Have you heard the phrase, "Ora et Labora" before? What about the maxim, "Pray as if everything depends on God. And work as if everything depends on you." Today Fr. Mike breaks down the Benedictine charism of prayer AND work and offers us some food for thought when tempted to fall into fatalism or quietism and remove our will from the equation. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
"Love your neighbor as yourself." We all know the drill. Jesus calls us to love even our enemies. But loving people can be so HARD. Today Fr. Mike offers us some 3 practical tips and a word of challenge to lean into loving those we find difficult to love and care for. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Are you feeling tired and spiritually exhausted? Do you feel like throwing in the towel on everything? Today Fr. Mike offers us a way to evaluate our spiritual practices, service, and prayer based on our relationship, identity, and mission (RIM) to know what we can remove and keep from our Catholic spiritual life. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Most of us are familiar with the 5 Love Languages; gift-giving acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, and quality time. But which of these is how God gives and receives love? Today Fr. Mike shares with us how God often loves us not in the way we might expect or prefer but in the way that most draws us into union with him. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
What happened? Did Fr. Mike change his mind on tattoos? Today Fr. Mike reveals his recent tattoo, why he got it, and why he’s not really happy about it. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Today Fr. Mike unpacks the three Transcendentals; Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, and why and how our hearts can be misled by emotion and feelings at times which distorts these fundamental realities. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Today Fr. Mike had the chance to interview Mark Wahlberg about his amazing new movie, "Father Stu," which follows the incredible true story of Fr. Stuart Long, a "boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption." Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
If you're Catholic, you know the drill: we sin, we break our relationship with God, and then he offers us the incomprehensible mercy to restore that relationship with him. You can see this beautiful grace most Saturday afternoons at parishes around the world in the Sacrament of Reconciliation—or, Confession. But have you heard of "general absolution"? Is it a way to skip the confession line and get "bulk forgiveness"? Today, Fr. Mike dispels the confusion around general absolution and redirects ...
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Vladimir Putin and Russia invading Ukraine. COVID ripping through the world. What do these all have in common? The rules get broken. We all know the rules. The lights turn on. The toilet flushes. We all play nice. But that’s not "how things work". That’s "how things have been working". Today, Fr. Mike tells you what to do when you get slapped in the face by a broken world. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
When we receive criticism from someone it's easy to think that we can either put up our fists and fight it or let it defeat us. But are those really the only two options? Today, Fr. Mike walks us through the third option when being criticized and how to receive a negative comment well and with charity. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Sometimes they're things we don't want to do... but we have to do them anyway. Sometimes you make it through saying, "I'll learn to like it." But what about if you never do? Today, Fr. Mike gives us a word of encouragement to find joy even in the midst of suffering and to avoid falling into despair or resentment as we walk toward eternity. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Want to know what the #1 goal of Lent is? Believe it or not, we don't have to feel the joy of the season to reach it. Instead, we have to focus on living it! Today, Fr. Mike challenges us to go beyond performing our works of penance for selfish reasons but instead to model our prayer, fasting. and almsgiving in a way that helps us become more like Jesus. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Lent has begun and with it our season of penance and fasting. What are you planning on giving up or adding to your spiritual life? Today, Fr. Mike helps us understand that Lent is less like a crockpot—which you can set and forge—and more like an ongoing, iterative process that requires our continual discernment about how we are drawing closer to Jesus. God wants to give you more. How will you respond this Lent? Order the Lenten Companion today: https://tinyurl.com/yb9vsuva Support The Fr. Mike S...
