The Miracle of Confession
Learn more about Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson's Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation: https://tinyurl.com/yhwfakge Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Jul 14, 2022•8 min
The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Faith, pop culture, and headline reflections from Fr. Mike Schmitz.
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Episodes
How Do We Maintain Freedom in America?
As Americans we are known for our celebration of liberty and our focus on "our rights." We even have a landmark statue which embodies this value we hold so dearly. But what if our pursuit of liberty alone isn't enough? Today Fr. Mike challenges us to take responsibility as citizens of this great nation to pursue a growth in virtue, character and religious faith on which our freedom as a democracy hinges upon. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Jul 07, 2022•7 min
Why You Should Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (+ NEW Podcast)
In response to countless requests, Ascension is launching The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) on January 1, 2023! https://tinyurl.com/29o6p2o4 With this podcast, Catholics will: Read the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter See how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness Transform their relationship with the Church...
Jun 30, 2022•6 min
Why Self-Care is Important for Loving Others
Jesus tells in the Gospels, "Love your neighbor as yourself." But what if you struggle to love yourself? How can we pour ourselves out for others if we are not first filled up? Today, Fr. Mike challenges us properly order our love for others, namely wiling the good of the other by first willing our own good and setting clear boundaries so that we can love more fully. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Jun 23, 2022•12 min
How the Eucharist Changed My Life
Why do less than 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence? It seems like many have forgotten that Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world. Today, Fr. Mike reminds us of the gift of the Eucharist and shares the way it transformed his own life. It is the heart of our faith, our spiritual nourishment, the bread that we live for, and the teaching worth dying for. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast...
Jun 16, 2022•9 min
Is Judas in Hell?
Is Judas in Hell? The overwhelming consensus over time is that he must be. But has the Church proclaimed that he definitely is? Surprisingly... no. Why? Jesus teaches us that, while we can evaluate “a tree by its fruits,” it is left to God alone to make a final judgement upon someone’s heart and determine their destination. Everyone has the grace and the opportunity to say “yes” to God. The sobering flipside to this reality is that hell is real—and it’s not something that only really, really bad...
Jun 09, 2022•11 min
The One Reason You are Not Yet a Saint
Are there things in my life that are incompatible with holiness? We all wish to be saints—God's people with him forever in heaven. But do we will it? Do we choose it? Fr. Mike wants you to know that today is the day. This is the moment. There's only one reason you're not a saint yet. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Jun 02, 2022•11 min
Pray About It? Or Just Do It?
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
May 26, 2022•7 min
How to Love Someone that is Hard to Love
"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
May 19, 2022•8 min
The Truth Is, You're Spiritually Burnt and Want to Quit
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
May 12, 2022•9 min
Does God Have a Love Language?
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
May 05, 2022•8 min
Fr. Mike Got a Tattoo?!?
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
Apr 28, 2022•10 min
The True, the Good and the Beautiful: A Lesson in Human Flourishing
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
Apr 21, 2022•9 min
Fr. Mike and Mark Wahlberg on Father Stu | What "Picking Up Your Cross" Looks Like
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
Apr 15, 2022•12 min
Father Mike Responds to "General Absolution"
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 ...
Apr 07, 2022•11 min
Will Smith, Vladimir Putin, and When Rules Get Broken
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...
Mar 31, 2022•12 min
What (Not) to Do with Criticism
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
Mar 24, 2022•8 min
How Long Can You Be Miserable?
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
Mar 17, 2022•8 min
If Lent Doesn't Make You Feel Good...
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
Mar 10, 2022•8 min
Lent Is a Process—Not an Event
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...
Mar 03, 2022•8 min
When Attending Mass Virtually Just Doesn’t Cut It
"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
Feb 24, 2022•7 min
God Ain’t Your Grandma (Making God an Idol)
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...
Feb 17, 2022•10 min
Why Get Married If It Doesn't Exist in Heaven?
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
Feb 10, 2022•7 min
If God is Good, Why Do We Need to Pray?
Today, Fr. Mike delves into this age old question. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Feb 03, 2022•7 min
What Makes Mary and Joseph's Marriage Different?
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...
Jan 27, 2022•8 min
Kids: A Right? A Curse? or a Gift?
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...
Jan 20, 2022•12 min
What Can You Do When Another Won't Forgive?
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...
Jan 13, 2022•7 min
Forgiveness is Not the Same as Reconciliation
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...
Jan 06, 2022•8 min
Surrendering the Past and Future to Jesus' Lordship and Dominion
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
Dec 30, 2021•6 min
What Did Jesus Actually Look Like?
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
Dec 23, 2021•9 min
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