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

Episode: Day 270: The Ten Commandments (2025)
Date: September 27, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz, Ascension

Episode Overview

This episode marks a pivotal transition into a deep examination of the Ten Commandments within the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), specifically covering paragraphs 2052 to 2063. Fr. Mike Schmitz frames the conversation around why the Commandments matter for Catholics today, how Jesus affirmed and expanded upon them, and why the context of Exodus reveals their true purpose. The discussion lays the groundwork for understanding the spirit behind the law, not just its letter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Ten Commandments and Their Purpose

• Fr. Mike makes it clear that this section is foundational to understanding the moral life in Christian faith:

  • “We’ve been building to this section for quite some time... we’re going to hear the Commandments as well as read paragraphs 2052 to 2063.” (02:18)

• The key question framing the commandments:

  • “‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’... How Jesus responds is, well, it reveals to us the heart of the Father, reveals to us what God is asking of us, and also what God is doing for us.” (03:02)

2. Readings: The Ten Commandments in Scripture & Tradition

• Reads the Ten Commandments from:
  • Exodus 20:2-17 (05:08)
  • Deuteronomy 5:6-21 (07:30)
  • A traditional catechetical formula (Catholic listing) (08:45)

3. Jesus and the Commandments

• How Jesus interacts with and reinforces the Commandments:

  • “Jesus tells him, ‘If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ ... Finally, Jesus sums up these commandments positively, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (09:30)
  • “Following Jesus Christ involves keeping the Commandments. The law has not been abolished, but rather man is invited to rediscover it in the person of his Master, who is its perfect fulfillment.” (10:08)

• Expanding on the laws:

  • “Jesus acknowledged the Ten Commandments, but he also showed the power of the Spirit at work... He unfolded all the demands of the Commandments: ‘You have heard that it was said... but I say to you...’” (11:30)

  • “The Decalogue must be interpreted in light of this twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the law.” (13:38)

4. Decalogue: The Heart of the Law

• The Decalogue means “ten words,” and these were given preeminently as God’s direct revelation:

  • “They were written with the finger of God... Unlike the other commandments written by Moses, they are preeminently the words of God.” (14:30)

• The context of liberation:

  • “The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God’s great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant... These laws guide human freedom.” (15:33)
  • “The commandments, just like the virtues, are not meant to be straight jackets, they are strengths.” (16:20)

• The commandments are both precepts (what to do) and prohibitions (what not to do), but always in service of freedom and love.

5. God’s Law as Gift and Self-Revelation

• A highlight from the Catechism:

  • “Paragraph 2059: ‘The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God reveals himself to his people.’” (20:00)

• Fr. Mike’s commentary:

  • “The fact that the commandments are rules is not the part we love. It’s that these commandments are coming from the heart of God and that they reveal the heart of God.” (20:21)
  • “If God didn’t care about us, he wouldn’t care what we do... It actually matters to you how we live.” (21:38)

6. Covenantal Relationship and Personal Address

• The Commandments situate us in a personal relationship:

  • “The covenant and dialogue between God and man are also attested to by the fact that all the obligations are stated in the first person singular, ‘I am the Lord’ and addressed by God to another personal subject, ‘you.’” (18:11)

• Moral existence as response:

  • “Moral existence is a response to the Lord’s loving initiative... It is cooperation with the plan God pursues in history.” (18:45)

7. Significance of the Numbering and Different Biblical Presentations

• Fr. Mike briefly explains the difference between the listing in Exodus and Deuteronomy and Catholic vs. Protestant numbering:
  • “There can be a difference between the Catholic numbering and a Protestant numbering of the Ten Commandments... But ultimately they're the same 10 commandments just given to us in a couple different ways.” (12:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the gift of the law:

  “The commandments are not meant to limit our freedom. They’re meant to actually allow us to truly be free.”
  (16:38, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

• On the heart of God and His law:

  “The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God reveals himself to his people.”
  (20:00, CCC 2059 quoted by Fr. Mike)

• On how we should view the commandments:

  “Rather than seeing the law, the commandments, this moral life as a restriction on us and just kind of imposition by God on human beings... be able to see, ‘Oh my goodness, Lord, this is how much you love us, that it actually matters to you how we live.’”
  (21:49, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

• On responding to God's call:

  “God has brought us out of slavery into life. He’s brought us out of alienation and into relationship and the commandments are a sign of that.”
  (23:08, Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:18] – Introduction to why this section of the Catechism is pivotal
• [05:08] – Reading of the Ten Commandments from Exodus
• [07:30] – Reading from Deuteronomy and catechetical formula
• [09:30] – Jesus’ interaction with the rich young man; Commandments and love
• [13:38] – Jesus identifies love as the summary of the law
• [15:33] – The Exodus context: commandments as liberation, not bondage
• [18:11] – The personal nature of the covenant and God’s address to us
• [20:00] – The gift of the Commandments as the revelation of God himself
• [21:49] – The moral law as an expression of God’s love rather than restriction
• [23:08] – Conclusion: Commandments as a sign of relationship and freedom in God

Summary

Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Day 270 episode is both a thorough teaching on the scriptural and catechetical context of the Ten Commandments and an invitation to see the law as an expression of God’s liberating love. Fr. Mike emphasizes that the Commandments, rooted in the story of Exodus, are not obsolete regulations but are instead enduring guideposts for entering into the life and freedom God desires for His people. Jesus’ affirmation and expansion of the Commandments demonstrate that the moral law is alive, personal, and central to discipleship. The Commandments are gifts, revealing not only God’s will but also His very self. Living according to them is not about restricting life, but embracing the fullness of freedom and relationship God desires for all.

Key takeaway:
The Ten Commandments are not just ancient rules, but a loving gift from a God who cares deeply about how we live, desiring to lead us from slavery to sin into the true freedom of loving relationship with Him and with one another.