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

Episode: Day 46: Set Apart for God (2026)
Date: February 15, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the theme of being “set apart for God,” highlighting how God calls His people—and their ordinary works—to holiness, not just through special rules and rituals but through a life truly consecrated to Him. Fr. Mike Schmitz guides listeners through Exodus chapters 30–31, Leviticus 22, and Psalm 115, reflecting on the deeper purpose behind biblical laws and what it means to live as someone made holy and consecrated for God’s purposes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scripture Readings: Sanctity in Detail

• Exodus 30–31: Detailed instructions for building the altar of incense, creating sacred anointing oil and incense, and appointing Bezalel and Oholiab with Spirit-filled craftsmanship.
• Leviticus 22: Regulations about who may eat holy things, the requirements for acceptable offerings, and stipulations to maintain purity and reverence.
• Psalm 115: A declaration of God’s greatness and a warning against idolatry, calling Israel to trust in the Lord.

2. Theme of Holiness: To Be Set Apart

Fr. Mike explains the central message behind the detailed purity and worship laws:

• Holiness = Set Apart.

  • “To be consecrated to the Lord is meant to be consecrated, made sacred for the Lord. To be made sacred for the Lord is to be holy. To be made holy is to be set apart.”
    — Fr. Mike Schmitz [16:55]

• Blessing as Setting Aside:
  Using Catholic sacramentals as examples, Fr. Mike notes that blessing objects—like crosses or medals—sets them apart; they’re no longer ordinary but are reserved for God’s purposes alone.

3. Exclusive Use and Sacredness of God’s Things

• Items and rituals (like the anointing oil and incense) created for God are not to be copied or used for personal, everyday purposes.
  • “If you have a cross that was blessed, that means it's no longer jewelry. It is set apart for a purpose and it must be worn that way, right? It must be treated that way.”
    — Fr. Mike Schmitz [17:30]
• Similarly, the exclusivity applied to holy objects and actions is a call to integrity in Christian life—what has been dedicated to God must not be treated as common.

4. Holiness in the Priesthood and All God’s People

• Ministerial vs. Baptismal Priesthood:
  While Leviticus and Exodus focus on Levite priests, all the baptized are “kingdom priests,” set apart to live holy lives.

  • “If you’re baptized, you are a kingdom priest... called to live that in that way that is set apart, that's consecrated, that we're called to be holy, truly holy.”
    — Fr. Mike Schmitz [19:30]

• Saint Pius X on Priestly Sanctity:
  Fr. Mike reads a quote on sanctity, emphasizing the self-sacrificing, single-hearted nature required of those set apart for God.

  • “Sanctity alone makes us what our divine vocation demands, namely men crucified to the world and to whom the world is crucified...”
    — Pope St. Pius X, read by Fr. Mike Schmitz [18:55]

5. Elevating Ordinary Work: The Gift of the Spirit in Labor

• Bezalel & Oholiab:
  God fills chosen artisans with His Spirit for creative, skillful work—showing that divine purpose extends beyond religious rituals into daily tasks and labor.

  • “It’s not just that they were very good at their job... God says, I have filled him [Bezalel] with the spirit of God. What’s that mean? That you can now do your skilled labor well... Even ordinary work becomes extraordinary, even secular work becomes sacred. Why? Because the one who is doing it has been sanctified.”
    — Fr. Mike Schmitz [22:05 – 23:00]

• This insight affirms listeners that their own daily work, however mundane, is sacred if done as someone “set apart” by God’s Spirit.

6. Personal Application and Encouragement

• Daily Life as Holy Ground:
  Fr. Mike directly encourages listeners to see themselves as set apart and their lives and labor as opportunities to serve God in the ordinary.

  • “You, my brothers and sisters, you are set apart, you are consecrated, you are sacred as well, filled with the Spirit of God. So when you go off into your work... realize this. Oh, my goodness, what a gift. Even the most ordinary day can be extraordinary.”
    — Fr. Mike Schmitz [23:25 – 24:00]

• Endurance on the Bible Journey:
  Listeners are reminded how far they’ve come—as Exodus and Leviticus draw to a close—and encouraged to keep praying and journeying together.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Blessing and Holiness:
  “Whenever you’ve asked for something to be blessed, you’ve asked for it to be set apart. Now it is no longer for a normal thing... it is now set apart for a specific purpose.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [17:10]

• On the Uniqueness of Priestly Life:
  “To live as a priest is to be a part of every family, yet belong to none. To be a friend of all and yet exclusive to none. How can a priest like myself live in a way that's truly consecrated to the lord?”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [19:00]

• On Spirit-filled Work:
  “Whatever your work is—answering phones, teaching, filling out papers, air traffic control—when you do it with the Spirit of God, it is not just the work of man but in some ways, the work of a son or daughter of God.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz [23:00]

Key Timestamps

• Scripture Reading begins: [01:00]
• Psalm 115 Read: [10:18]
• Reflection & Commentary begins: [13:34]
• Blessed items set apart: [16:55–17:35]
• Sanctity of priesthood (Pope St. Pius X quote): [18:55]
• All baptized as “kingdom priests”: [19:30]
• Bezalel & Oholiab—Spirit-filled labor: [22:05–23:00]
• Encouragement for everyday holiness: [23:25–24:00]

Takeaway

To be holy is to be set apart for God—this applies to our lives, our work, and the things we dedicate to Him. Ordinary things and tasks become sacred when done by those filled with the Spirit of God. This call to holiness isn’t reserved solely for clergy, but is the calling of every Christian.

Summary crafted by AI, based on the original language and tone of Fr. Mike Schmitz for the Bible in a Year podcast (Day 46: Set Apart for God).