"It’s time to stop watching and start worshiping." - Fr. Mike Today, Fr. Mike continues part two of his series on worshipping God each Sunday at Mass and why our Sunday obligation is more about our relationship with a loving Father than a rule of Church law alone. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
What does God want from us? What does God deserve from us given that he's our creator? Today, Fr. Mike shows how we can actually turn God into an idol—when we "choose our version of God." This is what happens when we pull God off the shelf when we want him or need him, but put him back on the shelf when we don't. Today, Fr. Mike invites us to ask God what he wants from us. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Why should you consider getting married, if as Jesus states in Matthew 22:30; "at the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven?" Today Fr. Mike continues his series dealing with questions related to the vocation of marriage. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Today, Fr. Mike delves into this age old question. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
As we know, an essential part of the Sacrament of Marriage is entering into the sexual embrace. And yet, our Catholic faith teaches that Mary and Joseph remained lifelong virgins even after they were married. So, how does this make their marriage different? Today, Fr. Mike unpacks this common question and helps us further understand the beauty and grace of the Sacrament of Marriage. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
For probably the first time in human history, the common perception of children as a gift has been under attack by our culture at large. More and more the world sees kids as an affront to our personal autonomy or the driver of a pending apocalyptic catastrophe. Today, Fr. Mike weighs in on the "primary goods" of marriage and why we need to re-orient our mindset when it comes to children. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
You said an unkind word or reacted rashly. You feel terrible because it was directed at someone you love. When you ask for their forgiveness the wound they feel is too raw and they don't accept your apology. What can you do? Today, Fr. Mike shares a word of challenge and encouragement on how to exercise the virtue of patience and show mercy as you wait to be forgiven. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Have you ever heard the expression, ‘To err is human; to forgive, divine?’ Surprisingly this well-known phrase does not come from the Bible but a poem by the English poet Alexander Pope. Today, Fr. Mike shares some great insights into the process of forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration and how God offers all three stages to us in the Sacrament of Confession. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Can you believe it's almost a new year!? Are you reflecting on both the suffering and gifts of the past year and also looking to the future and making resolutions for 2022? Today, Fr. Mike gives us a word of encouragement and challenge to surrender our past brokenness and sin as well as the future blessings and difficulties to the lordship of Jesus Christ! Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Have you ever gone to a carnival or fair and had a caricature drawn of yourself? Did it seem to highlight some parts of you but fail to really create a complete picture of who you are? Today, Fr. Mike explores the nature of Jesus’ true physical appearance, and the spiritual reasons he may appear so diverse in different works of art. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
In this throwback talk from the 2015 World Meeting of Families, Fr. Mike introduces us to the Theology of the Body and inspires us with a new vision of what it means to have a human form. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary! But wait... what is the Immaculate Conception? How does that even work? And why does it matter? Fr. Mike is glad you asked. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
As St. Thomas Aquinas writes: "As often as a husband and wife enter into the sexual embrace in a state of grace, they are growing in grace and in glory." Today, Fr. Mike delves into one of the greatest secrets of Catholic morality and the sacrament of Matrimony, namely that when spouses share the marital embrace that they are growing in holiness. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Do you know how to receive a gift? It's not as easy as it sounds. It might sound like gift-giving is the lesson to learn, but receiving can be so much more difficult—and just as important. Today, Fr. Mike gives us 4 steps to successfully receive the gifts all around us. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
You might have heard that Sunday, as the Sabbath, is a "day of rest." But is that just, like, an honorary title? What does that actually mean for Christians? What should be doing—or not doing—on Sundays? Today, Fr. Mike tells us why Christians are asked to rest from work on Sundays. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Saint Teresa of Calcutta once said, "We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love." The reality is that most of our lives are made up of seemingly small decisions and yet they do truly matter in how we are to be judged. Today, Fr. Mike shares how our faithfulness to God in the small daily decisions actually amounts to the sum of our spiritual life and the growth in our holiness. What does God want this Advent? Simple. He wants you. He wants a personal encounter with ...
As Catholics, we believe in the forgiveness of our sins through the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. But often, even though we are absolved but we can struggle to forgive ourselves for our past faults and failings. Today, Fr. Mike shares the main reason why we struggle to let go of the past and surrender to God who is our loving Father. What does God want this Advent? Simple. He wants you. He wants a personal encounter with you. This year, journey through Advent with "Rejoice! Finding ...
