01/01/25 The Power of "Yes"

Summary

Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz: Episode Summary

Title: The Power of "Yes"
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Release Date: January 1, 2025
Podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Hosted by: Ascension
Location: Duluth, Minnesota

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Introduction

In the January 1, 2025 episode of Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Fr. Mike delves into the profound significance of the simple yet powerful word, "Yes." Drawing inspiration from both contemporary figures and biblical narratives, he encourages listeners to embrace a life of affirmation and obedience to God's will.

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:16-21

Fr. Mike begins by reciting a passage from the Holy Gospel According to Luke, chapter 2, verses 16-21. This passage narrates the shepherds' hurried journey to Bethlehem, their encounter with Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus, and their subsequent glorification and praise of God.

Quote:
“When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child... and Mary kept all these things reflecting on them in her heart.” [00:28]

Jocko Willink’s Perspective on "Good"

Fr. Mike introduces Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL and well-known podcaster, to illustrate the mindset of responding with "good" in the face of challenges. He recounts an interview where Jocko explains his default response to any situation—whether favorable or adverse—as simply "good."

Key Points:

• Default Positivity: Jocko’s habit of responding with "good" helps shift perception towards growth and resilience.
• Example in Leadership: This approach fosters a proactive and positive mindset among team members, even in dire circumstances.
• Personal Application: Fr. Mike reflects on adopting a similar attitude, acknowledging that responding with "yes" can rewire one’s mindset towards embracing God’s plan.

Quote:
“His disposition, especially talking with a man he was leading, was he was default. He said good was his answer.” [02:00]

The Power of Saying "Yes" Like Mary

Fr. Mike transitions to the biblical figure of Mary, the Mother of God, emphasizing her pivotal role in Christian history through her unwavering "Yes" to God's plan. He draws parallels between Mary’s acceptance and the personal call to affirm God’s will in one's life.

Key Points:

• Mary as a Model: Her "Yes" sets an example for discipleship, showcasing obedience and trust in God.
• Revelation 10 Connection: Fr. Mike references Revelation 10, where John is given a divine message that initially tastes sweet but turns sour, symbolizing the challenges that often accompany divine missions.
• Inviting Reflection: Listeners are encouraged to assess their willingness to say "Yes" to God's call, even when it leads to difficult paths.

Quote:
“All generations will call me blessed. She says that. And that's true.” [08:54]

The Consequences and Freedom of Affirmation

Exploring the aftermath of Mary's "Yes," Fr. Mike highlights the transformative impact of her decision, which not only shaped her life but also changed the course of history.

Key Points:

• Blessedness of Obedience: Mary's affirmation leads to profound blessings, both personally and universally.
• Carol Houselander’s Insight: “God will never ask you to do anything more than he asked of Mary.” This underscores that the divine call is always within human capacity.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Fr. Mike advises practicing the affirmation in times of ease to prepare for more challenging moments, ensuring that saying "Yes" becomes an ingrained response.

Quote:
“You will never, ever be asked to do more than Mary. And all she was ever asked was to say yes.” [12:28]

Application and Call to Action

Fr. Mike urges listeners to adopt the habit of saying "Yes" to God's will, emphasizing its necessity for true discipleship. He encourages a proactive approach to faith, where affirmation leads to spiritual growth and alignment with divine purpose.

Key Points:

• Daily Affirmation: Incorporate the practice of saying "Yes" in daily life, starting with a personal assessment of one’s circumstances.
• Trust in God’s Goodness: Embracing this attitude requires trust in God's plan and acknowledgment of His benevolence.
• Preparation for Trials: By practicing affirmation during good times, one is better prepared to respond during challenging periods.

Quote:
“Without this one word, we cannot be disciples of Jesus. Without this one word, we will never come close to being the kind of disciples that Jesus is inviting us and giving us the grace to be.” [12:42]

Conclusion

Fr. Mike Schmitz concludes the homily by reinforcing the transformative power of a simple "Yes" to God. By emulating Mary’s obedience and integrating positive affirmations into daily life, believers can deepen their faith, experience spiritual freedom, and fulfill their divine purpose.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child...” [00:28]
• “His disposition, especially talking with a man he was leading, was he was default. He said good was his answer.” [02:00]
• “All generations will call me blessed. She says that. And that's true.” [08:54]
• “God will never ask you to do anything more than he asked of Mary.” [12:28]
• “Without this one word, we cannot be disciples of Jesus...” [12:42]

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Final Thoughts:

This homily beautifully intertwines modern leadership insights with timeless biblical teachings, providing a compelling narrative on the importance of affirmation in faith. Fr. Mike Schmitz effectively motivates listeners to embrace a life of "Yes," fostering a deeper connection with God and a more resilient approach to life's challenges.

