In Ascension’s The Catechism in a Year podcast, Fr. Mike Schmitz guides you through the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 episodes, providing explanation, insight, and encouragement along the way. Unlike any other Catechism podcast, The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) podcast follows a reading plan inspired by Ascension’s Foundations of Faith approach, a color-coded approach that reveals the structure of the Catechism, making it easier to read and understand. With this podcast, you’ll finally understand what it means to be Catholic and how the beliefs of the Catholic Faith come together. Listen and… Read the ENTIRE Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter Understand how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness for your life Each 15-20 minute episode includes: A guided prayer to help you enter into each episode A reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church An explanation from Fr. Mike Schmitz about the reading The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
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In this episode, Father Mike unpacks the virtue of hope, contrasting it with worldly optimism and defining it as desiring eternal life and trusting in God's promises, not our own strength. He explains how hope safeguards against discouragement and selfishness, inspiring believers to purify their aspirations and endure all circumstances. Ultimately, hope enables the faithful to freely love others and persevere through life's challenges, confident in God's unfailing faithfulness.
This episode delves into the theological virtue of Faith, explaining that God Himself is its origin, motive, and object. Fr. Mike clarifies that faith transcends mere intellectual agreement or well-reasoned arguments, highlighting it as a profound act of trust and self-commitment to God, using the biblical example of Job. The discussion concludes by stressing that authentic faith is not passive; it must be actively lived, expressed through hope and charity, and courageously professed and shared with others in daily life.
This episode delves into the nature of virtues as habitual dispositions to do good, emphasizing that they are not occasional acts but consistent choices. Fr. Mike explains the four cardinal virtues: prudence (discerning the true good), justice (giving due to God and neighbor), fortitude (firmness in difficulties), and temperance (moderating pleasures). The discussion highlights how these human virtues, when elevated by divine grace, foster character and facilitate a joyful, self-mastered moral life, making us more like Jesus.
This episode delves into the nature of erroneous judgment of conscience, explaining how it can arise from personal negligence, habitual sin, or external influences. Father Mike highlights various sources of moral error, including ignorance of the Gospel and rejection of Church authority. He concludes by stressing that a well-formed conscience, even when facing invincible ignorance, is essential for spiritual growth and true freedom to do what is right.
This episode explores the critical task of forming an upright and truthful conscience, distinct from mere intellect or will. Father Mike explains that a well-formed conscience requires both intellectual and moral development, enabling individuals to discern right from wrong based on reason and divine law. The discussion highlights the lifelong commitment to this education, its power to overcome negative influences and foster virtue, ultimately leading to true freedom and peace of heart through divine guidance and universal moral principles.
This episode delves into the Catholic understanding of moral conscience, revealing it as an innate, God-given inner law that serves as a judgment of reason, distinct from mere feelings or passions. Fr. Mike emphasizes the necessity of cultivating interiority and forming one's conscience through understanding moral principles. The discussion also covers conscience's role in assuming responsibility for actions and the right to act in freedom according to one's conscience, while stressing the dangers of a malformed or hardened inner voice.
Father Mike Schmitz delves into the Catechism's teaching on human passions, defining them as movements of the sensitive appetite that incline us to act. He clarifies that passions like love, anger, or fear are inherently neither good nor evil; their morality is determined by how they engage our reason and will. The episode emphasizes that strong feelings don't justify actions, but rather, by channeling our passions toward the good, guided by the Holy Spirit, we grow in virtue and achieve moral perfection where our desires are transformed, not suppressed.
This episode delves into the Catholic understanding of the morality of human acts, explaining the three critical sources: the object chosen, the intention, and the circumstances. Father Mike unpacks how all three must be good for an act to be morally upright, stressing the principle that the end never justifies the means. He also discusses the modern challenge of society losing the language of objective good and evil, advocating for a clear understanding of moral choices.
This episode delves into human freedom within the economy of salvation, highlighting that while man's freedom is fallible and can lead to sin, it is ultimately perfected when directed towards God. Fr. Mike explains that true freedom is the power to choose the good, not the right to do anything, and that the moral law acts as a guide, liberating us, not restricting us. He concludes by affirming that Christ's grace empowers us to live in the freedom from sin he won for us.
