The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Do we love the Church? Some of us might struggle with that idea, but Fr. Mike explains that if we are to love and live in accordance with the heart of Jesus, we must love what he loves. Jesus, the bridegroom, loves his bride, the Church, so we must love the Church. We also learn that the sacraments are not only signs but also the very instruments by which the Holy Spirit gives us the grace of Chri...

Jesus Christ established the Church, but the Holy Spirit continually sanctifies the Church with wisdom, guidance, and charismatic gifts. The Church’s mission is to proclaim and establish the beginning of God’s Kingdom on earth, and we participate in this mission through charity, humility, and self-denial. Fr. Mike helps us understand the seemingly paradoxical idea that the Church is visible and sp...

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...

There are many different symbols of the Church that can help us to understand it. We learn some of these symbols today, including a sheepfold, a cultivated field, the building of God, the spotless lamb, the bride of Christ, and our mother. Fr. Mike reminds us that, like us, the Church on earth needs constant reform. Jesus loves the Church and gave himself up for her. If we have any hostility or in...

The Church has no other light than Christ's, and the Holy Spirit is the source of all its holiness. We believe that the Church is "holy," "catholic," "one," and "apostolic." Fr. Mike explains that Jesus has promised to guide the Church in the truth. Members of the Church are called and uniquely belong to the Lord. We also learn that the word 'church' has three inseparable meanings: the liturgical...

As we conclude this article on the Holy Spirit, the Catechism teaches us today about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Church. Fr. Mike breaks down the four main ways the Holy Spirit is active in the mission of Christ and how the life of the Church completes that mission. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 737-747. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Cate...

Pentecost marks the beginning of the age of the Church, the time in which the Kingdom is inherited but not fully consummated. Today, we dive into the meaning and significance of Pentecost for our lives. Fr. Mike explains how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost fulfills Christ’s Passover. On that glorious day, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fully revealed themselves in the Trinity. We...

The working of the Holy Spirit in and through Mary and the Son is a pivotal part of God's plan of salvation. The Catechism today reveals to us how the Holy Spirit prepared Mary to fulfill the Father's plan and manifest the Son to humanity. We also learn how the Holy Spirit and the Son work together in a joint mission. Finally, Fr. Mike highlights how Mary's humility is essential to her role as the...

Fr. Mike continues to explore the joint mission of the Word and Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. Together, we unpack how the Holy Spirit has been moving the prophets, particularly the prophet Isaiah. We learn how the characteristics of the Messiah are revealed, above all, in the “Servant Songs.” We also examine the Holy Spirit’s role in John the Baptist recognizing Christ as Messiah, even fro...

Together with Fr. Mike, we unpack the joint mission of God’s Word and the Spirit in the Old and New Testaments. Fr. Mike emphasizes the Spirit’s role in creation, the theophanies, and the Law. We conclude today’s reflection with an examination of the prefiguration of the Church in the exile of the people of God in the Old Testament. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 702-710. This episode h...

Fr. Mike explores the different symbols the faithful use when discussing the Holy Spirit, such as fire, water, and anointing. We examine how these symbols help us more fully apprehend the person of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Mike unpacks the meaning of each symbol, as well as each symbol's connection to the Old Testament. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 694-701. This episode has been found to...

Fr. Mike continues to examine the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s mission. We explore the joint mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit. When the Son and the Spirit act, they act together. Fr. Mike emphasizes that though the Son and the Spirit are two distinct persons, they are inseparable. We also examine the proper name of the Holy Spirit and the different titles we use for the Holy Spirit. Tod...

Together, with Fr. Mike, we begin our examination of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and how God reveals himself as the Holy Spirit in our lives. Fr. Mike emphasizes the words of St. Irenaeus that, “in order to be touched by Christ, we must first be touched by the Holy Spirit.” We also explore eight ways the Catechism lays out for us to be able to understand the Holy Spirit....

The Catechism concludes the section on The Son with an examination of the final trial and judgment that will happen before Christ’s Second Coming. This final trial will involve the "supreme religious deception" of the Antichrist, a deception that has already been present at various times in human history. Fr. Mike emphasizes that apostasy is a dramatic turning away from what we hold to be true. He...

Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore Christ’s reign on earth. We examine the reality of Christ’s reign as both “already” and “not yet.” For, even though Christ reigns on earth, we are still waiting for the fulfillment of his kingdom. Because, while the Church is Christ’s kingdom on earth, it is endowed with a “sanctity that is real but imperfect.” Fr. Mike also reiterates that Jesus Christ is truly...

The Catechism unpacks the line from the Creed, “He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” Fr. Mike highlights the reality that we do not have direct access to the Father without his Son, Jesus. Christ’s ascension into heaven means, “the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory,” uniting our humanity with God’s divinity in a remarkable way—whi...

The Catechism wraps up its discussion surrounding Article 5 of the Creed (“He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead”) and asks the question, “What does Jesus’ resurrection mean for me?” Fr. Mike points out that Christ’s resurrection proves—definitively—that he is the only begotten Son of God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 651-658. This episode has been found...

The Catechism demonstrates how Christ’s resurrection is “essentially different” from other cases of resurrection in the Bible and shows us how his rising from the dead is a “work of the Holy Trinity.” Fr. Mike emphasizes that Jesus was not merely “resuscitated” from the dead, as Jairus’ daughter or Lazarus, but he rose from the dead glorified, “filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.” Today's re...

The Catechism tackles Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead which is the “the crowning truth of our faith in Christ". Fr. Mike makes sure we understand that Christ's resurrection cannot be interpreted as a legend or a metaphor, but as a true, historical fact. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 638-644. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on...

Have you ever said the words from the Creed at Mass, “he descended into hell” and wondered, “Really? Jesus did? Why?” The Catechism shares the secrets of this line from the Creed and shows us how Jesus’ descent into hell “brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment.” Fr. Mike makes it clear to us that Jesus did not come to save only the righteous who happened to be alive during...

When he was crucified, Jesus experienced a real human death, the separation of his soul from his body. Because of his divinity, though, Jesus’ body did not see corruption, and his body and soul were reunited in the Resurrection. The risen Christ is the meeting point of death and life. We learn that as Christians, in Baptism, we die to sin, are buried with Christ, and then in him, we rise to new li...

Christ’s death is the unique and definitive sacrifice. It is both the Paschal Sacrifice that accomplishes redemption and the sacrifice of the New Covenant that restores man’s communion with God. Fr. Mike tell us that Jesus Christ is the one mediator, and yet invites us to participate in his sacrifice when he calls on us to take up our crosses and follow him. When we accept our sufferings out of lo...

Jesus Christ’s entire life was an offering to God the Father, and he freely embraced God’s will and his plan for salvation. We learn that the Eucharist memorializes Jesus’ free offering of himself. In the garden, the night before his Passion and death, Jesus suffered real agony as he contemplated his death, yet he accepted his death as redemptive. Fr. Mike invites us to participate in this redempt...

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. This episode has been fou...

In this reading, we learn that all sinners are the authors of Christ’s Passion. We do not blame the Jews for the Crucifixion of Jesus as we know that it is our own sins that caused his Passion and death. Fr. Mike tells us that the Jews are not collectively responsible for Jesus’ death, and they should not be spoken of as rejected or cursed. We’re reminded that when we choose sin and deny Christ by...