Transcript

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Welcome to Sunday Homilies with me, Fr. Mike Schmitz. I hope today's homily inspires and motivates you, and I also hope that it leaves you hungry for the One who.

[Jocko Willink]

Gave everything to feed you.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

If you want to get this and other Sunday Mass resources sent straight to your inbox, sign [e-mail] Sunday or by texting Sunday to 33777. You can also follow or subscribe in your podcast app for weekly notifications.

[Jocko Willink]

God Bless the Lord be with you. A reading from the Holy Gospel According to Luke, chapter 2, verses 16 through 21 the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds, and Mary kept all these things reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. The Gospel of the Lord. We should have a seat. So there's this relatively famous podcaster and businessman. His name is Jocko Willink. Jocko. I don't know if you guys heard of Jocko. So Jocko is a former Navy seal and he has a cool podcast and he has a couple, you know, business, private business ventures kind of a thing. But there's this one talk that he gives. It's basically, it's a podcast. He's giving me an interview and he's talking about his disposition. When he was on the SEAL teams. His disposition, especially talking with a man he was leading, was he was default. He said good was his answer. So someone would come to him. One of his men would come to him and say, hey, there's a problem. We don't have the equipment we need. And Jocko would say, good. Say, okay, you know, we didn't get approval by the brass to do X, Y and Z. Jocko would say good. Or he'd say, oh, we have enemy, you know, on the right side. Da da da. Good. And anytime something, anytime someone came to him with news, it didn't have to be horrible news, didn't have to be good news. It was just his response was good. In fact, one of his men, he came to him and said, I. I know what you're going to say. He's going to complain. It's like, I know what you're going to say. And Jacob says, what am I going to say? He says, you're going to say good. And Jacob says, yeah, because why? Because everything that comes to us based on our response to it can be for our growth. And this is Jacob coming. I don't know if he's a Christian or not. I don't know if he has this relationship with Jesus or not. But there's a perspective there that is really, really true. Now, obviously there are things that are bad that happen. Evil is, is real in our world, that suffering is real in our world. The injustice is real in our world. We wouldn't say that evil is good or suffering is automatically good, or injustice is good not at all. But the opportunity that we're given to just look at the circumstances we're in with a different kind of vision and simply say good. Like, what would that do? Even just what would that do? Interiorly, I came across this, I don't know, is a claim from someone who also claimed to be a scientist. And so don't quote me on this one, but they said that there are some words you can say that actually kind of in some ways rewire your brain. What I mean by that is we face an obstacle and we say things like, ugh, or I hate this, or I have to do this, or I can't do X. But if we were to say the word yes, there's something that. I think it releases serotonin or something along these lines. It's just there is something, according to the person, I should have followed it up, but just I've been doing this and I realized, oh, that it does change. Maybe it's. Maybe it's a placebo. I don't care because it works. But when I find something I don't want to do, if I simply say yes, like even saying the word yes, or like jocko, good. There's something about this that helps me engage because I know that when I'm facing difficult situations, I know when I'm facing a situation I would rather not be, I'd rather be in, or rather avoid that I would. My tendency is to complain, but to hear Jocko say, okay, good, or to hear this person who said, you know, your response could be, yes, there's something powerful about this. And even on a deeper spiritual level, here we are on the 1st of the year, celebrating this alumni to be the feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Here's Mary, who is the. The disciple. She's the example for every single one of us when it comes to what it is to follow after Jesus. If you just think about. Not today's reading necessarily, but think about when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and he announces to her, okay, here's God's plan for your life. What's her response? Now, if you were to know, here's God's plan for your life, what would your response be? Or if God. Or maybe this, you know, we've talked about, I think before Advent even started, we talked about the reality that you were consecrated at your baptism, consecrated a king or queen in the kingdom. You're consecrated a priest, right? A kingdom priest. You're also consecrated a prophet. What if you knew the word that God wanted you to speak? Like, what would your response be? I think at first our response would be, awesome. This is great. Like, I finally know God's will for my life, or I know the word God wants me to say. You know, initially I think we'd have this relief. I think initially we'd have this, like, awesome. I can't believe I know God's will for my life. I know what he wants me to say. I know what he wants me to do. It would be great at first. In fact, it reminds me of the book of Revelation, chapter 10. There's a scene in Revelation 10. Here's John, the beloved, right? John beloved, the beloved disciple, who, an angel of the Lord, hands him a scroll and tells him to eat it. And so John eats it and he describes it. He says, when I tasted it, it tasted sweet like honey, but it became sour in my stomach. And there's a, people who are like, what is that? What does that even mean? That you ate. A, that you ate a scroll, B, that it would taste as sweet like honey. C, that it turned sour in your stomach. And there's a lot of different theories, but here's. I think, the best theory. Here's the word of the Lord, a scroll, which is God's word that John has given. Because they're God's very words and they taste sweet like honey, right? Because how awesome would it be to actually be able to take in the word of God, to know what it is that God wants you to do, or to know what it is God wants you to say. That's what this symbolizes, right? Because John is given a word, like, literally a word he has to eat that God wants John to speak to the world. But the word is a difficult word. The word that John's given to speak is on the condemnation, the Judgment that's coming upon the world. And so it's a hard word. Now imagine it tastes sweet at first. Why? Because, oh, gosh, Lord, I know what you want me to say, and I know exactly what you want me to do. So it's sweet, but then it turns sour in the stomach. Why? Because so often when we finally discover what God's will is for our lives, or God's word is that he needs us to speak, wants us to speak. It is a hard will. It is a hard word to say, and so we'd rather not. So if we keep it in, it spoils. You can look at Mary. Go back to Mary. Lucky Mary. You got to know God's will for your life. But without the power of her saying.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

