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

Day 249: The Person in Society (2025)
Date: September 6, 2025
Reading: CCC 1877–1885

Episode Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz delves into the Catechism’s teaching on the human person’s essential role in society, beginning Chapter 2 on the human community. The focus is on how each individual, created with innate dignity, is inherently social and called not only to personal holiness but to communion with others. Fr. Mike unpacks themes of community, the origins and purpose of society, the primacy of the family, and the principle of subsidiarity—a foundational concept in Catholic social teaching. He challenges listeners to reflect on the balance between individual dignity and communal life as he establishes the framework for upcoming episodes on social participation, authority, and solidarity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Transition from Human Dignity to Community

• Setting the Macro Perspective ([01:30])
  Fr. Mike explains that after several days focused on human dignity, the Catechism now looks beyond the individual to examine the dynamics of human community.

  "We're kind of taking a macro perspective... we are also called to be living in community. As human beings, we're made for community."
  — Fr. Mike ([01:41])

2. The Vocation of Humanity: Personal and Communal

• The Dual Vocation ([02:10])
  The Catechism (par. 1877) teaches that our ultimate calling is to be transformed into the image of Christ, a vocation that is both personal and communal.

  "The vocation of humanity, all of us, is to show forth the image of God and be transformed into the image of the Father's only Son."
  — Fr. Mike ([20:55])

• Communal Character of the Human Vocation ([03:24])
  Love of neighbor is inseparable from love of God. The individual’s dignity is realized in and through society.

3. Society as a Requirement of Human Nature

• Society Is Not an “Addition” ([04:14])
  Human beings need society—it’s not a secondary add-on to our identity but a requirement of who we are.

  "The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him an extraneous addition, but a requirement of his nature."
  — Fr. Mike quoting CCC 1879 ([05:06])

• Solitary Confinement as an Illustration ([06:50])
  Fr. Mike describes the historical example of solitary confinement, noting its negative psychological effects as evidence that humans are made for relationship, not isolation.

• The Hermit Exception ([08:26])
  Hermits are not the rule—they show that even those called to solitude remain in some form of relationship with others.

4. What Is a Society?

• A Group Bound Organically ([09:32])
  Society is described as not forced but naturally emerging—a unity that “goes beyond each one.”

• Visible and Spiritual Assembly ([10:20])
  Fr. Mike explains that societies are visible but also carry something deeper: shared history, inheritance, and mutual obligation.

5. Loyalty and Respect in Society

• Loyalty to Community and Authority ([12:46])
  The Catechism teaches that individuals owe loyalty to their communities and respect to those in authority.

  "We rightly owe loyalty to the communities of which we are a part. That's a big claim. Especially, again... in a hyper individualistic society, that's a challenge."
  — Fr. Mike ([13:20])

6. The Family and the State: Primary Societies

• Primacy of the Family ([14:02])
  The family is “the building block of society,” not the individual. Fr. Mike clarifies the enduring, cross-cultural definition of family:

  "The only definition that works across time is family as a mother and a father with child or children. That is all. That is it."
  — Fr. Mike ([15:35])

• Functions the Family and State Enable ([16:45])
  Societies like family and state enable people to accomplish goals they could never achieve alone.

7. Socialization: Advantages and Risks

• Society Develops the Person and Ensures Rights ([17:22])
  Socialization channels human initiative, responsibility, and guarantees individual rights.

• Dangers of Excessive State Intervention ([17:45])
  The Catechism warns that too much state control can threaten personal freedom and initiative.

8. The Principle of Subsidiarity

• Definition and Application ([18:11])
  The principle states that matters should be handled at the most local level possible, with higher levels intervening only when strictly necessary.

  "If a thing can be done at a more local level, it should be left to that local level to do that thing."
  — Fr. Mike ([18:41])

• Real-Life Examples ([19:00])
  Child-raising, care for those in need, and the roles of family, extended family, community, and government are explained stepwise.

• God’s Example in Governance ([20:11])
  God entrusts functions to each creature according to its capacity—human community should reflect this pattern, with deep respect for human freedom.

9. Subsidiarity vs. Collectivism

• Opposition to Collectivism ([20:39])
  Subsidiarity sets limits on state power; Catholic teaching opposes all forms of collectivism, including communism and socialism.

  "There are some forms of government that are absolutely prohibited. We're opposed to all forms of collectivism. Things like communism, things like socialism. Those are prohibited."
  — Fr. Mike ([20:48])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the necessity of communal life:

  "We need each other... Even hermits, the hermits... They live in relationship, even if they live in isolation. Does that make sense? And so, yeah, we need each other."
  — Fr. Mike ([08:08])

• On the function and definition of family:

  "The only definition [of family] that works across time is family as a mother and a father with child or children. That is all. That is it."
  — Fr. Mike ([15:35])

• On subsidiarity and social order:

  "If a thing can be done at a more local level, it should be left to that local level to do that thing, right? ... That's the principle of subsidiarity."
  — Fr. Mike ([18:41])

• On God’s mode of governance and freedom:

  "God entrusts to every creature the functions it's capable of performing according to the capacities of its own nature. God allows us to be free. He allows us to choose. This is the way God acts in governing the world."
  — Fr. Mike ([20:11])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06 — Introduction and context of current Catechism section
• 01:30 — Transition from human dignity to community; macro perspective
• 04:14 — Society as a requirement of human nature
• 06:50 — The solitary confinement example
• 08:26 — The hermit exception: relationship even in isolation
• 09:32 — Definition and unity of society
• 12:46 — Loyalty to communities and respect for authority
• 14:02 — Family and state as primary societies
• 17:22 — Advantages and risks of socialization
• 18:11 — The principle of subsidiarity
• 20:39 — Subsidiarity vs. collectivism; state power limits and prohibitions

Tone and Takeaways

Fr. Mike’s tone is energizing, thoughtful, and pastoral. He is both instructional and personally reflective, often clarifying Church teaching by connecting points to everyday experience and challenges of modern culture. Throughout, he encourages listeners to consider how their personal development and holiness are necessarily intertwined with their communal life—inviting them with excitement into the Catholic vision of salvation as both individual and communal.

Key takeaway:
Individuals have a God-given dignity, but this dignity unfolds within community—particularly the family and society at large. As both challenge and invitation, the Catechism urges Catholics to participate actively in communal life, respect proper authority, and defend both freedom and responsibility at all levels of society, guided always by the principle of subsidiarity.