Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode: 3/22/26 Autobiography: Epilogue
Date: March 21, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)

Episode Overview

This homily, titled "Autobiography: Epilogue," explores what life looks like after a profound experience of grace—using the stories of Lazarus and the Prodigal Son as primary examples. Fr. Mike Schmitz invites listeners to reflect not just on moments of rescue, restoration, and forgiveness, but on the essential question: what does our "epilogue" look like now that we’ve received new life? He emphasizes that life after grace means life lived "with"—with God and with others—and unpacks the responsibilities and rights that come with being restored as God’s children.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Bar Rescue" Analogy

[08:10]

• Fr. Mike draws a parallel between reality TV makeovers (specifically Bar Rescue) and God’s intervention in our lives.
• Describes how an expert rescuer, Jon Taffer, gives failing bars free help and renovations, leading to the question: “After all this massive gift, did it help? What does life look like now?”
• Relates this to our own stories—how after God’s intervention, we too must ask: “What is life after grace like?”

2. Autobiography & The Epilogue

[12:12]

• Recap of the Autobiography series: “Every life is a story and every person is an author. The question of our lives is: Who will we become at the end of the story?”
• Introduces the concept of the epilogue—the "bonus chapter" that details "life after" a major change or gift.

3. Gospel: The Raising of Lazarus

[00:02 & 13:45]

• Reflects on the Gospel reading (John 11:1-45) where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.
• Points out the intense humanity in the story: “Jesus lets his heart be broken because he cares.” (17:42)
• Spotlights the turning point: when all seems over, grace intervenes—“Here’s Lazarus. His story’s over. And then Jesus...and then grace.”

4. What Happens After Grace?

[21:10]

• Ponders what Lazarus’s life was like after his resurrection: “Where are they now? It’s the...bonus chapter. It’s what you call...the epilogue.”
• Cites pop culture’s use of epilogues—e.g., Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows' flash-forward—and connects that to our faith journeys.

5. The Prodigal Son: Gifts of Restoration

[24:10]

• Explains the symbolic meaning of the father’s gifts: ‘the finest robe’ (honor), ‘the ring’ (authority), ‘sandals’ (sonship and freedom).
• Quote (24:55): “All three of these gifts—it’s all grace. None of it is earned, right? None of it’s deserved. In fact, the opposite is what he deserves. But...he is fully restored. And he’s given an epilogue.”
• Emphasizes that real grace doesn’t just forgive—it bestows dignity and belonging.

6. Modern-Day Parable: The State Trooper

[29:32]

• Fr. Mike tells a personal story about being stopped for speeding and being let off with a warning:
  Quote (30:32): “He walks up and says, ‘Well, Father, the state’s going to give you some grace today.’”
• Relates his inner struggle to live "like he was given grace"—a metaphor for how we often accept grace but don’t always let it change us.

7. The Morning After the Celebration

[32:45]

• Paints a vivid picture: after the prodigal son’s party, what does the next morning look like?
• Stresses the restoration isn’t about servanthood or entitlement:
  Quote (33:33): “He hasn’t been hired, he’s been rescued...He’s not a guest, he’s been restored as a son.”

8. Rights and Responsibilities in Relationship

[36:55]

• Clarifies that restoration to relationship with God means real rights (honor, authority, belonging), but also real responsibilities.
• Quote (37:15): “Grace does not remove responsibility. Grace restores responsibility.”
• Living in the Father’s house means living with both privilege and purpose.

9. Life After = Life With

[38:20]

• The true secret of the epilogue:
  Quote (38:34): “Life after means life with...every time we have been restored by Jesus, our bonus chapter looks like this: Life with the Father, life with our brothers and sisters, life in the Church.”

10. Imaginative Reflection: Your Epilogue

[40:10]

• Fr. Mike describes a simple, relational epilogue for the prodigal son—a morning in the kitchen with his father and brother, working together through daily challenges.
• Invites listeners to see that their own “epilogue” can be living each day “with the Father”—in real relationship, responding to his invitation.
• Quote (41:52): “This could be your epilogue too...Because of God’s grace, your life after is life with.”

11. The Practical Invitation

[43:00]

• Concludes with a daily challenge for Lent:
  Quote (43:31): “My invitation all this week is: When you wake up, just move your heart to the Father...and just say, ‘Okay Dad, what do you want today? What are we going to do today?’”
• Encourages a childlike openness and ongoing relationship with God, rooted in grace.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [17:42] Fr. Mike Schmitz: “We see the heart of Jesus now in two ways. We see the heart of his identity—and we see the heart of his heart, that he lets his heart be broken because he cares.”
• [24:55] On the Prodigal Son: "All three of these gifts—it’s all grace. None of it is earned, right? None of it’s deserved. In fact, the opposite is what he deserves. But...he is fully restored. And he’s given an epilogue."
• [30:32] The State Trooper Story: “He walks up and says, ‘Well, Father, the state’s going to give you some grace today.’"
• [37:15] Rights & Responsibilities: “Grace does not remove responsibility. Grace restores responsibility.”
• [38:34] Epilogue Secret: "Life after means life with."
• [41:52] Direct Invitation: “Because of God’s grace, your life after is life with.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:02 – Gospel Reading (John 11:1-45)
• 08:10 – Bar Rescue Analogy
• 12:12 – Autobiography & the Epilogue
• 13:45 – Lazarus: The Transition from Death to Grace
• 21:10 – "Where Are They Now?" and the Meaning of the Epilogue
• 24:10 – The Prodigal Son: Restoration and Its Significance
• 29:32 – State Trooper Story: Modern Example of Grace
• 32:45 – The Morning After: Living Out the Restoration
• 36:55 – Rights and Responsibilities in True Relationship
• 38:20 – Life After = Life With
• 40:10 – Imaginative Reflection: What Your Epilogue Could Be
• 43:00 – Practical Lenten Invitation

Takeaway

Fr. Mike calls Christians to step into the “epilogue” of their spiritual autobiography—where the drama of rescue and restoration gives way to a daily life "with" God. He urges listeners to wake up each morning aware of both their belovedness and their purpose, actively conversing with the Father and living the responsibilities of sons and daughters—not out of servitude or entitlement, but from restored relationship. The invitation: Let your bonus chapter begin today.

For further reflection, imagine your "life after": not just what you’ve been saved from, but what (and with whom) you’re now living for, each day, by grace.