Fr. Mike dives into Catechism paragraphs 1730-1738, explaining that human freedom is rooted in reason and will, enabling us to shape our lives and grow in goodness. He differentiates true freedom (choosing good) from its abuse (choosing evil) and clarifies how our freedom is perfected when directed towards God, even in heaven. The discussion also covers imputability and culpability, detailing how factors like ignorance or duress can diminish responsibility, and emphasizing the essential role of knowledge and free will in our actions.
Father Mike explores the Beatitudes as the heart of Jesus' preaching, explaining our divine vocation to beatitude—a profound happiness only God can fulfill. The episode emphasizes making decisive moral choices, purifying our hearts, and loving God above all, cautioning against false idols like wealth and notoriety that promise fleeting satisfaction instead of true, eternal joy.
Father Mike discusses the dignity of the human person, created in God's image and willed for its own sake, destined for eternal beatitude. He explains how original sin wounded human nature, leading to an inclination to evil. However, through Christ's passion, we are delivered from sin and receive new life in the Holy Spirit, enabling us to live a life of virtue, joy, and freedom.
Father Mike begins Part Three of the Catechism, "How We Live," by exploring our high calling as sons and daughters of God, with Jesus Christ as our constant reference. He clarifies that people often struggle with Christian morality, not dogma, when questioning Church teachings. The episode outlines various forms of catechesis—of the Holy Spirit, grace, Beatitudes, sin and forgiveness, and virtues—essential for living a life worthy of the Gospel through divine grace.
This episode introduces the Catechism's third pillar, "How We Live," with Dr. Mary Healy. They discuss how moral teachings are a gift leading to unimaginable happiness, not a burden, and explore critical topics like forming a docile conscience, true human dignity, and the Holy Spirit's role in our transformation. The conversation encourages surrendering to God's power and trusting His way, even through challenges, by living a life of radical love and proclaiming the full truth.
This episode delves into the Christian funeral rite, explaining how it fulfills the new life begun in Baptism, leading the deceased into the Kingdom. It covers the liturgical celebration, emphasizing the Eucharist as the heart for the purification of sins and the importance of prayer for the departed. The discussion also highlights the profound hope of communion and reunion in Christ, even beyond death.
Fr. Mike delves into sacramentals, defining them as sacred signs instituted by the Church that prepare us to receive grace and sanctify daily life, covering blessings of persons, objects, and places, as well as the nature of exorcism and its distinction from mental illness. He also discusses various forms of popular piety, such as the Rosary, explaining how these devotions extend, but never replace, the Church's liturgy, which remains inherently superior.
Father Mike reviews the Catechism's teachings on Matrimony, highlighting the sacred union of husband and wife as a sign of Christ's love for the Church. He discusses the family as the Domestic Church, where faith is first proclaimed, and explores the active, receptive nature of sacramental participation. The episode also emphasizes marriage's call to a holy life, self-denial, and an essential openness to fertility, fostering a true 'school of love.'
Father Mike Schmitz delves into Catechism paragraphs 1652-1658, focusing on marriage's natural orientation toward procreation and the education of children, highlighting them as the 'supreme gift.' He discusses the spiritual fruitfulness achievable by couples struggling with infertility, emphasizing their witness of love and sacrifice. The episode also explores the concept of the family as the 'Domestic Church' and the Church's broader role in embracing and providing family for all, especially single individuals.
This episode delves into paragraphs 1646-1651 of the Catechism, affirming that conjugal love requires inviolable fidelity and seeks to be definitive, mirroring God's irrevocable covenant. Fr. Mike discusses the beauty and challenge of lifelong commitment, the Church's stance on separation and civil divorce, and the call for community support for those navigating difficult marital situations while upholding faith.
This episode delves into the profound nature of the Sacrament of Marriage, examining its effects, including the formation of a perpetual and exclusive bond sealed by God. Fr. Mike explains the special grace given to spouses for supernatural love, resilience, and forgiveness, addressing the call to mutual submission and the Christian vision of leadership as selfless service. The discussion concludes with the essential characteristics of conjugal love: free, total, faithful, and fruitful.
