The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

By Ascension

What's The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast about?

Faith, pop culture, and headline reflections from Fr. Mike Schmitz.

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How Do I Know If I've Actua...

09.21.2023

How do you know you've had an encounter with God? Sometimes it's hard to tell, especially if you were raised in the Faith. Today, Fr. Mike shares his own conversion story, and encourages us to think of a time or ...

The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast episodes:

09.21.2023 How Do I Know If I've Actually Encountered Jesus? How do you know you've had an encounter with God? Sometimes it's hard to tell, especially if you were raised in the Faith. Today, Fr. Mike shares his own conversion story, and encourages us to think of a time or ...
09.14.2023 The Christian Response to Grief Grief is a human emotion and and affects each of us at one time or another. The Catholic Church in all her wisdom offers us this beautiful prayer in the rite of Christian burial: "Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life ...
09.07.2023 Facing the Death of Those You Love Everyone you know and love is going to die someday. You will too, but... the thought of losing everyone else can sometimes be all the more frightening. This is a natural response to the ugly, "unnatural" reality of death, and ...
08.31.2023 Did God Create Aliens? Do aliens from outer space really exist? Did God create them? Are they intelligent? What does that mean for our faith? Today, Fr. Mike's answer might not be what you're looking for, but... it's the truth. Support The Fr. Mike ...
08.25.2023 Would It Just Be Easier Not to Be Christian? What if no one ever told you about Jesus? Your life probably wouldn't have so many rules. You wouldn't be as guilty for any sins you commit (you wouldn't even know they were sins in the first place). You wouldn't ...
08.17.2023 Expectations vs. Reality When things don't go the way we expect, it's hard not to be frustrated and disappointed. How do we move on after unmet expectations? And how do we break the vicious cycle? Today, Fr. Mike tells us how to keep ...
08.10.2023 Why Holy Mass Never Gets Old When you go to a concert for your favorite band, and that band has been around for a while, what songs are everybody showing up for? The new ones off of the most recent EP? Or the classics? And when ...
08.03.2023 What You Need to Be Saved (Faith vs. Works) There is an age old question often debated among between Catholics and Protestant. Are we saved by faith or works? How are we saved? Today, Fr. Mike continues the discussion on faith and weighs in on the Catholic Church's teaching ...
07.27.2023 What REAL Faith Looks Like We must place our faith in Christ in order to allow him to save us. But what does it actually mean to have faith? What does it look like? Does it mean you just "agree" with everything Jesus and his ...
07.20.2023 Fr. Mike Schmitz Reviews "Sound of Freedom" Movie In our world today, there are millions trapped in slavery and sex trafficking. The most horrific and devastating example of this is the sale of the weakest and most vulnerable in society, our children. Today, Fr. Mike shares his honest ...
07.13.2023 Which Jesus Is the Real Jesus? If you profess to be a Christian, that means that you profess to follow Jesus Christ. But, of course, that presupposes that you know who Jesus is—where he came from, what he came to do, where he went, and what ...
07.06.2023 Why You're Telling Little Lies and How to Stop You probably don't outright lie on a regular basis. But, do you exaggerate? Do you give half truths sometimes, or leave things unclear on purpose? Do you hide some facts in order to smooth things over? Today, Fr. Mike shows ...
06.29.2023 Fr. Mike’s Prayer for Beginners Whether you're cultivating a life of prayer with Jesus for the first time or you're trying to reignite that fire in your soul, the breadth of prayer advice can be dizzyingly overwhelming. If you're open to it, today, Fr. Mike ...
06.22.2023 Do Wives Have to Be Submissive? "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:22) Woah! Come again? On the list of controversial and misunderstood Bible verses, this is near the top. When it swings through in the cycle of Mass readings, folks ...
06.15.2023 3 Reasons You Still Feel Bad After Confession We know this: when we go to the sacrament of reconciliation with a truly contrite heart and receive absolution, we are forgiven of our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ. So, if you've ever left the confessional still feeling ...
06.08.2023 Can I Sin on Accident? "If no one gets hurt is it still a sin?" "It was just an accident." How can we know if our actions are a sin or just a mistake? Can we be committing sin without knowing it? Today Fr. Mike ...
06.01.2023 Is it Possible to Pray Too Much? How much prayer is too much prayer? Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. But what about when our devotions clash with our responsibilities to our loved ones? Or attendance to other obligations? Today, ...
05.25.2023 The Christian Life IS Impossible The call to holiness can feel like an overwhelming challenge. In fact it can seem downright impossible. But in spite of our brokenness, sinfulness and littleness God keeps calling us to "walk on the water" with Him. Today Fr. Mike ...
05.18.2023 If I'm Suffering, Is It Better Never to Be Born? The question of evil, suffering and brokenness in our world can be a hard one to grapple with. Sometimes, when we're in a place of darkness, the question can arise, "Would it be better if I had never been born?" ...
05.11.2023 Do I Need to Go to Confession? It’s an age old question; “Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest?” Today Fr. Mike encourages and challenges us to see the Sacrament of Reconciliation not as a burden but as a gift from God. Your ...
05.04.2023 Why Doesn't God Heal Everybody? Jesus is a miracle worker. He worked incredible “signs and wonders” during his 33 years on earth, and he continues to stun us with modern miracles to this day. He has healed people physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But if ...
04.27.2023 Am I a "Good Person?" Today, Fr. Mike drops some truth bombs. God does not merely tolerate you. He loves you with a ferocious and passionate love and he desires that you know and experience that love today. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
04.20.2023 Can I Go to Confession Over Zoom? In an increasingly digital age, we do more and more things virtually. And while we can use technology to help us listen to the Bible in a Year or connect with likeminded Catholics, why is it we must receive the ...
04.13.2023 Is My Confession Really a Secret? (The Seal of Confession Explained) Today, Fr. Mike tells us about the story of the patron saint of confessors, St. John Nepomucene, who gave up his life because he refused to break something called the "seal of confession", which is a sacred duty of a ...
