9 mins 19 secs
father, god, good father, prayer, the lord’s prayer, the our father
The In-Brief, or the “nugget day”, for the article on the Lord’s Prayer, emphasizes that understanding the identity of God is essential when it comes to our relationship with God. God is not a tyrant or dictator. He is our good Father. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2773-2776.
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Day 349: Temptation, Trust, and Prayer (2024)
December 14th, 2024 | 21 mins 19 secs
complaining, faith, humility, prayer, priorities, trust
What motivates our prayer? Do we see God as our “divine genie,” or do we look to him as our Father? We learn that the most common temptation in prayer is a lack of faith. Another major temptation is acedia or sloth. In the face of these temptations of presumption and discouragement, we must respond with filial trust in God our Father, the giver of all good gifts. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2732-2737.
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Day 348: The Battle of Prayer (2024)
December 13th, 2024 | 25 mins 41 secs
battle, failure, grace, grit, humility, love, prayer
Prayer is "grace and grit," as Fr. Mike phrases it. In this section, one of Fr. Mike's favorites in the Catechism, we hear that "we pray as we live because we live as we pray." This living and praying is a battle in which we must confront our failures and accept the Holy Spirit's grace and aid. Prayer requires humility, trust, and perseverance on our part. In this struggle, we must battle against distraction, ourselves, dryness, and temptation. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 2725-2731.
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Day 347: Contemplative Prayer (2024)
December 12th, 2024 | 19 mins 28 secs
contemplation, friends, prayer, silence, solitude
In contemplative prayer, we seek Jesus. As St. Teresa of Avila put it, contemplative prayer “is nothing else than a close sharing between friends.” The Catechism tells us this form of prayer is a gift, a covenant, and a communion. Further, it is a silent gaze “fixed on Jesus.” In this episode, Fr. Mike helps us better understand this intimate form of prayer. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2709-2724.