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

Episode: Day 245 — The Faithfulness of Daniel

Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)

Episode Overview

On Day 245, Fr. Mike Schmitz guides listeners through pivotal chapters: Jeremiah 31, Daniel 14, and Proverbs 16:21–24. The episode explores God’s unwavering faithfulness to His people in the Old Testament and how Daniel’s steadfastness serves as a model for living in spiritual “exile” today. A central focus is the promise of restoration, the establishment of a new covenant, and the encouragement to persevere in faith even amidst opposition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jeremiah 31: God's Everlasting Love and the Promise of a New Covenant

• God’s Faithfulness and Restoration

  • The chapter is described by Fr. Mike as “just a gorgeous chapter. What an incredible, incredible chapter. Because God talks again. He says, people who survived the sword found grace, the wilderness.” (23:25)
  • God expresses enduring love:

    “I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. I will build you, and you shall be built.” – (Jeremiah 31:3, 24:55)

  • The Lord promises to gather His people, turning “mourning into joy,” and redefining their relationship as a loving shepherd and Father.

• Individual Responsibility for Sin

  • A shift from collective to personal accountability:

    “He says, basically, in those days, they have the saying…the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge…But everyone shall die for his own sin.” (27:05)

  • Emphasizes that each person is responsible for their own actions before God.

• The New Covenant

  • God promises something radical—a law not just given, but written on hearts:

    “I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (28:15)

  • Fr. Mike passionately connects this with the Eucharist and the Mass:

    “What an incredible, incredible gift by the Lord to give us this covenant, to bring us into the new and eternal covenant in the blood of Jesus Christ that we get to renew every single time we celebrate the Mass and receive the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.” (28:55)

Daniel 14: The Faithful Exile

• The Story’s Three Vignettes

  • Daniel and the priests of Bel: Daniel exposes the deceit behind idol worship.
  • Daniel and the dragon: Daniel demonstrates creative faith, defeating a false god.
  • Daniel in the lion’s den (again): Daniel survives through miraculous intervention.

• Living in Exile While Remaining Faithful

  • Fr. Mike underscores Daniel as the model of faith in a hostile environment:

    “He’s able to survive in Babylon without becoming a Babylonian. And this is one of the pieces in Daniel that really reveals this, is Here’s how you can live, here’s how it’s possible to live in exile.” (30:00)

  • Faithful living doesn’t guarantee safety or success:

    “Daniel might have been thrown in the lion’s den once or twice and been eaten the first or second time… But it demonstrates that this is what faithfulness looks like. You can live in exile, you can be far from home…Surrounded by people who are more powerful than you, who do not believe what you believe.” (30:30)

• Modern Application: Christians as Exiles

  • Fr. Mike draws direct parallels to the current cultural climate:

    “Our culture around us is changing dramatically...we are sojourners, that this world is not our home, not our ultimate home.” (32:15)

  • Christ’s followers today must learn to persist in faith, even when misunderstood or powerless.
  • Importance of community:

    “To one degree or another, we are in exile. And so we need our brothers and sisters who are united with us in faith, who are united with us in prayer.” (34:12)

Proverbs 16:21–24: The Power of Words and Wisdom

• Wisdom and pleasant speech are highlighted:

  “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” (21:40, reading)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God’s Assurance in Hardship:

  “For the believer, we need to be reminded that God has promised. He says, in this world, you’ll have trouble. Take heart. I have overcome the world. That basically he’s going to bring us through. But that means we have to be in the midst of it, right?” — Fr. Mike (22:40)

• On Living Through Storms:

  “In order to get through the storm, we have to be in the storm.” — Fr. Mike (24:35)

• On the New Covenant Fulfilled in Christ:

  “What does Jesus say at the Last Supper? This is the blood of the new and eternal covenant. Take it, all of you, and drink from it…That’s the sign of the covenant, right? It seals the covenant, strengthens the covenant.” — Fr. Mike (28:22)

• On Life as Modern “Exiles”:

  “We’re increasingly becoming more acutely aware of the fact that we are sojourners, that this world is not our home, not our ultimate home...we’re going to do everything we can to follow the Lord...” — Fr. Mike (32:15)

• On Community and Prayer:

  “We need our brothers and sisters who are united with us in faith, who are united with us in prayer...I want to let you know I’m praying for you. Please, please pray for me.” — Fr. Mike (34:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:04 — Episode introduction; reading plan
• 01:20 — Reading: Jeremiah 31
• 08:30 — Reading: Daniel 14
• 16:40 — Reading: Proverbs 16:21–24
• 17:45 — Opening prayer, reflection begins
• 22:40 — Commentary: God’s promise to deliver from distress (“yet he shall be saved out of it”)
• 24:35 — Jeremiah and the promise of restoration; God’s everlasting love
• 27:05 — Discussion on individual responsibility and sin
• 28:15 — The new covenant and its fulfillment in Christ and the Eucharist
• 29:45 — Daniel 14: Faithfulness in exile, summary of Daniel’s three vignettes
• 32:15 — Living as exiles in modern culture; application for today’s Christians
• 34:12 — The importance of unity and prayer in faith communities

Summary of Main Takeaways

• God’s love is enduring, and He promises restoration and a new, intimate covenant written on the heart.
• Each person is accountable for their own relationship with God; faithfulness amid trials is key.
• Daniel exemplifies living faithfully in exile, providing hope and guidance for believers in a culture that may feel increasingly foreign.
• The episode is a call to embrace faithfulness, community, and prayer as sources of strength, no matter the surrounding circumstances.

End of Summary