The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

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.

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 people choose. “Wide is the road that leads to destruction.” Today, Fr. Mike invites us to ponder our final destination, and whether or not we are truly doing God’s will.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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 us to the true source of reconciliation that Christ has given his Church.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

"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.

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.

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.

Today, Fr. Mike delves into this age old question.