Summary of "Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz" Episode: "01/12/25 Claimed"
Podcast Information:
- Title: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Host/Author: Ascension
- Description: Every week, Catholic priest Fr. Mike Schmitz delivers powerful homilies based on the Sunday Mass Scripture readings, inviting listeners to live more fully as the person God created them to be. Engaging and motivating, these 20-30 minute homilies help ground faith, fortify hearts, and transform lives. Fr. Mike Schmitz preaches from Duluth, Minnesota, where he serves as the Newman chaplain for University of Minnesota Duluth’s Bulldog Catholic campus ministry.
- Episode: 01/12/25 Claimed
- Release Date: January 11, 2025
Introduction
In the episode titled "Claimed," Fr. Mike Schmitz delves deep into the themes of divine love, being claimed by God, and living a life transformed by this profound relationship. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew (3:13-17) and integrating personal anecdotes and scriptural references, Fr. Mike offers a compelling message about understanding and embracing God's unwavering love.
Gospel Reflection: Jesus' Baptism
Key Passage:
- Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17
- Summary: Jesus approaches John the Baptist to be baptized. John initially resists, feeling unworthy, but Jesus insists, stating, "It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Upon Jesus' baptism, the heavens open, the Spirit of God descends like a dove, and a voice declares, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Insights:
- Claimed by God: Fr. Mike emphasizes that Jesus, even before His public ministry, is already claimed by the Father. This divine assertion isn't based on His actions but on His very identity.
- Symbolism of Water: The Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized, symbolizes depth and the willingness to go to the lowest places to claim and transform.
Personal Anecdotes: The Dove Bar Analogy
Fr. Mike shares a relatable story about eating a Dove or Magnum Bar, where the best part often falls to the ground. He uses this to illustrate how, in life, our best can sometimes seem to fall away or be "ruined." However, this sets the stage for discussing how God's love and claim over us transcends such moments.
Notable Quote:
"The five-second rule is a myth. In fact, bacteria can contaminate food instantly upon contact" (05:30).
This analogy transitions into the theological discussion about purity and uncleanness in scripture, leading to the central theme of being claimed by God.
Being Claimed: Understanding Divine Love
Awareness and Conviction
Fr. Mike challenges listeners to move beyond merely hearing that "God loves you" to truly believing and accepting it.
Key Points:
- Awareness: Recognizing God's love on an intellectual level.
- Conviction: Being deeply convinced and emotionally embraced by this truth, allowing it to dominate one's life.
Notable Quote:
"To be convinced of this is to be convicted by this, which means that he's one. Another way to say it is that love has conquered you" (15:45).
Personal Testimony
Fr. Mike recounts a conversation with a young woman raised Catholic who, despite attending church regularly, admits she doesn't truly feel God's love. He underscores the difference between knowing about God's love and genuinely experiencing and accepting it.
Key Points:
- God's Desire: Emphasizes that God's love isn't passive; He actively desires to claim each individual.
- Unique Value: Every person is uniquely loved and valued by God, highlighting the personal nature of divine love.
The Depth of God's Love
Using the imagery of the Jordan River meeting the Dead Sea—the lowest land area on Earth—Fr. Mike illustrates that Jesus didn't come to claim us at our highest points but at our deepest and lowest. This signifies that God meets us in our brokenness and transforms us from within.
Notable Quote:
"Jesus is claimed at the deepest and lowest point on earth so that we know that he actually wants to claim us at our lowest point" (22:10).
Scriptural Foundations
Romans 5:6-11
Fr. Mike highlights St. Paul's message in Romans, emphasizing that Christ died for the ungodly while we were still sinners, proving God's immense love.
Key Points:
- Justification by His Blood: Through Christ's sacrifice, believers are justified and saved.
- Christ's Prior Claim: Before any remarkable actions, Christ is already claimed by the Father, setting a precedent for believers to live as those already embraced by divine love.
The Implications of Being Claimed
Life Transformed
Understanding that one is already claimed and loved by God shifts the focus from seeking to earn love to embracing and embodying it.
Key Points:
- Action from Love: Instead of praying to be loved, believers are encouraged to act as those who are already loved.
- Ministry of Jesus: Jesus' ministry began with Him already claimed, modeling how believers should live—grounded in accepted love, not striving for it.
Notable Quote:
"You pray as someone who is already loved. You serve as someone who is already loved" (35:20).
The Fan Into Flame Retreat
Fr. Mike mentions the retreat aimed at helping individuals internalize and conquer their lives with the truth of God's love, moving beyond intellectual acknowledgment to living it out daily.
Conclusion: Embracing Being Claimed
Fr. Mike wraps up by reiterating that being claimed by God doesn't negate personal growth or effort. Instead, it provides a strong foundation from which to live authentically and purposefully.
Key Takeaways:
- Already Loved: Embrace the truth that you are already loved and claimed by God.
- Live Differently: Let this awareness transform your actions, decisions, and interactions.
- Depth of Relationship: Strive for a relationship with God that moves beyond surface-level understanding to profound personal conviction.
Final Notable Quote:
"Jesus didn't come out and do miracles and heal people with the idea that after all of this, he'd finally be claimed. Jesus didn't enter into his ministry already loved" (45:00).
Closing Thought: Fr. Mike encourages listeners to view their journey of faith not as a path to earn God's love but as a realization and acceptance of being already loved and claimed, inspiring a life that reflects this divine truth.