Episode Summary: The Old Law – Catechism in a Year, Day 257 (Paragraphs 1961–1964)

Podcast: The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Date: September 14, 2025
Main Theme:
A deep dive into the "Old Law"—what it is, what it means for Christians, and how it fits in God’s overall plan of revelation. Fr. Mike unpacks paragraphs 1961–1964 of the Catechism, exploring the Old Law’s purpose, its strengths and limitations, and how it prepares humanity for the coming of Christ and the fullness of the Gospel.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Role and Pedagogy of the Old Law

• Progressive Revelation: God reveals Himself and His law in stages—starting with the natural law, then the Old Law, and finally the New Law in Christ.
  • "God has written the moral law in every human heart, and yet God wanted to go further than that. He wanted to make it absolutely clear what is the right way to walk and to walk it." (02:10)
• Old Law as "Tutor" or Teacher:
  • Like a pedagogue (teacher), the Old Law shows us the path but doesn’t, by itself, give us the necessary strength to follow it. (06:25)
• Function in God’s Plan:
  • The Old Law prepares for the coming of Christ.
  • Its moral core is the Ten Commandments, which lay a foundation for human vocation in God’s image. (04:40)
  • The Old Law "prohibits what is contrary to the love of God and neighbor and prescribes what is essential to it." (Catechism reference)

Justice Before Mercy

• Necessity of Justice as Precursor to Mercy:
  • Fr. Mike emphasizes that God reveals justice before mercy so that the call to forgiveness is not misunderstood as permission to let injustice reign.
  • “Before God can reveal mercy, he has to reveal justice... If I just jump over justice, mercy is not mercy.” (08:20)
• Ten Commandments as the Heart of Old Law:
  • They serve both as a "light offered to the conscience" and a protection against evil. (05:00)
  • “If we're fashioned in the image of God, we cannot do what is contrary to the love of God, and we must do what is oriented towards love of God and neighbor.” (09:10)

Holiness and Limitations of the Old Law

• Old Law: Holy, Spiritual, Good—Yet Imperfect:
  • It reveals God’s will and sets basic standards for right living.
  • It is "a law of bondage" because, while it highlights right and wrong, it doesn’t offer the grace necessary to fulfill it due to human sin. (10:20)
• Old Law vs. New Law:
  • Jesus didn’t come simply to give more laws but to give the Holy Spirit who empowers us to fulfill the law.
  • “Jesus Christ did not just come to give us more laws. He came to give us new hearts. He came to give us the power to actually live out the call that he's placed upon our hearts.” (13:26)

Preparation for the Gospel

• Prophetic Character of the Old Law:
  • It is a preparation and a prophecy of future liberation from sin to be accomplished in Christ.
  • It provides the New Testament with "images, types, and symbols for expressing the life according to the Spirit." (11:51)
• Movement Towards the New Covenant:
  • Even within the Old Law, there are those animated by charity and grace, anticipating the New Law.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas: There were people under the Old Covenant who longed for the spiritual promises of the New Covenant. (12:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God’s Pedagogy and Human Understanding
  • "If he just jumped to level seven or eight or ten, we wouldn’t be able to keep up. So here’s the natural moral law written in the human heart. Then God reveals the old law." (02:41)
• St. Augustine’s Insight (quoted in the Catechism)
  • “God wrote on the tables of the Law what men did not read in their hearts.” (03:20, and further discussed at 07:10)
• On the Limitation of Law Alone
  • “Like a tutor, it shows what must be done, but does not of itself give the strength to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot remove, it remains a law of bondage.” (Read from Catechism, 06:35)
• On Jesus and the New Law
  • "Jesus gives the fullness of the law. But here's the crazy thing: Jesus Christ did not just come to give us more laws. He came to give us new hearts." (13:26)
• On Living God’s Commands
  • "If you find yourself in a place like, 'Lord, I am just so weak. I can't live out the law…' what do I need? I don't just need more willpower, Lord. I need the Holy Spirit." (16:00)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–02:10: Introduction, purpose of the episode, and recap of the previous topic (Natural Moral Law)
• 02:11–04:00: The revealed law and God’s pedagogical approach
• 04:01–05:30: Catechism reading (paragraphs 1961–1964)
• 05:31–07:09: Reflection on the reading—St. Augustine’s quote and core ideas
• 07:10–09:10: Justice as foundational; necessity of the Ten Commandments
• 09:11–10:19: The Old Law’s protection for conscience and its holiness amid imperfection
• 10:20–13:25: Paul’s teaching, law as a tutor, the Old Law’s inability to save, and Christ’s giving of the Holy Spirit
• 13:26–14:55: Preparation for exploring the Ten Commandments; living them in the Spirit; encouragement and prayer

Closing Thoughts

• Looking Ahead:

  • Next episode will focus on the New Law—the law of the Gospel.
  • Upcoming deep dive into each of the Ten Commandments, illuminated by Christ and the Holy Spirit.

• Parting Encouragement:

  • The law, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is meant for freedom, not condemnation.
  • "That's what God wants for you as well—the power to live out that call of a Christian, to live the new law." (18:00)

For listeners seeking a deeper understanding of what the Old Law is, why it matters, and how it connects to the fullness of Christian life, this episode provides a clear, practical, and hope-filled guide, infused with Fr. Mike’s signature pastoral encouragement and scriptural insight.