04.06.2023 Throwback Thursday: Praying Through Holy Week Find out how the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist from Duluth pray during Holy Week, and maybe discover something you can use in your prayer life as we walk with Jesus from his entry into Jerusalem, to Calvary and the ...
03.30.2023 Why Did God Choose the Jewish People? Reading the Old Testament can be so frustrating. We hear the stories of God’s chosen people forming a covenant with God, and then breaking that covenant over and over. How could God allow this? Today, Fr. Mike helps us read ...
03.23.2023 If God Doesn't Need Us, Why Are We Here? Why do we "have" to love God? It seems very self-centered of God to demand our love. But is it? Today, Fr. Mike opens up the first sentence of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and helps us to understand ...
03.16.2023 When the Best Decision is to “Stay the Course” “Is God calling me somewhere else?” Sometimes in our discernment—especially over major life choices, like our vocations—we start second guessing our decisions. Sometimes, we make hasty decisions because we thought we “messed up” our discernment. But most of the time… ...
03.09.2023 Why Belief Alone Isn’t Enough Have you ever heard someone state, " I believe in God, but I don't believe in prayer?" Is it logical to have an intellectual belief in the existence of God, but not trust in His providence and care? Today, Fr. ...
03.02.2023 How Do I Know if I Made the Wrong Choice? Each day of our lives we make countless decisions. Many of them have small consequences, good or bad. But what about the BIG decisions we make, like what career to be in, who to marry, or what vocation to follow? ...
02.23.2023 When Lent Gets Inconvenient When you make a Lenten commitment, you're probably not thinking of all of the special circumstances and unforeseen events that are going to make that commitment... inconvenient. A daily rosary might not be difficult... until that family vacation. Cold showers ...
02.16.2023 4 Reasons Catholics Must Give Alms This Lent What are alms? Why must we give them? Am I supposed to go broke for Jesus? Fr. Mike Schmitz encourages us to be charitable this Lent, emphasizing how almsgiving is a foundational part of living the Faith. In being joyful ...
02.09.2023 Why Marriage Is NOT a Contract (It’s a Covenant) For the past 50 years the institution of marriage has been under attack. More and more couples are choosing not to get married with the mindset that, "we don't need a piece of paper to show that we love each ...
02.02.2023 Are You a “Child of God”? When we’re baptized, we become adopted sons or daughters of God. We become “children of God”. So… does that mean we aren’t children of God before that? And if we aren’t… what are we? Today, Fr. Mike explains to us ...
01.26.2023 “Why Baptizing Your Baby Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do” Why does the Catholic Church baptize babies rather than wait until they are older and capable of choosing this sacrament for themselves? Salvation requires faith, and it can be challenging to understand how an infant accepts the truths of the ...
01.19.2023 Pray as You Can, Not As You Can’t Need more advice on prayer? Fr. Mike has you covered. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
01.12.2023 The Stories We Tell Our Children Have Consequences Stories matter. We tell them to help us understand the world around us. But what if the stories we tell don't mirror our Catholic morals? What if the lessons that they teach don't agree with our values? Should we keep ...
01.05.2023 If God Loves Everyone, Why Doesn't Everyone Go to Heaven? "If not everyone is going to heaven, then I don't want to be there." Is this sentiment honorable? Or misguided? Fr. Mike addresses the mystery of heaven and hell and gets to the core of what it means to be ...
12.29.2022 How to Begin with the End in Mind What do I want to be true about me at the end of this year that is not currently true? At the beginning of this new year, Fr. Mike shares the advice of Stephen Covey: "Begin with the end in ...
12.22.2022 God Is Asking You to Give Him Everything How do we give God everything? It's obvious from the stories throughout the Scriptures that God is asking us to give him everything but is He also calling us to "sell everything and give alms to the poor" as he ...
12.15.2022 Does God Need Me to Pray for What I Need? When we are struggling spiritually or experiencing some physical suffering we can find ourselves asking the question; "Is God listening to my prayer?" Since he already knows what we need before we even ask him, should we just trust in ...
12.08.2022 Give God Your Best Yes (like Mary Did) "God will never ask you to do more than Mary did." And what did Mary do? She said "yes". Today, on the eve of the celebration of Mary's Immaculate Conception, Fr. Mike wants us to meditate on how we can ...
12.01.2022 A Message to Catholic Men If you or someone you know has benefited from Ascension's free media, would you consider giving a gift of financial support? (https://tinyurl.com/2g7flrnp) While Ascension is not a non-profit organization, support from Catholics around the world helps us produce this free ...
11.24.2022 Prideful? Here’s How to Stop and Be Humble If you or someone you know has benefited from Ascension's free media, would you consider giving a gift of financial support? (https://tinyurl.com/2z5t6ehd) While Ascension is not a non-profit organization, support from Catholics around the world helps us produce this free ...
11.17.2022 A Theology of Working Out Let's talk about exercise! Today Fr. Mike challenges us to re-evaluate the way we treat and view our bodies as well as to compare the difference between doing a workout and training whether for a race, competition or towards a ...
11.10.2022 Do I Have to Obey My Parents When I’m an Adult, Too? "Honor thy Father and thy Mother." We know from our youth that we are called to obey our parents as commanded by the 4th Commandment. But what about once we're grown and out of their home? Today Fr. Mike doles ...
11.03.2022 Commitment Is Getting Cancelled You've probably heard the phrase "cancel culture"—the phenomenon where public figures get "cancelled" for something they say or do in an effort to silence them. Well, today, Fr. Mike proposes the existence of a new and rising cancel culture—a culture ...
10.27.2022 The Right Way to Receive the Precious Blood of Jesus at Holy Mass We believe as Catholics that at every Mass the simple bread and wine are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. But do we need to receive both species, namely ...
10.20.2022 How to Pray a Novena (the Right Way) Today Fr. Mike shares with us how to approach praying a novena, whether it be a traditional nine day novena, a 33 day Consecration or even a 54 day Rosary Novena and what pitfalls to avoid when praying this way. ...
10.13.2022 Wish You Had Spoken Up? 3 Things You Need Next Time You're with a group of friends and they start gossiping about another friend; what do you say? You're with a coworker and they take the Lord's name in vain and blaspheme the Catholic Church; how do you respond? Today Fr. ...

