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

Episode: Day 276 – Irreligion and Atheism (2025)

Date: October 3, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Sections Covered: Catechism paragraphs 2118-2126

Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz explores the Catechism’s teaching on "Irreligion" and "Atheism"—discussing the ways in which human beings may fail to honor God as they should. Specific focus is given to the sins of tempting God, sacrilege, simony, and the various forms, causes, and consequences of atheism. Fr. Mike unpacks not only the doctrinal content but also the deeply personal nuances of how these failings might manifest in our lives, reminding listeners that the goal of this journey is not just information but transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sins Against Religion (Irreligion)

Timestamp: 04:58

• Tempting God:

  • Defined as putting God's goodness and power to the test, demanding signs or proof as a condition for belief or trust.
  • Biblical example: Satan tempting Jesus to throw himself off the temple (cf. Luke 4:9-12).
  • "The challenge...wounds the respect and trust we owe to our Creator and Lord. It always harbors doubt about his love, his providence, and his power." (Catechism, as read by Fr. Mike).

• Sacrilege:

  • "Consists in profaning or treating unworthily the sacraments and other liturgical actions, as well as persons, things, or places consecrated to God."
  • Emphasis placed on the grave nature of sacrilege, especially when directed at the Eucharist.

• Simony:

  • The buying or selling of spiritual things (spiritual goods and sacraments).
  • Named after Simon the Magician (Acts 8:18-20) who tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • "You receive without pay, give without pay" (Matthew 10:8).

Practical Example (on Simony)

Timestamp: 14:10

• Fr. Mike distinguishes between legitimate customary offerings (stipends) and the impermissibility of ever denying the sacraments due to poverty.
• "You don’t pay, you can never pay for the sacraments. The minister...should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments, beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority—always being careful that the needy are not deprived...because of their poverty." (Paraphrased and highlighted by Fr. Mike)

2. Atheism: Forms, Causes, and the Church’s Response

Timestamp: 18:20

• Contemporary Forms of Atheism:

  • Practical Materialism: Restricting all needs and aspirations to the material, denying the soul or spirit.
  • Atheistic Humanism: Seeing humanity as an end to itself, the master of its own fate/history.
  • Liberation through Social/Economic Means: Viewing religion as a block to social progress, accusing it of distracting from earthly justice due to focus on the afterlife.
  • Fr. Mike refutes the claim that Christians neglect earthly concerns: "Christians have done more to create hospitals, education, social reform, to end slavery than any other group. Those who believe in eternity have done more to make this earth a better place." (23:45)

• Seriousness and Root Causes:

  • Atheism is described as "one of the most serious problems of our time" (Catechism/Second Vatican Council).
  • The Catechism points out that believers can contribute to the rise of atheism through poor witness, negligence, or hypocrisy.

Notable Quote

Timestamp: 27:59

• "Believers can have more than a little to do with the rise of atheism. To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion."
  – Fr. Mike, quoting and reflecting on Catechism/Second Vatican Council

3. The Diminishment of Personal Guilt

Timestamp: 28:30

• The Catechism states that the "imputability" (guilt) of atheism can be diminished by intentions and circumstances.
• Fr. Mike calls out the humility in Church teaching: we should avoid self-righteousness and understand that our own failings can scandalize others or push them toward disbelief.

Notable Reflection

Timestamp: 29:35

• "Why are there atheists? Maybe because we have not witnessed to the love of God the way we should...Let me never conceal your goodness. Let me never conceal your truth. Let me never conceal your love."
  – Fr. Mike Schmitz

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tempting God:
  "When we step away from this, we can recognize, yes, clearly tempting God is obviously a sin. And yet we have to acknowledge that in our hearts at certain times when we are desperate... we can be tempted to this exact sin." (13:26)

• On Simony and Sacramental Offerings:
  "Couples will say, 'How much do we owe you?' The answer is zero. The answer is, you owe me nothing for this. Because, as we talked about before, we’ve received freely from the Lord, we freely give." (16:25)

• On the Role of Christians in the Rise of Atheism:
  "The rise of atheism is not someone else’s fault. At times, maybe it’s my fault." (28:20)

• On Authentic Witness:
  "Because, yes, we have—we’re surrounded by a culture that is largely atheistic, at least in our behavior. And the reason why is because many Christians are largely atheistic, at least in our behavior." (30:03)

• Final Reflection:
  "This whole year is not just about information transfer. It is about transformation. It’s not just about data, it is about conversion. So, Lord, in this moment, convert me, convert my heart. Help me to reveal rather than to conceal your truth and your goodness." (30:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Prayer/Intro: 00:05 – 04:58
• Readings from the Catechism: 04:58 – 10:22
• Exploring Tempting God: 10:22 – 13:26
• Sacrilege and Its Seriousness: 13:26 – 15:31
• Simony and Sacramental Offerings: 15:31 – 18:20
• Explaining Atheism and Forms: 18:20 – 23:50
• Christian Response to Critiques: 23:50 – 26:30
• Self-Examination on Atheism’s Rise: 26:30 – 30:38
• Closing Reflection and Prayer: 30:38 – End

Final Thoughts

Fr. Mike invites listeners not simply to understand Church teachings, but to allow those teachings to lead to personal and communal conversion. In honestly reckoning with the reality of irreligion and atheism—in both society and oneself—he challenges believers to a more authentic, visible, and loving witness of faith, concluding with a heartfelt prayer for continued transformation.