This episode delves into the Catechism's teachings on mixed marriages between Catholics and baptized non-Catholics, and disparity of cult with non-baptized persons. Fr. Mike explains the canonical requirements for permission or dispensation and the Catholic party's obligations regarding faith and children's upbringing. He shares insights on the potential difficulties, emphasizing the importance of shared faith for raising a family while acknowledging the call to faithfulness in all circumstances.
Father Mike Schmitz discusses the indispensable nature of free consent in Catholic marriage, emphasizing that without it, no marriage exists in the Church's eyes. He clarifies what constitutes impediments to freedom, including natural and ecclesiastical laws, and delves into the nuanced annulment process. The episode also explains why sacramental marriage requires an ecclesiastical form and highlights the critical importance of proper marriage preparation, from family example to formal instruction, as a foundation for a lasting covenant.
Delve into the Catholic understanding of marriage celebration, discussing its place within Holy Mass and the necessary conditions for its validity, worthiness, and fruitfulness. The episode also clarifies virginity for the Kingdom, explaining how this particular call doesn't diminish marriage but rather underscores its profound goodness by being willingly given up for an even greater spiritual good.
Father Mike discusses how Christ elevates marriage to a sacrament in the New Covenant, restoring its original meaning of unity and indissolubility as willed by the Creator. He explains that God gradually prepared His people through the Old Covenant, tolerating practices like polygamy due to human hardness of heart, before Jesus definitively taught against divorce. The episode emphasizes that while this is a high call, Christ provides the necessary strength and grace for spouses to live a lifelong, sacrificial love.
This episode begins a series on Holy Matrimony, discussing marriage's foundation in the order of creation and its experience under the regime of sin. Father Mike unpacks the Catechism's definition, highlighting marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman, oriented towards the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring. He explains how sin distorts this divine gift, but emphasizes the enduring power of God's grace for healing and living out this high calling.
Father Mike concludes the section on Holy Orders, explaining its three degrees—bishops, presbyters, and deacons—and how the sacrament confers sacred power through the laying on of hands. He delves into the historical longing for a priestly people, fulfilled in Jesus, and reflects on the grace of the sacrament given to ordinary, often broken, men. The episode emphasizes that all are called to the heights of holiness, celebrating God's gifts and acknowledging the value of every individual's "yes" to God, whether in Holy Orders, Matrimony, or other vocations.
This episode delves into the profound effects of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, focusing on the indelible spiritual mark received by ordained men—deacons, priests, and bishops—which configures them permanently to Christ for service. Fr. Mike explains the specific graces empowering them to guide and sanctify the Church, emphasizing that Christ's action is not hindered by a minister's unworthiness. The episode concludes by highlighting the priesthood as 'the love of the heart of Jesus,' underscoring the universal call to holiness through loving response to God's will.
Father Mike Schmitz explores the sacrament of Holy Orders, focusing on the Church's teaching that only baptized men can be validly ordained. He addresses common challenges and perceptions of injustice, explaining that this tradition stems from Jesus's own establishment of the priesthood, emphasizing that it's an unmerited gift, not a right. The discussion also highlights the distinct yet equally dignified roles of men and women within the Church, contrasting spiritual fatherhood with the essential contributions of spiritual mothers like religious sisters.
Day 215 of The Catechism in a Year focuses on paragraphs 1569-1576, examining the role and ordination of deacons. Father Mike explains their ministry of service, including assisting at the Eucharist, distributing communion, and leading ministries of charity, and discusses the restoration of the permanent diaconate. The episode also covers the essential rites for celebrating Holy Orders and emphasizes that only validly ordained bishops can confer this sacrament through apostolic succession.
Father Mike Schmitz delves into paragraphs 1562-1568 of the Catechism, defining the presbyterate and highlighting the special character conferred upon priests through ordination, configuring them to Christ the High Priest. He discusses their roles in teaching, sanctifying, and governing, emphasizing their universal mission and how the Eucharist is the supreme exercise of their sacred office. The episode concludes with reflections on the profound bond between priests and bishops, the importance of sacramental brotherhood, and a fervent prayer for priestly fidelity and renewal.
