Podcast Summary: "The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz"

Episode: Day 260: Summary of the Moral Law (2025)
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Date: September 17, 2025

Episode Overview

Day 260 of "The Catechism in a Year" podcast guides listeners through a concise summary of the Catholic understanding of moral law, using paragraphs 1975–1986 of the Catechism. Fr. Mike Schmitz unpacks these "nuggets" to clarify the role of moral law in human life, its foundation in Scripture and tradition, and how it reflects God’s fatherly care. The episode aims to help listeners recognize the depth, universality, and practical significance of the moral law, and to invite a renewed commitment to living it out with the help of God’s grace.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Nature and Origin of the Moral Law

• Scriptural Foundation:
  Fr. Mike emphasizes that "the law is a fatherly instruction by God which prescribes for man the ways that lead to the promised beatitude and proscribes the ways of evil." (See 04:40)
• Law as Ordinance of Reason:
  Law is described as “an ordinance of reason for the common good, promulgated by the one who is in charge of the community.”
• Christ as Fulfillment:
  Christ not only teaches the law but empowers believers to live it out. "Christ is the end of the law only. He teaches and bestows the justice of God." (05:18)

2. Natural Law: Written on the Human Heart

• Participating in God’s Wisdom:
  “The natural law is a participation in God’s wisdom and goodness by man, formed in the image of His Creator.” (05:30)
• Universality and Permanence:
  “The natural law is immutable, permanent. Throughout history, the rules that express it remain substantially valid.” (06:08)
  • This means moral law is universal across cultures and time periods.
• Foundation for Society:
  Natural law serves as the necessary foundation for moral rules and civil law—“all of our civil law, [our] moral rules… come from this Judeo-Christian background.” (10:06)

3. The Old Law and the New Law

• Old Law as Preparation:
  The Old Law (Mosaic Law) is the “first stage of revealed law” and prepares humanity for Christ.
• Accessibility to Reason:
  The Law of Moses contains many truths that are naturally accessible to human reason, but God revealed them because humans often failed to “read them in their hearts.” (06:24)
• The New Law (Law of the Gospel):
  • Essence: "The new law is the grace of the Holy Spirit, received by faith in Christ, operating through charity." (06:58)
  • Expression: The new law is fully realized in the Sermon on the Mount and through the sacraments.
  • Qualities: "It’s a law of love, a law of grace, a law of freedom." (07:45)

4. The New Law and Evangelical Counsels

• Beyond Commandments: The new law includes the evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, obedience), by which the Church's holiness is particularly fostered.
• Reformation of the Heart:
  “The law of the Gospel… brings it to perfection, its promises, through the beatitudes… by reforming the heart, the root of human acts.” (07:16)

5. The Practical Importance of God’s Law

• A Gift for Human Flourishing:
  Fr. Mike stresses that God's law is a gift:

  "God has always been very interested in us living right, in us choosing the good. Why is he interested…? Because when we choose the good, we experience joy.” (11:30)

• Analogy of the Owner’s Manual:
  The law is like an owner’s manual for a vehicle—it’s not restrictive but is intended to allow us to function at our best. Ignoring it might lead to unnecessary “breakdown” (13:05).
• Results of Dismissing the Law:
  Many of our deepest heartaches, Fr. Mike notes, come from “dismissing God’s instruction, his fatherly instruction.” (14:05)

6. Renewal and Dependence on Grace

• Invitation to Renew Commitment:
  Listeners are invited to renew their commitment:

  “God, not only reveal once again your law to me, but also help me to open myself up to faith, which gives me that grace to live these commandments.” (15:00)

• Role of Sacraments and Holy Spirit:
  The sacraments equip us with the power to live out the commandments today and every day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Universality of Conscience:
  “We know that there's such a thing as right and wrong. And we largely agree… our common humanity reveals that we all have consciences and that there is something in our hearts that we know when we violated the good.” (09:30)
• On Law as a Foundation:
  “It is a necessary foundation for the erection of moral rules and civil law.” (10:06, quoting Catechism 1979)
• On God’s Intent:
  "God gives us these commandments because he wants us to have life. He wants us to have freedom. He wants us to have joy." (13:35)
• On the Connection to Society:
  “You don't have to be Christian, you don't have to be Jewish in order to be an American. Not at all. But we have to recognize that there's a depth in our hearts where God's law has already been written and that unites us.” (11:01)
• On Grace and Sacraments:
  “Help me to go back to your sacraments, which give me the power to live out these commandments. God, give me the grace and the Holy Spirit to live this new law, this day and every day.” (15:20)

Important Timestamps

• 04:40 — Scriptural foundation of the moral law; “fatherly instruction”
• 06:08 — Natural law’s universality and permanence
• 07:16 — The New Law and perfection “by reforming the heart”
• 10:06 — How civil and moral law are rooted in natural law
• 11:01 — Reflections on the American experiment and religious foundation
• 13:05 — Analogy of the owner’s manual (why God gives commandments)
• 14:05 — Personal and societal consequences of ignoring God’s law
• 15:00–15:20 — Renewal in faith, grace, and the sacraments

Conclusion

Fr. Mike’s summary of paragraphs 1975–1986 offers a hopeful and convicting reminder of the moral law’s centrality in human life—written on the heart, clarified through revelation, fulfilled in Christ, and made possible through grace. He urges listeners to view God’s commandments not as restrictions, but as a path to authentic freedom and joy. The episode closes with a prayerful call to embrace, trust, and live out the moral law, relying on the continual help of the Holy Spirit and the sacraments.

Host’s Final Words:
“Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.” (16:00)