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 74 in total of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag “prayer”.
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Day 332: Prayer Converts Our Heart (2025)
November 28th, 2025 | 18 mins 41 secs
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The Catechism discusses the significance of prayer beginning with the prophets and their observations about the Temple and ritualism. It is noteworthy that while we must worship the Lord externally, this must be in tandem with prayer and cannot remain external. With Fr. Mike’s insight, we see that our thinking affects how we act, and our behaviors can influence beliefs. Taking this to heart, if we ever feel that we are just “going through the motions”, we should persist and continue praying. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2581-2589.
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Day 331: The Foundations of Prayer (2025)
November 27th, 2025 | 19 mins 28 secs
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Do we know how to pray? The Catechism depicts Moses learning how to pray and uses this as an example of prayer and relationship with God. The Catechism goes on to talk about David and his experiences with prayer and the Psalms. As Fr. Mike points out, “humility is the foundation of prayer,” and we need honesty, trust, and a willingness to engage in order to pray and approach God as he is. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2574-2580.
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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 328: How We Pray (Part 4 Intro w/ Sr. Miriam James Heidland) (2025)
November 24th, 2025 | 57 mins 43 secs
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In this fourth and final pillar of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn how to take everything we’ve absorbed this year and apply it to our relationship with God through prayer. Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT joins Fr. Mike Schmitz to talk about how to pray, some common obstacles to prayer, and some of the incredible fruits of prayer that await us if we put the next thirty-seven days of guidance into action.
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Day 305: The Call to Chastity (2025)
November 1st, 2025 | 25 mins 8 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, chastity, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, integrity, jesus, prayer, purity, scripture, sex, sexuality, tradition
We are all called to the virtue of chastity, which integrates our sexuality within the fullness of our person. Chastity trains us in freedom, teaching us how to direct and guide our desires. Fr. Mike explains that this virtue requires sustained effort and leads to self-mastery and peace. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2337-2345.
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Day 86: God’s Plan of Salvation (2025)
March 27th, 2025 | 21 mins 22 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, forgiveness, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, mercy, prayer, redemption, salvation, saved, scripture, sin, tradition
How can we have free will if the Scriptures foretell God’s plan of salvation? This is a great mystery and something we might struggle to understand. Fr. Mike explains what it means to say God’s plan of predestination includes God’s permissive will, each person’s free will, and human beings’ response to the Father’s grace. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 599-605.
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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
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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.