God's will for her life would be sweet in her mouth but sour in her stomach. I don't know if you've ever had this experience where there was a moment where you knew and you knew in a definitive way. This is what God needs me to say. This is what he's asking me to say. He's asking me to say a hard word. And at first, at first I'm like, great, I can't believe God. I know what you want me to say, but if I keep it in, it is going to eat me up. Or you know what God's will is. Here's the next step he's inviting you to take. But, God, I don't want to take this next step. So at first, the joy of. I know what you're asking me to do. The longer we put it off, the more, just like John in Revelation, chapter 10, the more it turns in our stomach. But the power of just being able to say, okay, God, here is your will, or here is your word. Yes, Is so incredibly powerful to be able to say, to be able to be free to do this, to be free to be like Mary, to be free to say, okay, yes to everything that God has brought into your life, and to be free to say yes to all of the things that he's kept from you in your life. Again, it's a hard word, right? It's a hard will. But imagine the freedom and the power of being able to simply utter that one word.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

What was the consequence? Like, what's the consequence of Mary's yes? Well, all generations will call me blessed. She says that. And that's true. Think about this. Think about for the last. The reality for the last 2000 years. I don't know of any Christian who hasn't looked at the example of Mary and has said, okay, if she was able to do this as a child, right, as a 14 to 16 year old young woman, if she was able to say yes to the Lord, not knowing where this was going to lead, not knowing what it was going to cost her, not knowing where it was going to lead would take her, then I can say yes. I mean, think about the fact that her one yes has been the example for virtually every Christian who's come after her. Because she should have. She could have said no. She could have said maybe. She could have said, wait, but she said yes. And what did it do? It changed the world. Last week, last Sunday, I guess I pointed out that Jesus is the single most influential person on the world, in spite of the fact that he lived a quiet life. Here's Mary, who I would maintain is the second most influential person in the history of the world. And what did she do? You know, there's a woman, a person named Carol Houslander, and Carol Houselander once said these words, God will never ask you to do anything more than he asked of Mary. And all he ever asked of her was that she say yes. Here's the reality for your life. The word God has for you to speak, the will he has for you to do. God will never ask you to do any more than he asked the Blessed Virgin Mary. And all he ever asked for her to do was to say yes. To be able to be in a place today, literally today, we practice a bit. Today we practice in decent seasons because it's easier to do in decent seasons than it is to do in difficult seasons. So if Today, on the 1st of the year, you're going through a decent season, practice this word, like jocko. Good. Like Mary, Yes. To be able to say, okay, God, all the things you brought into my life.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

All the things you've kept for me.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

To be able to go before the father, knowing we could trust him, knowing that he loves us, knowing that he is good, he's a good, good dad. And to be able to today say, look at, I mean, take an assessment of your life. Here we are on January 1st, here we are on the 1st of the year and say, okay, these are all the things in my life, Father, Yes. Here's all the difficulties in my life, Father.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

Here's all the things that I prayed for, asked for, begged for, that I don't have, Father.

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

To be able to practice that response in this decent season. Maybe you're in a difficult season, but to practice in a decent season is to prepare your hearts, all of our hearts, to be able to say that one word in the most difficult season of our lives. Because without this one word, we cannot be disciples of Jesus. Without this one word, we will never come close to being the kind of disciples that Jesus is inviting us and giving us the grace to be. Without this one word, we can never be like our mom, Mary, the mother of God, and our mother. And that one word is. Yes, God. This is what you brought into my life?

[Mary]

Yes, God.

[Jocko Willink]

This is what you're keeping from my life?

[Mary]

Yes.

[Jocko Willink]

You will never, ever be asked to do more than Mary. And all she was ever asked was to say yes.