Shows / The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
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…
Episodes
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 69: Born of the Virgin Mary (2026)
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…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 68: The Mystery of the Incarnation (2026)
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…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 67: The Humanity and Divinity of Christ (2026)
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…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 66: True God and True Man (2026)
We explore the truth that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man; he is one person with two natures, both Divine and human. Fr. Mike explains that we call…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 65: Why the Word Became Flesh (2026)
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 Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 64: The Lord (2026)
As we wrap up our discussion of Jesus’ titles, we learn about the last title attributed to Jesus: The Lord. Fr. Mike explains that this title expresses the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 63: The Only Son of God (2026)
As we continue to learn about the name of Jesus and the titles given to him, we encounter in today’s readings the unique title that belongs to Jesus as the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 62: The Christ (2026)
Why is Jesus named “The Christ”? Today we discover the meaning behind this powerful title. We also learn about the three-fold ministry of Jesus as the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 61: The Name of Jesus (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we examine the name above every other name: Jesus Christ. We explore the importance of this name and our reverence for it. Fr. Mike…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 60: God Sends His Only Son (2026)
Fr. Mike emphasizes that God did not have to do anything for us after the Fall, yet he sent us his only Son, and through his Son, we have received grace upon…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 59: Summary of The Fall (2026)
We have arrived at the “nugget day” or the In Brief for the sections on The Father and Original Sin. Fr. Mike reiterates the important idea that every human…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 58: Man’s Spiritual Battle (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the hard battle which each and every one of us must face, the battle with sin. Together, we examine the mystery of us being both free and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 57: Consequences of Adam’s Sin (2026)
Fr. Mike examines the consequences of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. He discusses that even though they committed a personal sin, it affected all…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 56: Man’s First Sin (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of man’s first sin or our “freedom put to the test.” Fr. Mike unpacks the importance of us understanding that…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 55: The Fall of the Angels (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the fall of the angels, and how their fall leads to our own “fall into death out of envy.” Together, we examine what caused some of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 54: The Fall of Man (2026)
The Catechism introduces us to the Fall, beginning with the reality of sin and the mystery of evil. Fr. Mike highlights the fact that sin is not “a…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 53: Man in Paradise (2026)
In the beginning, humans were in friendship with God and in harmony with creation. The Catechism unfolds this harmony and introduces us to the “original…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 52: Male and Female (2026)
The Catechism teaches about God’s plan and design for men and women—male and female—and their equality, complementarity, dignity, and destiny. Fr. Mike shows…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 51: Unity of Soul and Body (2026)
The soul and the body “are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.” The Catechism introduces us to this profound mystery and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 50: The Dignity of Man (2026)
“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). The Catechism teaches us about man’s…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 49: We Are Created For Worship (2026)
There is a solidarity among all of God’s creatures because all are oriented to give glory to God. We learn that God created the world in six days and rested on…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 48: Creation in Order (2026)
God created all of the visible world in richness, diversity, and order, and everything owes its existence to God. Because all of creation comes from God, every…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 47: The Angels (2026)
The angels belong to Christ as they were made through him and for him, and he has made them messengers of his saving plan. We learn that angels have been…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 46: Heaven and Earth (2026)
God created heaven and earth — all that we see and all that we don’t see. We learn that the earth is filled with men and many things we can see, but our faith…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 45: Summary of Creation (2026)
In this “In Brief” section of the Catechism, we review that only God has the power to create, that is, to call into existence something from nothing. God made…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 44: The Scandal of Evil (2026)
If God is a good Father and creates a good world, why does evil exist? The Catechism addresses this profound and often painful question. Fr. Mike helps us…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 43: Creation Is Good (2026)
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…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 42: The Work of Creation (2026)
Why did God create? The Catechism today gives us a glimpse into the reason for our existence as we learn about God’s marvelous work of creation. Fr. Mike…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 41: Origins and Ends (2026)
Together with Fr. Mike, we examine some of the different explanations for God’s existence outside of the Catholic understanding, such as Pantheism, Dualism…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 40: God Is the Creator (2026)
Fr. Mike explores God’s role as “Creator” and the vital importance of understanding God as the Creator of all things: heaven and earth, seen and unseen…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 39: The Father Almighty (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of God as Almighty. Fr. Mike discusses three important points to keep in mind about the reality of God’s power…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 38: Summary of the Trinity (2026)
