The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Fr. Mike follows up on his episode “Answering the Internet’s Most Asked Questions about Priests” with answers to even more questions from the internet about priests. Here he answers questions like: How do you bless holy water? Are priests allowed to drink alcohol? Where do priests live? Do priests go to confession? Are monks and friars priests? Do priests take a vow of poverty? Where do priests go to school? Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Fr. Mike discusses the importance of evangelization and tells future pastors to become like fathers to their communities. He emphasizes the motto 'See a need, fill a need,' encouraging proactive sharing of the Gospel. The core of evangelization is storytelling, connecting personal experiences with God’s love to new media. He urges listeners to know Christ deeply before reaching out. Lastly, he highlights that true conversions often begin in local communities, reminding us that every baptized person is called to spread the good news.

Fr. Mike is at the library of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, and he’s answering the most asked questions about priests and the priesthood—according to the internet. He answers great questions like: Do priests get paid? Do they get married? Do they pay taxes? How do priests become bishops? Why do they wear black? Why do they kiss the altar? And more … Fr. Mike is visiting St. Charles Seminary to give a talk on evangelization and new media. The talk will be posted on Ascension Presents. So stay tuned to catch it.Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Fr. Mike comments on whether swearing, as in using vulgar language, is a sin. He gives three times when using vulgar words can be sinful: If I use the vulgar word against someone, directing it toward them If I use a word connected to a sexual act, because sex between persons is meant to be holy and reserved for spousal love If I use a vulgar word in public, since it can scandalize people—especially if young ones are present. Remember that we are called to always be charitable. Our words mean something. We are called to build people up, not bring them down. The words we choose reflect and express what’s in our hearts “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). What do you want to express, words that are at best crude or words that build people up?Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

There is a beauty in the fact that God shares his very name with us. He gives us his name so that we can call upon him in prayer, hold him in our hearts, and know we are not alone. Today, Fr. Mike discusses the importance of reverencing this name. While the world throws this holy title around, we are called to have awareness of the power and the goodness of God. Fr. Mike explains that in recognizing the meaning of names like God, Jesus, and Mary, we honor them and all they offer us. As we walk through life as God’s children, his name should never be regarded as an afterthought but instead considered one of the greatest gifts he has granted us.Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

There’s justice and prudence and temperance and fortitude, faith, and hope, and love. But do you recall the social virtues at all? Thankfulness and affability are some social virtues that show us how Catholics should connect with others in social situations. Thankfulness is the social virtue by which we acknowledge people and their generosity. It’s not just a customary expression of thanks when someone does something nice. It means going out of your way to show people your gratitude for them going out of their way for you. Affability is another word for approachability. It means you’re free to talk and free to help. You don’t mind people knocking on your door to tell you something. It is another social virtue that makes us put others before ourselves. Being introverted is not an excuse to avoid these virtues. An introverted person can most certainly have a heart focused on other people, and that is what’s at the heart of the social virtues. You may think these virtues aren’t as important as the others since they are not so explicitly mentioned in Scripture. In fact they are. Remember the parable of the lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus heals ten lepers, and only one returns to thank him. Jesus asks, “Where are the other nine?” Likewise, Jesus regularly healed those who approached him out of the blue, showing affability. Jesus showed the social virtues, and so should we. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

With each new year come new hopes, new plans, and new opportunities. Fr. Mike points out that this optimism and this “spirit” of New Year’s is a great inspiration of hope for the interior life of the Christian. For each of us, last year probably had a fair mix of “wins” and “losses” – of joy and suffering. Fr. Mike zeroes in on what was probably the worst evil and the greatest suffering you encountered last year – sin. Sin can lead to discouragement and embarrassment, and those demons can keep us from moving forward in hope. Maybe you’ve been wrestling with the same sin for a long time, or maybe you don’t want to go to the same priest about the same sin again and again. Maybe you feel like giving up. But we can have hope – “trust in another extended into the future” – in Jesus and in the sacrament of confession. As Fr. Mike’s friend Nick says, “If you fall, fall into the confessional.” Discouragement and embarrassment have no place in the life of the Christian. They keep us in the past, while their converses – hope and humility – keep us moving forward. This year is going to have its ups and downs, and we know we can’t trust in ourselves. But we can trust in Him in whom we place our hope. Happy New Year!Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

The only things we can be certain about are the things that have already happened to us in the past, and we live in a perpetual state of uncertainty about the future. If we’re honest, we can all probably agree that it’s not really comfortable to be constantly wondering what your life will look like in a month, in six months, in a year. We are always worrying about the future—especially when we sense that some form of suffering looms ahead. Father Mike walks us through the Five Joyful Mysteries: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple. He reflects on the fact that each of these joyful mysteries is marked with a profound uncertainty and suffering. And yet, joy is present. Think about what what Mary must have felt like when the Angel appeared to her and told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her—that she was going to be the mother of the Messiah. The Angel didn’t reveal details to her. He didn’t assure her that Joseph wouldn’t divorce her, or that they would have to travel to Bethlehem but that they would make it in time for her to deliver. Yet, amidst the uncertainty of the moment, Mary gave a joyful Fiat. Joy can be present, because Christ is present. You are able to have a Merry Christmas today...not because there is no suffering, and no uncertainty, but because God is with us. Even in our darkness, we have seen a great light. Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

If you’re wondering about the difference between jealousy and envy, Fr. Mike clears up the confusion in this video. Simply put, jealousy is not wanting to share something or someone you possess or hope to possess, and envy is resentment toward the possessions of someone else. There can be some intersecting of the two, because it is possible to have an excessive or distorted kind of jealousy that’s actually based in envy, but jealousy can be good while envy is always sinful. This is an important distinction because on the one hand we have God who is jealous about us. Likewise, a husband and wife should be jealous about each other. On the other hand, St. Augustine described envy as the diabolical sin, basing his reasoning on Scripture: “through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it” (Wisdom 2:24). Worthy of note is the fact that good translations of the Bible translate 1 Corinthians 13:4 to say “love does not envy.” Rather than allowing the blessings of others to sadden us, let us rejoice in them and our own.Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Sometimes we have to do stuff when we don’t feel like it, but finding the motivation to do those things is really difficult in the moment. That’s when it’s important to keep in mind that motivation is not about just feeling good about doing something. It’s about having a motive. If something is the right thing to do, it doesn’t matter if I feel like doing it or not, Fr. Mike says. The only motivation you need is the motivation to do the right thing. Fr. Mike’s friend Dean once told him this, “Emotions do not reveal the truth about reality, but they do reveal the conditions of your heart.” St. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged his followers to pay attention to their heart, because it’s revealing something very important that needs to be taken into account. Nonetheless, regardless of what your heart is telling you, the question to ask yourself is not “do I feel like doing this right now?” Rather, ask yourself, “Is this the right thing to do.”Support The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast