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 items 1-10 of 57 in total of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) with the tag "salvation".
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Day 69: Born of the Virgin Mary (2026)
March 10th, 2026 | 18 mins 2 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, destiny, divine, eve, father mike, father mike schmitz, fiat, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, heaven, human, jesus, mary, mother, new covenant, predestination, prefigures, revelation, salvation, scripture, tradition, trust, will, women
Fr. Mike helps us to understand Mary’s role in the history of salvation. Through her belief and obedience, Mary becomes the Mother of God, and she cooperates in the redemption of the entire world. God’s glory is manifested when he uses weak and powerless people to show forth his faithfulness. What we believe about Mary is based on what we believe about Christ, and what the Church teaches about Mary illuminates our faith in Christ. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 484-489.
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Day 68: The Mystery of the Incarnation (2026)
March 9th, 2026 | 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 67: The Humanity and Divinity of Christ (2026)
March 8th, 2026 | 18 mins 4 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, incarnation, jesus, salvation, scripture, son of god, tradition, word made flesh
Fr. Mike teaches us more about the divine and human natures of the second person of the Holy Trinity, the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ. Jesus became like us in all things but sin; as such, he has a human soul, intellect, will, and body without losing any of his divinity. Father Mike tells us that in his human nature, Jesus thought with a human mind, worked with human hands, and loved with a human heart. Christ needed to learn things, and he increased in wisdom and understanding. The full humanity and true divinity of Jesus is a great mystery of our faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 470-474.
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Day 65: Why the Word Became Flesh (2026)
March 6th, 2026 | 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 43: Creation Is Good (2026)
February 12th, 2026 | 20 mins 7 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, create, creation, divine providence, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, freedom, god creates, good, goodness of creation, human nature, jesus, order, primary causey, salvation, scripture, secondary causes, tradition, universe, world
How does God create? We read today about the reality that God creates an ordered and good world. Moreover, he is continually present in his creation, upholding and sustaining it. We also learn that God grants human beings the dignity of being causes, giving us the incredible power to share in his Divine Providence freely. Finally, Fr. Mike reminds us that because we can participate in God’s plan, our suffering is not meaningless. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 299-308.
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Day 25: Summary of Faith (2026)
January 25th, 2026 | 12 mins 7 secs
ascension, belief, belief in god, believing, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teaching, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gift of faith, growing in faith, jesus, knowing god, learning, revelation, salvation, scripture, tradition, understanding, word of god
As Catholics, we can’t pick and choose the areas of Church teaching we want to accept; we must believe the entire truth of the Faith because we believe in God, who has revealed it to us. Fr. Mike teaches us to pray daily to be good students as we learn and grow from our mother, the Church. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 176-184.
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Day 140: Purgatory and Hell (2025)
May 20th, 2025 | 21 mins 15 secs
ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, death, eternal fire, eternity, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, gehenna, hell, holiness, jesus, purgatory, purification, salvation, sanctification, scripture, tradition
Why do purgatory and hell exist? The Catechism teaches us today about the existence and the meaning of purgatory and hell. We learn that purgatory is a transitional state of purification while hell is the state of permanent separation from God. Fr. Mike reminds us that nobody drifts into heaven because “we cannot be united to God unless we freely choose to love him.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1030-1037.
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Day 125: Vocation of the Laity (2025)
May 5th, 2025 | 19 mins 36 secs
ascension, bible, bishop, 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, jesus, laity, lay people, priests, salvation, scripture, tradition, universal, vocation
The term "laity" refers to all the faithful, except those in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state approved by the Church. We learn about the special vocation lay people have to seek the Kingdom of God as they engage in temporal affairs. They live in the world and bring the Gospel to places priests and religious cannot access. Father Mike explains that in this way, the lay faithful not only participate in the Church but are the Church. The laity participate in Christ's priestly vocation by making every part of their lives an offering to God. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 897-903.
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Day 118: The Church and Non-Christians (2025)
April 28th, 2025 | 22 mins 46 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, jesus, muslims, non-christians, salvation, scripture, the church, the jewish people, tradition
Fr. Mike examines the relationship between the Church and non-Christian religions. He discusses that while there is some degree of goodness and truth in every religion, the fullness of truth exists in the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike concludes with a reflection on the statement from the early Church Fathers that “outside the Church there is no salvation.” Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 839-848.
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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.