The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode: Day 230: A New Heart

Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Main Scripture: Jeremiah 7, Ezekiel 36, Proverbs 14:29–32

Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike walks listeners through some of the most powerful prophetic passages in the Old Testament, chiefly focusing on the themes of false security, idolatry, the call for interior conversion, and God’s extraordinary promise to give his people a new heart and a new spirit. Fr. Mike draws connections between the experiences of Israel in exile and the ongoing need for true conversion and reliance on God’s grace in the Christian life today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jeremiah 7: False Security in the Temple

• Fr. Mike contextualizes Jeremiah’s ministry during a time of outward religious reform under King Josiah, but inward corruption and hidden idolatry.
  • “Here’s the king, and the king is saying, no, we gotta get back to the temple, we gotta worship the Lord like he deserves. And yet the people... in their homes, they had not repent. Even though Josiah was leading this massive reform, they had not been reformed.” (12:05)
• The problem is misplaced trust—not in God, but in traditions, rituals, and physical structures.
  • “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’... You are not worshiping him and you are not serving him in the way that he’s asked you to.” (14:15)
• Fr. Mike applies this to Catholics and all Christians who rely on their religious status or external practices, but are not personally converted.
  • “Too many Catholics can say, ‘I’m Catholic and I’m not really belonging fully to the Lord, but you know, Jesus founded the Church’... If we’re not conforming our lives to that reality, that truth, then we’re trusting in the wrong stuff.” (16:00)
• Quote:
  • “We can be on our laurels and say, ‘Yeah, but we have the Eucharist...’ And gosh, you guys, this is so convicting of Jeremiah chapter 7.” (16:37)

2. IDOLATRY & Generational Sin

• Fr. Mike highlights how idolatry involved the whole family and the whole society.
  • “It’s a family affair. Entire families have turned away from worship of the true and living God, turned away from following the true and living God. And they’re united in their idolatry.” (18:42)
• The progression from taking God’s presence for granted to abominable acts, including child sacrifice.
  • “This false worship... led to the valley of Hinnom or the valley of Gehenna, where people offered their own children, their own innocent sons and daughters, and burned them in the fire to worship this false god. This is how bad it’s gotten.” (21:22)

3. Distrust of Self, Trust in God

• Fr. Mike questions the popular maxim “follow your heart,” instead advocating humility and self-distrust as beginnings of conversion.
  • “One of the worst pieces of advice I think anyone’s ever uttered on this planet is ‘follow your heart’... oftentimes our hearts are distorted... our hearts are not aligned with the word of the Lord or the law of the Lord.” (20:07)
• Quote:
  • “The first two movements of conversion are distrust of self and trust in the Lord.” (20:48)

4. Ezekiel 36: Promise of Restoration and a New Heart

• Ezekiel speaks after the disaster of exile, but delivers hope and restoration:
  • “Remember, they’re in exile... The temple has been destroyed, the city has been destroyed. And he says, but here’s a word: For behold, I am with you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.” (23:30)
• The highlight is the divine promise not just of return but of inner transformation.
  • “‘A new heart I will give you, a new spirit I will put within you. I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.’... This is a new heart, not so I can do whatever I want, now it is a new heart so I can do what I ought.” (25:02)
• The restoration is not for Israel’s own sake, but for the sake of God’s holy name.
  • “It is not for your sake that I will act, let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 36, discussed at 24:40)

5. Connection to Christian Life & Grace

• Fr. Mike applies the promise of a new heart to the life of grace:
  • “Without God’s grace, none of us can do what we ought. None of us can do the right thing without God’s grace. And so here is the promised new heart, the promised new spirit in Ezekiel.” (25:40)

6. Proverbs Reflections

• The wisdom of Proverbs reinforces the themes of patience, charity, and righteousness.
  • “He who is slow to anger has great understanding. But he who has a hasty temper exalts folly... He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him.” (27:12)

7. Memorable Moments & Encouragement

• Fr. Mike ends with encouragement, prayer, and a reminder that God’s “I am for you” is spoken even amid our brokenness.
  • “For behold, even in the midst of all this destruction... God says, I am for you, and I will turn to you after they’ve turned away from him... That’s what the Lord says to you today. Even in the midst of sin... He declares, I am for you, and I am with you.” (26:30)
• He asks the community for prayers and assures his prayers for listeners.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord...’ You are not worshiping him and you are not serving him in the way that he’s asked you to.”
  — Fr. Mike (14:15)
• “One of the worst pieces of advice... is ‘follow your heart.’”
  — Fr. Mike (20:07)
• “The first two movements of conversion are distrust of self and trust in the Lord.”
  — Fr. Mike (20:48)
• “‘A new heart I will give you, a new spirit I will put within you...’ This is a new heart... so I can do what I ought.”
  — Fr. Mike (25:25)
• “For behold… God says, I am for you, and I will turn to you... That’s what the Lord says to you today.”
  — Fr. Mike (26:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jeremiah 7 Reading and Commentary: 03:00–14:00
• Applying Jeremiah to Catholic and Christian Life: 14:00–18:00
• The Family’s Role in Idolatry: 18:30–19:30
• ‘Follow Your Heart’ and Conversion Dynamics: 20:00–21:00
• Child Sacrifice and Depth of Apostasy: 21:20–22:50
• Ezekiel 36 Reading and Promise of Restoration: 23:00–25:00
• The “New Heart and New Spirit” Promise Explained: 25:00–26:00
• Closing Prayer and Reflections on Grace: 27:00–end

Conclusion

Fr. Mike powerfully links Israel’s struggles with idolatry, false security, and externalism in Jeremiah and Ezekiel to ongoing challenges in Christian life. The remedy, as God reveals, is not more external reform, but a radical interior transformation—a new heart, a new spirit—granted by God’s grace and for his own holy name. The episode closes with a call to humility, trust, and openness to God’s transforming work, and a strong sense of mutual prayer for all in the community.