We have arrived at the “nugget day” or In Brief section for the paragraphs examining the nature of the Father in the Trinity. Fr. Mike reiterates some of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 37: The Divine Economy (2026)
Fr. Mike continues to unpack the Church’s teachings on the Trinity. Today, we move into an examination of the divine economy or how God has revealed and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 36: The Nature of the Trinity (2026)
Together, with Fr. Mike, we continue our exploration of the Church’s teachings on the nature of the Holy Trinity. We examine three main ideas. The first is the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 35: Formation of Trinitarian Dogma (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the formation of the Church’s dogma on the nature of the Trinity. He unpacks the terms used by the Church in an attempt to explain the nature…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: Unity in the Holy Spirit (2026)
The Catechism introduces us to the Holy Spirit and describes how the Spirit reveals the Father and the Son to us. It also gives us some background and context…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 33: God as Father (2026)
The Catechism describes the various ways that God has revealed himself to us as Father over the ages, and gives us insight into God the Father “in relation to…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 32: The Most Holy Trinity (2026)
Christians are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” not the “names” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Catechism…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 31: The Meaning of Faith (2026)
The Catechism wraps up our “I Believe in God” paragraphs with an In Brief and “The Implications of Faith in One God”—or, what God’s being means for us and our…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 30: God Is Who Is (2026)
God is truth, God is love, and God is being itself. Today's Catechism readings begin to unpack the eternal nature of God and share with us God’s “innermost…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 29: Knowing the Name of God (2026)
We can learn a lot about the nature of God from his Divine Name revealed in Scripture. When God said to Moses, “I am who I am,” this was a revelation of a name…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 28: The Nature of God (2026)
In this episode, we discuss the nature of God, “who” God is, beginning with God the Father. Our reading explains how the Creed begins with God the Father…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 27: The Gift of the Creed (2026)
The Catechism we are reading follows the structure of the Apostles’ Creed with frequent references to the Nicene Creed for further details and explanations…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 26: Communion of Believers (2026)
Today we further realize the sense of the word “credo,” meaning “I believe.” As we read the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, we discover the differences…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 25: Summary of Faith (2026)
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…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 24: Unity of Faith (2026)
As we wrap up the current section, we learn about the unity of faith and how the Church is meant to be united in Christ through apostolic succession. In…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 23: We Believe (2026)
While faith is deeply personal, it is not an isolated act. Today, Fr. Mike reflects on the reality that our faith is communal. It is lived out and passed down…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 22: Wrestling with Faith (2026)
In our Catechism readings today, Fr. Mike reflects on the motives of credibility for believing in God. We learn that God offers us signs and proofs that show…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 21: Believing God (2026)
Fr. Mike continues reflecting on the meaning of faith and how it works in our lives. We learn that faith is a grace from God, a supernatural virtue that is not…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 20: Stepping in Faith (2026)
As we dive into a new chapter today, we learn about how we are called to respond to God’s Revelation. In particular, we discover that Mary and Abraham are…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 19: Summary of Sacred Scripture (2026)
Today, we arrive, with Fr. Mike, at the In Brief section for Article III. Together, we revisit eight of the main ideas or “nuggets” from the readings of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 18: The Unity of the Testaments (2026)
Fr. Mike unpacks the vital unity between the Old and New Testaments. Together, we examine prefigurements and types from the Old Testament being fulfilled in…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 17: The Canon of Scripture (2026)
Fr. Mike explores the formation of the canon of Scripture. He emphasizes the importance of contemplating and venerating all 73 books of both the New and Old…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 16: Senses of Scripture (2026)
Fr. Mike examines the two senses of Scripture: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. Together, we further unpack the meaning of the literal sense of…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 15: Interpreting Scripture (2026)
How do Catholics interpret Scripture? Fr. Mike breaks down the three basic principles for interpreting Scripture: attentiveness to the content and unity of the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 14: The Eternal Word of God (2026)
Fr. Mike reflects on the sacredness of Scripture and why the Church venerates Scripture with great reverence. He helps us understand the mystery behind the…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 13: The Single Deposit of Faith (2026)
In today’s “In Brief'' section, Fr. Mike reviews the relationship between Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, emphasizing that both make up the single…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 12: Receiving Dogmas (2026)
How do we come to accept the binding truths of the Faith? Fr. Mike explains how the dogmas of the Faith are boundaries designed to help us know God and…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 11: Sources of Divine Revelation (2026)
Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism’s teaching that divine revelation consists of both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition and emphasizes why both sources are…
- The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 10: The Apostolic Tradition (2026)
The Gospel was handed on in two ways — orally and in writing. Both Scripture and Tradition are sources of Divine Revelation. Fr. Mike describes how the first…