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

Episode: Day 244: The Virtue of Charity (2025)
Date: September 1, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz / Ascension

Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz delves into the heart of Christian life by unpacking the virtue of charity, as outlined in paragraphs 1822–1829 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Following previous discussions on faith and hope, he emphasizes that charity is the greatest theological virtue—defined not as a generic love, but the specific, divine love by which we choose God above all and love our neighbor for God’s sake. Fr. Mike explores the demands and the liberating power of charity, its concrete expression in Christian living, and how it calls us beyond affection into real, transformative action.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Definition and Nature of Charity

• Charity as a Theological Virtue:
  • “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake and our neighbor as ourselves, for the love of God.” [02:10]
• Charity is Distinct From Generic Love:
  • Not just emotion or affection (“affective love”) but “effective love”—lived out in action and self-gift [12:40].

2. Charity as the New Commandment

• Commanded by Jesus:
  • “Jesus makes charity the new commandment… By loving his own to the end, he makes manifest the Father’s love... ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.’” [03:00]
• Love as Fulfillment of the Law:
  • Obeying the commandments is inseparable from love—keeping the commandments is both the sign and the way of loving God [08:45].

3. Charity’s Demands: Action Over Sentiment

• Not Optional or Theoretical:
  • “Love is not just in the heart. Love must, it must, be translated into action. Right? We have affection—with an ‘A’—but what God is calling us to is effective love—with an ‘E’… Love that moves. Love that acts.” [12:40]
• Concrete Signs of Charity:
  • Loving God is shown by loving our neighbor:
    • “How can we love God we do not see if we do not love the brother we do see?” [09:30]
  • Keeping the commandments:
    • “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If you don’t love me, you will not.” [10:30]

4. The Challenging Call to Love Enemies

• Radical Demand:
  • We are called not just to love those near or easy to love, but even those who’ve hurt us
    • “Jesus commands us to love as he does, even our enemies, which is easy to say and so difficult to do. It’s something we actually can’t do without the Lord’s grace.” [15:50]
• Love Must Reach the Margins:
  • Quoting the Catechism:
    • “We are called to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, to love children and the poor as Christ himself.” [15:20]

5. Charity and Interior Freedom

• Freedom of God’s Children, Not Servile Slaves or Mercenaries:
  • “The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who first loved us.” [20:20]
• Motivation in Following God:
  • Acting out of love—rather than mere fear of punishment (slaves), or hope of reward (mercenaries)—is what transforms Christian virtue into genuine freedom [21:10].

6. Scriptural and Patristic Foundations

• St. Paul’s Definition of Charity:
  • “Charity is patient and kind. Charity is not jealous or boastful…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. If I have not charity, I am nothing.” [04:40]
• St. Augustine on Charity’s Goal:
  • “Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal. That is why we run. We run toward it. And once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.” [07:30]
• St. Basil’s Distinction:
  • “If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, we resemble mercenaries. Finally, if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands, we are in the position of children.” [22:00]

7. The Parable of the Prodigal Son: From Slavery to Sonship

• Slaves vs. Sons:
  • The older brother “slaves” for his father, but misses out on the freedom and intimacy of being a son. God desires sons and daughters, not hired hands or slaves [24:20].
  • “I never wanted you to be a slave. I just wanted a son.” [25:40]

8. Living the Virtue: From Performance to Partnership

• Work With the Father, Not For the Father:
  • Fr. Mike’s metaphor of breakfast and working “shoulder to shoulder” with the Father [27:10].
  • “In both cases, there’s a list of things to do. But in the second, they’re doing it together—it’s done as a beloved child of the Father. And that’s the motivation.” [29:10]

9. Encouragement and Realism

• Perfection vs. Striving:
  • “None of us is going to do this perfectly… Don’t heat coals on yourself—say, I must not love God because I fall into sin… All of us have broken hearts. But loving the Lord and wanting the mercy, that is the key.” [19:10]
• Act of Contrition as an Example:
  • Demonstrates both imperfect contrition (fear of punishment) and perfect contrition (love for God above all) [21:45].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Genuine Love:
  • “Love is not just in my emotions or my feelings. It is in my actions. It’s in my life. And so that’s so, so important.” [13:10]
• On the Hardest Command:
  • “Jesus asks us to love our enemies, which is easy to say and it is so difficult to do. It’s something we actually can’t do without the Lord’s grace.” [15:55]
• On Motivation:
  • “If we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands, we are in the position of children.” – St. Basil, quoted by Fr. Mike [22:10]
• On Family with the Father:
  • “Here’s the father… I never wanted you to slave. I just wanted a son… Our worth is not based off of our performance.” [25:50]
• Summary Reflection:
  • “The practice of the moral life animated by charity… gives you the spiritual freedom of the children of God. You’re no longer before God as a slave or mercenary, but as a son responding to the love of the one who first loved us.” [29:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:05] – Introduction and prayer
• [02:10] – Catechism’s definition of charity
• [03:00] – Charity as the new commandment
• [04:40] – St. Paul’s depiction of charity
• [07:30] – St. Augustine’s reflection
• [08:45] – Love as fulfillment of commandments
• [09:30] – Loving God and neighbor: scriptural tests
• [10:30] – Obedience as love
• [12:40] – Affective (feelings) vs. effective (action) love
• [15:20] – The challenge: loving the poor and distant
• [15:55] – The hardest part: love of enemies
• [19:10] – Realism about our failings and striving
• [20:20] – Spiritual freedom: freedom of God’s children
• [21:45] – The Act of Contrition and motivation
• [22:00] – St. Basil’s slave/mercenary/son analogy
• [24:20] – The Prodigal Son and the elder brother
• [27:10] – Working with the Father: the “breakfast and in the fields” metaphor
• [29:20] – Final encouragement and exhortation

Final Thoughts

Fr. Mike passionately reiterates that charity is what binds the Christian life together—it animates all our actions not out of fear, but out of the freedom and joy of knowing ourselves as beloved children of God. God calls not for slaves or mercenaries, but for sons and daughters who act, strive, and even fail—with love as both source and goal. The invitation: Let the love of God transform you into someone who loves in action, who offers mercy, and who lives not just for God, but with Him.

Fr. Mike’s closing prayer and encouragement:
“Please pray for me. I am praying for you. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.” [30:10]