Episode Summary

Overview

Main Theme:
In this homily titled “Autobiography: Co-Author,” Fr. Mike Schmitz uses the Sunday Mass readings—including the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the opening of the Prodigal Son parable—as a lens to encourage listeners to reflect on their lives as stories in progress. Fr. Mike asks: are we co-authoring our life stories with God, or trying to write them alone? As Lent begins, he prompts us to re-examine our trajectory, the choices we make, and our relationship with the Father.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Desire to Write a Story (03:00 - 05:29)

• Fr. Mike opens by sharing that studies show over 80% of people want to write a book, yet less than 1% actually do, and fewer than 15% even start.
• He connects this desire to our real lives: “Every life is a story. And the reality is every person is an author. The question is, who will you become at the end of the story?” (05:06)
• He challenges listeners: If someone were writing your biography, would this season of your life be worth mentioning? What trajectory are you setting now?

2. Lent as a New Beginning (05:30 - 07:45)

• Introduces the Lenten homily series, “Autobiography,” focusing on how each of us is writing our life story—an autobiography with God as the co-author.
• The moment we intentionally “pick up the pen” becomes the true start of our story, moving from passivity to agency.

3. What Makes a ‘Strong Start’ to a Story? (07:46 - 12:40)

• Uses Frodo’s decision in The Lord of the Rings as an example of when a character’s story becomes truly their own.
• Fr. Mike lists four elements of a strong start:
  1. Irreversibility: “After I take this step I can no longer go back to who I was before.”
  2. Identity at stake: “I don’t know after this moment… who I’m going to become.”
  3. Risk: “The future is unclear.”
  4. Agency: “Here’s a moment where the person gets to choose.”
• Highlights that “every story has a beginning, a significant start. A moment where the character acts. A moment where the character chooses.”

4. Bad Beginnings & The Fall (12:41 - 17:33)

• Contrasts a ‘good’ start with the disastrous beginning in Genesis 3 (the fall of Adam and Eve).
• Adam and Eve are given the opportunity to act as co-authors with God but choose to write apart from Him.
• Fr. Mike clarifies: “All sin is a desire to be happy apart from God… that’s why it’s so appealing. But it’s the desire to be happy apart from God.” (16:21)
• Every sin is trying to write our own happiness—our own autobiography—without God.

5. The Prodigal Son: Writing Apart from the Father (17:34 - 27:55)

• Lays out the plan for Lent: each week, the homily will focus on a section of the Prodigal Son parable (Luke 15).
• This week focuses on the ‘beginning’—when the younger son demands his inheritance and leaves:
  • “I can’t wait for you to die. So whatever you’re giving me after your death, just give it to me now.” (20:07)
  • The son sells his generational family land—a tremendous offense in ancient Israel—signifying, “I want nothing to do with you… I want to be happy apart from the Father.” (22:12)
• Applies the four elements of a strong (but bad) start to the younger son's decision: irreversibility, identity at stake, risk, agency.
• Fr. Mike shares a powerful modern example—a student who puts away his crucifix before going abroad to live recklessly, in effect saying to God, “I’m going to go be happy without you.” (24:44)
• This story illustrates how chasing happiness apart from God can leave us empty and unrecognizable to ourselves.

6. Conversion: Remembering the Father’s Heart (27:56 - 31:56)

• Even when we feel irreversibly changed by our choices, we still have agency: we can return.
• The Prodigal Son’s turning point: “Coming to his senses… remembering himself, he thought, how many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food to eat; here I am, dying of hunger. I’m going to go back to my father.” (29:20)
• Fr. Mike emphasizes that the son goes back, not based on faith in himself, but faith in his father’s kindness and love:
  • “I don’t know who I am, but I know who He is.” (30:40)
  • “It wasn’t because he believed in himself, but because I believe in the heart of my Father. I don’t have to write this on my own.” (30:56)

7. Jesus’ Beginning: The Desert Temptation (31:57 - End)

• The start of Jesus’ public ministry (Matthew 4:1–11) echoes the elements of a strong start:
  • Irreversibility: No going back to life in Nazareth.
  • Identity at stake: The devil targets Jesus’ identity: “If you are the Son of God…”
  • Risk: The unknown road ahead.
  • Agency: Jesus chooses obedience.
• “Jesus started, but he hadn’t left the Father. He left with the Father. He started with the Father. And you can, too.” (33:36)
• Encourages listeners: Lent is a new start—pick up the pen and start writing your autobiography with God.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If I live the next 10 years the way I lived the last seven days, who will I become?”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [05:00]

• “The temptation is not: Does God exist? The temptation of the serpent is: Is God good? Can you trust Him?”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [15:53]

• “All sin is a desire to be happy apart from God.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [16:21]

• “I want to be happy apart from the Father. This is every one of our hearts.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [22:26]

• “I don’t know who I am, but I know who He is.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [30:40]

• “Jesus started, but he hadn’t left the Father. He left with the Father. He started with the Father.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [33:36]

Key Timestamps

• 03:00 — Discussion about the desire to write a book and its rarity.
• 05:30 — Transition to life as an autobiography, Lent’s invitation to self-examination.
• 07:46 — The four elements of a strong story start (irreversibility, identity, risk, agency).
• 12:41 — Adam and Eve: the ‘bad’ beginning and the essence of sin.
• 17:34 — The Prodigal Son sets out; strong start, but apart from the Father.
• 24:44 — Modern story: student leaves behind faith to pursue fleeting happiness.
• 29:20 — Conversion moment: “Remembering himself”—the path to returning to the Father.
• 31:57 — Jesus’ temptation; a new and definitive start.
• 33:36 — Final encouragement: “Pick up the pen” and co-author your story with God.

Conclusion

Fr. Mike uses Scripture, literature, and personal stories to illuminate the truth that every person is writing an autobiography. Lent is the chance to start anew: to consciously co-author your story with God, rather than writing it on your own in search of fleeting happiness. Even if your past chapters weren’t written with God, you can always return to the Father—because, as Fr. Mike reminds us, the truest beginning is found not in knowing yourself, but in knowing Him.

“Your beginning starts now.”
— Fr. Mike Schmitz [34:20]