Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode Title: 11/2/25 After This
Date: November 1, 2025
Podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Host: Ascension

Overview:

This episode, titled "After This," is Fr. Mike Schmitz’s homily for All Souls Day, focusing on the reality of the afterlife, the doctrine of purgatory, and the process of being made ready for heaven. With characteristic warmth, clarity, and personal stories, Fr. Mike explores what it truly means to prepare our hearts for eternal life with God—and how the Church’s belief in purgatory is a profound expression of both hope and mercy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Question of “After This”

• (03:00-05:10) Fr. Mike begins by inviting us to reflect on what happens “after this”—after Mass, after life:

  "After this, something will be different. After this, something will have changed. After this Mass, there is something that will never go back."

• He introduces the curiosity people have about heaven—especially common questions like whether pets, golf, or loved ones will be there.

2. What Really Makes Us Happy in Heaven?

• (05:11-08:00) Fr. Mike discusses popular (but incomplete) answers to questions about the afterlife:

  “If you need anything other than God to be happy in heaven, then you’re not ready for heaven.”

• He challenges listeners to consider whether our happiness is truly rooted in God alone, or in other attachments.

3. Love as the Standard for Judgment

• (08:01-10:00) Referencing St. John of the Cross and Jesus’s commandments:

  “In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone.”

• Emphasizes that we are called to love God with everything and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

4. The Purification of the Heart and the Reality of Purgatory

• (10:01-15:00) On All Souls Day, Fr. Mike explains the purpose of praying for the dead and purgatory:

  “Purgatory is that place, that process, for all those who die in friendship with God, but whose hearts aren’t fully prepared to enter into heaven.”

• He underlines that universality of belief in purgatory among Christians for 1500 years—rooted in the understanding that sin has both eternal and temporal consequences.

5. Analogy: Surgery and Rehabilitation

• (15:01-18:40) Fr. Mike shares a personal story of back surgery:

  “A surgeon had to go in and take out the thing. The moment he took it out, the pain was completely gone... but I still needed months of physical therapy.”

• Draws the analogy: Jesus removes the eternal consequence of sin; we must still undergo rehabilitation to be fully restored—that’s purgatory.

6. Temporal Consequences of Sin

• (18:41-20:40) Even after forgiveness, we feel sin’s effects:

  “Our souls are dead because of sin... I need Jesus to deal with my eternal consequences, but I also need Him to deal with my temporal consequences.”

• Explains that being saved is both an event (baptism, initial justification) and an ongoing process (sanctification).

7. Protestant and Catholic Views on Salvation

• (20:41-24:00)
  • Protestant view: Salvation is “declared righteousness”—God covers us, but we remain unchanged (“imputed” righteousness).
  • Catholic (ancient) view: Salvation “changes” us from the inside ("infused" righteousness). Sanctification is both event and process.

  “The Catholic view—the ancient view—is we’re actually changed by the work of Jesus Christ. Not simply declared righteous.”

8. Scriptural Support: Working Out Salvation

• (24:01-27:00)
  • Quotes Philippians 2:

    “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling... God is the one who... works in you both to desire and to work.”

  • 1 Corinthians 9 (“discipline of the athlete”) and 1 Corinthians 3 (“saved, but only as through fire”) are used to demonstrate Biblical support for the process of sanctification and the purification provided by God.

9. Purgatory: Mercy, Not Punishment

• (27:01-29:30)

  “Purgatory is not, ‘You didn’t do so well; try again.’ It’s the continuation of God’s mercy that completes what he started in this life.”

• God uses purgatory to finish preparing hearts for heaven, ensuring they are ready for perfect love.

10. Joy in Purgatory—The Gift of God’s Mercy

• (29:31-33:20)
  • Purgatory is a place of hope and certainty, not fear:

    “Imagine being in purgatory and realizing, A: you made it. That’s a big deal. And B: everything that happens here is what my heart needs to fully love God.”

  • It’s possible not to need purgatory—by allowing God’s purification now in this life.

11. Living with an Eternal Perspective

• (33:21-34:50)
  • “Imagine if we had the perspective, every morning we woke up, that whatever happens... it’s what I need to make my heart ready for heaven.”
  • We can begin to live with the joy of purgatory—confidence in God’s mercy—here and now.

12. Memorable Personal Story: Missing a Flight, Coming Home

• (34:51-38:30)
  • Fr. Mike shares a family story about almost missing a flight home, drawing a parallel to the hope of making it to purgatory:

    “When I sat down on the plane, it didn’t matter how long it took; I knew the next stop was home... That’s purgatory.”

13. Praying for the Dead—A Great Act of Love

• (38:31-42:30)
  • Cites 2 Maccabees 12: “It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.”
  • Shares the story of St. Monica’s dying wish to St. Augustine:

    “Lay this body anywhere... Only this I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord, wherever you may be.” (St. Monica, quoted at 41:40)

  • Fr. Mike’s own mother similarly requested Masses be said for her after her death.

14. The Power of Our Prayers—After This

• (42:31-end)
  • Concludes with the beautiful hope that, by the prayers offered at Mass, some souls will cross from purgatory to heaven:

    “After this Mass, something will have changed... There are souls right now in purgatory, who by the end of this Mass, will be in heaven.” (43:30)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On pets and heaven:

  “If you need anything other than God to be happy in heaven, then you’re not ready for heaven.” (06:00, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

• On being judged by love:

  “In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone.” (08:10, Fr. Mike Schmitz, referencing St. John of the Cross)

• On purgatory:

  “Purgatory is not...‘You didn’t do so well; try again.’ It’s the continuation of God’s mercy that completes what he started in this life.” (27:30, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

• On joy in purgatory:

  “Imagine being in purgatory and realizing, A: you made it. That’s a big deal. And B: everything here is what my heart needs to fully love God.” (32:30, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

• St. Monica’s dying wish:

  “Lay this body anywhere... Only this I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord, wherever you may be.” (41:40, St. Monica [via St. Augustine])

• Closing hope:

  “After this Mass, something will have changed. After this Mass, there will be something that is different and will never be the same... There are souls right now in purgatory, who by the end of this Mass, will be in heaven.” (43:30, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:00 – “After this” opening—reflecting on life and afterlife
• 06:00 – The “if you need anything other than God...” challenge
• 08:10 – The teaching of St. John of the Cross and judgment on love
• 12:30 – Catholic doctrine of purgatory and its historical roots
• 15:30 – Fr. Mike’s back surgery analogy
• 18:50 – Temporal vs. eternal consequences of sin
• 22:00 – Declared vs. infused righteousness: Protestant vs. Catholic views
• 25:10 – Scriptural evidence: Philippians and Corinthians
• 29:00 – The joy and mercy of purgatory
• 34:50 – “Living the joy of purgatory now”—daily perspective
• 36:40 – Story: Missing a flight, but the joy is “next stop is home”
• 41:40 – St. Monica’s wish and prayers for the dead
• 43:30 – “After this Mass...”—prayers releasing souls to heaven

Conclusion

Fr. Mike’s homily for All Souls Day dives deep into the Catholic understanding of purgatory—not as a source of fear, but as a merciful, joyful step in becoming ready for the fullness of heaven. He urges us to place God at the center of our desire, pray for the departed, and embrace every moment of life as God’s work of preparing us for eternity. The homily closes with the profound hope that our prayers—especially at Mass—have real and lasting effects for souls on their journey “after this.”