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.

4.9

3,954 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Struggling to Share the Gos...

09.29.2022

(Today's video/podcast is an excerpt from, "The 99, A New System for Evangelization." To learn more about this amazing resource, visit: https://bit.ly/3E39THU) Every Christian is called to go into the world and make disciples. But how do we actually do ...

The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast episodes:

09.29.2022 Struggling to Share the Gospel? Here's What's Missing (Today's video/podcast is an excerpt from, "The 99, A New System for Evangelization." To learn more about this amazing resource, visit: https://bit.ly/3E39THU) Every Christian is called to go into the world and make disciples. But how do we actually do ...
09.22.2022 What Does the Holy Spirit Actually Do? (Superhero Analogy) (Today's video/podcast is an excerpt from "Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God." To learn more about this amazing resource visit: https://tinyurl.com/2hms5dbe ) What happens when we get baptized? What exactly is the transformative power of the Holy Spirit? One ...
09.15.2022 What is Purgatory? We all want to be saints, but the struggle against sin and selfishness can feel overwhelming. There may be days where we might feel satisfied simply making it to purgatory rather than entering the pearly gates. But is this lukewarm ...
09.08.2022 "Judgmental, Bigoted, Homophobic, Elitist, and Hypocritical" (The World’s Perception of Christians) (Today's video/podcast is an excerpt from "The 99, A New System for Evangelization." To learn more about this amazing resource visit: https://tinyurl.com/2fwtspve ) One of the most difficult groups to bring the Gospel to right now is young adults. Fr. ...
09.01.2022 This One Thing Makes Christianity Different From Every Other Religion (Today's video/podcast is an excerpt from "Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God." To learn more about this amazing resource visit: https://tinyurl.com/2gscjojo ) Is Jesus who He says He is? How do we know he's not a liar or a ...
08.25.2022 Your Questions About Cremation and Burial: Answered Can I be cremated? Is it okay to donate my body to science? What about the relics of Saints, they aren't buried in the ground? Last week, Fr. Mike began our discussion on death and burial, especially when it comes ...
08.18.2022 Why Can’t Catholics Scatter Their Ashes? What is a human being? What happens when we die? Why do we visit cemeteries? And why do Catholics bury the dead instead of scattering their ashes? Today, Fr. Mike connects the dignity of the human person to the dignity ...
08.11.2022 The Disciples Doubted the Eucharist. Do You? You may have heard that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, but have you really heard those words? You may have been in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but have you really seen him in the Eucharist? Today, ...
08.04.2022 Saying Goodbye, Starting Over, and Transitioning Change is always hard. Transitions in life are difficult. Goodbyes are never easy. Endings are rarely joyful. But today, Fr. Mike suggests that beginnings are even more crucial. He encourages us to take 3 steps whenever we start over, and ...
07.28.2022 The Shocking Reality of the Eucharist It's easy to fall into a routine and lose sight of the little miracles all around us. Unfortunately, it is even easy to fall into a routine and lose sight of the greatest miracle of all, happening right in front ...
07.21.2022 Why It's Important to Laugh at Yourself Do you take yourself too seriously? Are you unwilling to acknowledge your faults and weaknesses to others- or even to yourself? Today Fr. Mike shares with us some lessons in humility and being willing to laugh at yourself. Support The ...
07.14.2022 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
07.07.2022 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? ...
06.30.2022 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 ...
06.23.2022 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 ...
06.16.2022 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 ...
06.09.2022 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 ...
06.02.2022 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 ...
05.26.2022 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 ...
05.19.2022 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 ...
05.12.2022 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) ...
05.05.2022 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 ...
04.28.2022 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
04.21.2022 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
04.15.2022 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." ...
04.07.2022 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 ...
03.31.2022 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 ...
03.24.2022 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 ...
03.17.2022 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 ...
03.10.2022 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 ...
03.03.2022 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 ...
02.24.2022 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 ...
02.17.2022 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 ...
02.10.2022 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 ...
02.03.2022 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
01.27.2022 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 ...
01.20.2022 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 ...
01.13.2022 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 ...
01.06.2022 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 ...
12.30.2021 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 ...
12.23.2021 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 ...
12.16.2021 What You Do with Your Body Matters (Ascension Cafe, WMF 2015) 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. ...
12.09.2021 Understanding the Theology of the Immaculate Conception 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 ...
12.02.2021 The Secret about Sex and Holiness 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 ...
11.25.2021 How To Receive a Gift Well (in 4 Steps) 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 ...
11.19.2021 Why Do We Need to Rest from Work on Sundays? 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 ...
11.11.2021 The “Little Things” Are Actually Most Things 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 ...
11.04.2021 Why Is It So Hard to Forgive Yourself? 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. ...
10.28.2021 Do I Have to Go to Mass? Sunday Obligation Explained Why do we go to Mass every Sunday? Is it because of what we “get out of it”? Is it the way it makes us feel? Is it out of love for God? Or something even deeper and more profound? ...
10.21.2021 Why Do Jews and Christians Have Different Sabbath Days? Have you ever wondered why we celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday? Have you asked yourself, what does Jesus mean when he says, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to ...

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:

Struggling to Share the Gospel? Here's What's Missing

What Does the Holy Spirit Actually Do? (Superhero Analogy)

What is Purgatory?

"Judgmental, Bigoted, Homophobic, Elitist, and Hypocritical" (The World’s Perception of Christians)

This One Thing Makes Christianity Different From Every Other Religion

Your Questions About Cremation and Burial: Answered

Why Can’t Catholics Scatter Their Ashes?

The Disciples Doubted the Eucharist. Do You?

Saying Goodbye, Starting Over, and Transitioning

The Shocking Reality of the Eucharist

Why It's Important to Laugh at Yourself

The Miracle of Confession

How Do We Maintain Freedom in America?

Why You Should Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church (+ NEW Podcast)

Why Self-Care is Important for Loving Others

How the Eucharist Changed My Life

Is Judas in Hell?

The One Reason You are Not Yet a Saint

Pray About It? Or Just Do It?

How to Love Someone that is Hard to Love

The Truth Is, You're Spiritually Burnt and Want to Quit

Does God Have a Love Language?

Fr. Mike Got a Tattoo?!?

The True, the Good and the Beautiful: A Lesson in Human Flourishing

Fr. Mike and Mark Wahlberg on Father Stu | What "Picking Up Your Cross" Looks Like

Father Mike Responds to "General Absolution"

Will Smith, Vladimir Putin, and When Rules Get Broken

What (Not) to Do with Criticism

How Long Can You Be Miserable?

If Lent Doesn't Make You Feel Good...

Lent Is a Process—Not an Event

When Attending Mass Virtually Just Doesn’t Cut It

God Ain’t Your Grandma (Making God an Idol)

Why Get Married If It Doesn't Exist in Heaven?

If God is Good, Why Do We Need to Pray?

What Makes Mary and Joseph's Marriage Different?

Kids: A Right? A Curse? or a Gift?

What Can You Do When Another Won't Forgive?

Forgiveness is Not the Same as Reconciliation

Surrendering the Past and Future to Jesus' Lordship and Dominion

What Did Jesus Actually Look Like?

What You Do with Your Body Matters (Ascension Cafe, WMF 2015)

Understanding the Theology of the Immaculate Conception

The Secret about Sex and Holiness

How To Receive a Gift Well (in 4 Steps)

Why Do We Need to Rest from Work on Sundays?

The “Little Things” Are Actually Most Things

Why Is It So Hard to Forgive Yourself?

Do I Have to Go to Mass? Sunday Obligation Explained

Why Do Jews and Christians Have Different Sabbath Days?

Other shows like The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast: