Episode Overview
Podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Episode Title: Mistaken Identity
Date: January 17, 2026
In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz explores what happens when we have a “case of mistaken identity” in our relationship with God. Drawing from the week’s Gospel and personal anecdotes, he asks listeners to consider: Who are you really talking to when you pray? Is your image of God shaped by truth or by misconception? Fr. Mike contrasts Christian understanding of God the Father with other religious traditions, illustrating how our conception of God transforms our prayer and relationship with Him.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Mistaken Identity - Funny & Relatable Examples
- Fr. Mike opens with humorous stories of mistaken identity (from childhood to texting blunders) to illustrate how easily we can mis-address, misattribute, or misunderstand people—including God.
- [03:30] Story of grabbing a stranger’s hand thinking it was his mom as a child.
- [04:15] Mistaking another student on campus for his brother, leading to awkwardness.
- [05:10] Series of quick stories culled from the internet: wrong comments at a funeral, an awkward nurse comment, a mistaken text to a boss, and a first-date name disaster.
- These stories set up the homily’s central question:
"Who am I talking to? ...Not just in life, but right here, like right now, in this Mass. Who are we talking to in prayer? Who is it that we're talking to?"
– Fr. Mike Schmitz, [06:20]
2. Who Are We Talking to in Prayer?
- Fr. Mike challenges listeners to consider whether their image of God is accurate, or if they've fallen into “mistaken identity.”
- Sometimes, Christians approach God as a counselor, believing He needs their advice or direction ([07:00]).
- He points to common prayers that sound like, “God, you need me to tell you how to be God.”
3. God’s Invitation: Pour Out Your Heart
- Cites scripture passages to show God isn’t distant or disinterested:
- Psalm 62: “Trust him at all times. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us.”
- Proverbs 23: “Give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways.”
- Philippians 4: “Let your requests be made known to God.”
- [09:00]
“God tells us to share with him our cares and our desires. Basically, even God's commands are, share your heart with me.”
– Fr. Mike, [09:07]
4. The Nature of God in Christianity vs. Islam
- [10:00] Fr. Mike draws a contrast between Islamic and Christian understandings of God, explaining that:
- While Islam lists 99 names for Allah—mighty, majestic, powerful—He is never called “Father.”
- In the Mass, almost every prayer is directed to God the Father.
- Fr. Mike shares the analogy from his friend David Lading about two types of fathers:
- One, powerful and distant, communicates through others, assigns tasks.
- The other, equally powerful but loving, plays with his children, eats pizza on the floor, draws near.
“One father just assigns tasks. ...The other father plays. The other father plays with his children. He tucks them in. He reads stories to them. He's their dad.”
– Fr. Mike [13:05]
-
Fr. Mike recounts Dr. Scott Hahn’s experience debating a Muslim scholar, learning:
“‘Allah is not Father. Allah is master. We are not his children. We are his slaves.’ That's the image. That's the critical distinction...”
– Fr. Mike, [15:10]- This is not to criticize Muslims but to highlight how Christians often fall into praying as if God were only “master,” not “Father.”
- Critiques that many Christians, practically speaking, pray as slaves rather than as beloved children.
5. Incarnation and the True Heart of the Father
- Reflects on Christmas and the Incarnation:
- God, all-powerful and infinite, comes close not just as master but as a loving Father who longs to “play” with His children ([18:10]).
- Jesus spent only 3 years in public ministry, “the other 30 years were spent just getting close to us.”
- Presence of myrrh at Jesus’s birth is a sign of self-sacrificial love, foreshadowing his death.
“The Incarnation is not mere play. The Incarnation is love—and not just any kind of love. It's marked by the love that is self-sacrificial...”
– Fr. Mike, [20:30]
6. Behold the Lamb of God: Sacrifice, Not Sentiment
- Explains that when John the Baptist says, “Behold the Lamb of God,” it is a reference to Jesus's role as a sacrificial offering, not merely innocence or gentleness ([22:45]):
- God’s love is proven by how he offers his whole life for us.
- Sacrifice is at the center: “He’s here to win our souls by offering Himself... to win our hearts by revealing his.”
7. Jesus Wept: God’s Heart Breaks with Ours
- [25:00] The shortest verse in Scripture: “Jesus wept” (John 11)—shows Christ is not distant.
- Despite knowing he would soon raise Lazarus, Jesus allows his heart to break over the sorrow of those he loves.
“He sees their hearts breaking and he allows it to break his heart. That’s when he shows us who he is...”
– Fr. Mike, [26:30]
- “He is all powerful until he runs up against you. He’s invincible. But he allows himself to be broken by what’s broken you.”
– Fr. Mike, [27:08]
8. How Should We Talk to God the Father?
- [28:00] Addresses the common objection: “Why share my heart? He already knows everything.”
- Shares a story (from a priest in South Dakota) about a child whose dad’s best friend, the basketball coach, already told dad everything about his great game—but dad still longs to hear it from his son.
“The father doesn’t want more information. He just wants to hear it from his son.”
– Fr. Mike, [29:55]
- When we pray, it’s not about informing God—it's about relationship and trust.
- Challenges listeners:
“How well would God know you if all he knew of you was what you told him in prayer?...How much of your heart would he know? How much of his heart do you know?”
– Fr. Mike, [30:40]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Who am I talking to? ...What’s the image of God that guides our prayer? Because I'll say this: who we’re talking to determines how we talk to Him.”
[06:20] - “God does not need me to tell him how to be God, yet at the same time, God invites us to share with him our worries and our concerns.”
[08:10] - “One of them just assigns tasks. One father just assigns tasks. Here's what you need to do. And the other father plays.”
[13:05] - “Allah is not father. Allah is master. We are not his children. We are his slaves.” (Anecdote from Dr. Scott Hahn)
[15:10] - “Have you ever thought about the Incarnation as God playing? ...He wants to be close to us, he’s down on the floor with us.”
[19:30] - “When people were near Jesus, they didn’t just obey him, they loved him. ...The Incarnation is not mere play. The Incarnation is love.”
[20:30] - “He is all powerful. Until he runs up against you. ...He allows himself to be broken by what’s broken you.”
[27:08] - “He doesn’t want more information, he just wants to hear it from his son.”
[29:55] - “How well would God know you if all he knew of you was what you told him in prayer?”
[30:40]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 03:30 – Personal mistaken identity stories
- 05:10 – Internet anecdotes: funeral, nurse, boss text, first date
- 06:20 – Central question: Who am I talking to?
- 07:00 – Imagining God as a counselor needing advice
- 08:40 – Scripture: God commands us to pour out our hearts
- 10:00 – Contrast: Islam’s 99 names vs. Christian “Father”
- 13:05 – David Lading’s analogy: two fathers
- 15:10 – Dr. Scott Hahn and the Muslim debate about God as Father/Master
- 18:10 – Incarnation: God comes close to “play” with us
- 20:30 – Incarnation as love, marked by sacrifice
- 22:45 – Lamb of God: symbol of sacrifice
- 25:00 – “Jesus wept”: God’s heart breaks with ours
- 27:08 – God’s power meets human need
- 28:00 – Sharing with God, even though he knows
- 29:55 – The father longs to hear it from his child
- 30:40 – Challenge: What does God know from our prayer?
Conclusion
Fr. Mike closes by inviting listeners to end their “case of mistaken identity:”
- Recognize that God is not merely master, but loving Father.
- Our “Abba” is all-powerful, but he delights in getting close to us, playing with us, and hearing from us.
- The truest relationship with God is one where we pour out our hearts, confident in His love.
“How much of your heart would he know? How much of his heart do you know? ...Who are you talking to?”
[31:15]