Episode Summary: "Begin. Or begin again."

Podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Host: Ascension
Date: August 23, 2025
Scripture: Luke 13:22-30
Theme: The invitation and challenge to begin (or begin again) on the journey of faith, with a focus on the necessity and purpose of discipline for growth, discipleship, and authentic life in Christ.

Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz welcomes new and returning students to campus and reflects on the powerful themes of beginnings—both starting anew and beginning again after setbacks. Centering on Jesus’s teaching about “the narrow gate” from Luke’s Gospel, Fr. Mike delves into the vital role of discipline in living a meaningful, Christ-centered life. He emphasizes that while discipline is essential, it is not the goal itself—the goal is joy, freedom, and closeness to God. Throughout, he motivates listeners to make tangible changes in their daily schedules to follow Jesus more intentionally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcoming Students: The Power of Beginnings

• Fr. Mike welcomes both freshmen (new beginnings) and returning students (beginning again), acknowledging the anxiety and potential of starting anew.
• “The words to our incoming students this Sunday are welcome. To our returning students, welcome home. And either way, it's so good. Either way, this moment right now is, I love beginnings. Beginnings are so good.” (05:07)

2. The Unknown and the Opportunity to Choose

• Entering a new environment, nobody knows your past, which brings both relief and risk—freedom to be someone new, but also fear of staying unknown.
• Fr. Mike asks, “Who do you want to be by the end of this semester, by the end of this year, by the end of these four years? What do you want to be true about yourself?” (07:20)

3. Potential vs. Discipline

• He stresses that although everyone has potential, “potential without discipline is often a tragedy.”
• The purpose of structures like university and campus ministry is to help people realize their potential through discipline.
• “Potential without discipline is potential that's lost or potential that's wasted.” (08:00)

4. The Misconception: Is Discipline the Point?

• Fr. Mike cautions against equating Christianity solely with discipline for its own sake:
• “Discipline is not the point. This is really important because I think sometimes people approach Christianity as, as if the whole goal of Christianity is that discipline is the point...” (09:30)
• Yes, following Jesus involves sacrifice ("no one drifts into heaven any more than anyone drifts into any kind of greatness"), but discipline is the path, not the goal.

5. The Gospel Mandate: Strive

• Reflecting on Jesus’s response to the question about salvation, Fr. Mike notes that Jesus personalizes the challenge:
• “He turns to the person who asks them... and says... All you need to know is this: You strive. If you want to go to heaven, you strive.” (13:10)

6. Discipline as a Sign of Belief in Our Potential

• “What kind of father does not discipline his son? ... A father who doesn't believe that their child has what it takes. ... God believes that you have what it takes.” (14:15)
• The call to follow Jesus is a vote of confidence in our ability to rise to the challenge.

7. Discipline Equals Freedom

• Fr. Mike shares wisdom from Navy SEAL Jocko Willink: “Discipline equals freedom.”
• “Discipline is not the point, but it's the path, it's the way. ... Potential without discipline is potential wasted... But discipline equals freedom.” (16:00)

8. Story: Surfwise Documentary

• Fr. Mike recounts a documentary about a family who lived with no discipline in youth and felt “stuck” as adults, contrasting the father's freedom (earned through early discipline) with the children’s struggle.
• “The first part of his life was a life of discipline. ... The beginning of our lives was marked by freedom ... and so now the second half of our life is marked by discipline.” (18:21)

9. The Call to Begin—or Begin Again

• If you feel lost, no matter your age or history: “Alright, begin. ... Either begin or begin again.” (20:11)
• The central question: “At the end of this... semester, this year, this lifetime—what do you want to be true about yourself?” (20:50)

10. Warren Buffett, Aristotle, and Habit

• He recounts Buffett’s advice to students: List what you admire in others, and practice those qualities; eventually, “the chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”
• “We have to start now. Because the reality, of course, is we're choosing to be someone right now. And that choice, those choices become habits.” (22:33)

11. This Is About Jesus, Not Self-Help

• Fr. Mike stresses the distinctly Christian aim: becoming a disciple who “knows Jesus, knows his voice, knows his joy,” and looks like Jesus.
• “What are the qualities in Jesus that you admire? Write those down and then begin to practice. Either begin or begin again.” (23:55)

12. Definition: What Is a Disciple?

• “A disciple is someone who is willing to change their schedule in order to get closer to Jesus. That's it. ... Not a promise of perfection ... simply a disciple is someone who's willing to change their schedule in order to get closer to Jesus.” (25:00)

13. Concrete Application

• The challenge: How will you change your schedule tomorrow, this week, or this semester so you will be closer to Jesus?
• “Not perfection, but simply the willingness to decide, the willingness to start, the willingness to begin—or to begin again.” (27:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Potential:

  “Potential without discipline is often a tragedy.” (08:00)

• On Ordinary vs. Extraordinary:

  “If gifted athletes lived just like everyone else, they would never be Olympians, no matter how gifted they are. They would never be professionals. They live differently.” (11:50)

• On God’s Confidence in Us:

  “God believes that you have what it takes.” (14:15)

• On Discipline’s True Purpose:

  “Discipline is not the point. ... The point is joy. ... The point is God himself.” (15:00)

• Jocko Willink’s Motto:

  “Discipline equals freedom.” (16:23)

• On the Formation of Habits:

  “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” (22:56)

• On What Defines a Disciple:

  “A disciple is someone who is willing to change their schedule in order to get closer to Jesus.” (25:00)

Segment Timestamps

• [00:00-04:00] – Welcome, Gospel Reading (Luke 13:22-30)
• [04:00-08:00] – Campus welcome: beginnings & potential
• [08:00-12:00] – Potential, discipline, and the real aim of Christianity
• [12:00-16:00] – Jesus’ challenge: “You strive.” God’s confidence in you
• [16:00-18:30] – “Discipline equals freedom”; Surfwise documentary story
• [18:30-21:30] – Knowing yourself, starting now: begin or begin again
• [21:30-24:00] – Warren Buffett & Aristotle on the power of habits; application to discipleship
• [24:00-27:30] – The definition of a disciple; practical questions for listeners
• [27:30-End] – (Content ends, no summary of outro/advertisement)

Final Thoughts

This homily is a rallying cry at the start of a new academic year—but also anytime a new season in life arrives—to choose the path of discipline not for its own sake, but as the way to become who God calls us to be. Fr. Mike inspires listeners to start fresh, to act intentionally, and above all, to draw closer to Jesus by making tangible, disciplined choices—whether for the first time or for the thousandth time. Begin. Or begin again.