Older episodes

The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

What's The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast episodes:

How Do I Know If I've Actually Encountered Jesus?

The Christian Response to Grief

Facing the Death of Those You Love

Did God Create Aliens?

Would It Just Be Easier Not to Be Christian?

Expectations vs. Reality

Why Holy Mass Never Gets Old

What You Need to Be Saved (Faith vs. Works)

What REAL Faith Looks Like

Fr. Mike Schmitz Reviews "Sound of Freedom" Movie

Which Jesus Is the Real Jesus?

Why You're Telling Little Lies and How to Stop

Fr. Mike’s Prayer for Beginners

Do Wives Have to Be Submissive?

3 Reasons You Still Feel Bad After Confession

Can I Sin on Accident?

Is it Possible to Pray Too Much?

The Christian Life IS Impossible

If I'm Suffering, Is It Better Never to Be Born?

Do I Need to Go to Confession?

Why Doesn't God Heal Everybody?

Am I a "Good Person?"

Can I Go to Confession Over Zoom?

Is My Confession Really a Secret? (The Seal of Confession Explained)

Throwback Thursday: Praying Through Holy Week

Why Did God Choose the Jewish People?

If God Doesn't Need Us, Why Are We Here?

When the Best Decision is to “Stay the Course”

Why Belief Alone Isn’t Enough

How Do I Know if I Made the Wrong Choice?

When Lent Gets Inconvenient

4 Reasons Catholics Must Give Alms This Lent

Why Marriage Is NOT a Contract (It’s a Covenant)

Are You a “Child of God”?

“Why Baptizing Your Baby Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do”

Pray as You Can, Not As You Can’t

The Stories We Tell Our Children Have Consequences

If God Loves Everyone, Why Doesn't Everyone Go to Heaven?

How to Begin with the End in Mind

God Is Asking You to Give Him Everything

Does God Need Me to Pray for What I Need?

Give God Your Best Yes (like Mary Did)

A Message to Catholic Men

Prideful? Here’s How to Stop and Be Humble

A Theology of Working Out

Do I Have to Obey My Parents When I’m an Adult, Too?

Commitment Is Getting Cancelled

The Right Way to Receive the Precious Blood of Jesus at Holy Mass

How to Pray a Novena (the Right Way)

Wish You Had Spoken Up? 3 Things You Need Next Time

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