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

Episode: Day 277 – Agnosticism and Graven Images
Date: October 4, 2025
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 2127-2141

Overview

On Day 277 of The Catechism in a Year, Fr. Mike Schmitz delves into two central themes relating to the First Commandment: agnosticism and the prohibition of graven images. He explores agnosticism’s varied forms, its relationship to atheism, and why it is increasingly common in today’s age of confusion. Shifting to the biblical injunction against creating images, Fr. Mike clarifies the Church’s teaching regarding religious art and veneration, especially in light of Catholic traditions that include statues and icons. He closes by highlighting how affection expressed toward images can nurture real love without crossing into the worship reserved for God alone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Agnosticism: Its Forms and Modern Relevance

(00:01–07:50)

• What Is Agnosticism?

  • Agnosticism isn’t just “I don’t care”—it spans from honest searching to indifferent dismissal.
  • Quote (Fr. Mike):

    "Agnosticism assumes a number of forms, just like atheism does. In certain cases the agnostic refrains from denying God. Instead, he postulates the existence of a transcendent being which is incapable of revealing itself and about which nothing can be said." (07:15)

  • Some agnostics posit “there must be some kind of creator,” but claim, “I can’t say anything about that.”

• Varieties of Agnosticism:

  • Honest Searchers: Seekers open to God but uncertain; “I don’t know, but I care to find out.”
  • Indifferentists: Those who shrug and walk away from the God-question.
  • Flight from the Ultimate Question: Sometimes agnosticism is chosen to avoid uncomfortable moral changes—“If I did know, then I'd have to change and I don't know if I wanted to do that.” (09:20)

• Parallel to Believers:

  • All are tempted toward “practical atheism”—living as if God doesn’t exist, even while professing faith.

2. Understanding “No Graven Images”

(07:50–18:30)

• Biblical Commandment and Catholic Practice:

  • The First Commandment prohibits making representative images of God.
    • Quote (Fr. Mike):

      “Completely, absolutely transcendent God reveals himself to Israel and says, don’t try to capture me in representative form… But you guys, you Catholics, you have statues… So are we breaking this commandment?” (12:10)

• Scripture and the Permissibility of Images:

  • God sometimes commands or allows images with symbolic meaning (e.g. the bronze serpent, Ark of the Covenant).
  • Quote (Fr. Mike):

    “Even in the Old Covenant, after God himself declares, do not make a graven image, he then also instructs them to make images.” (13:00)

• The Incarnation Changes Everything:

  • In Christ, God reveals himself with a visible face—this transforms the role of images in worship.
  • The Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 787 AD) affirmed the use and veneration of icons, rooting the practice in the incarnation.

• Nature of Veneration versus Worship:

  • The Church distinguishes between veneration (honor, affection) and adoration (worship due to God alone).

  • Quote (Fr. Mike quoting Catechism):

    “The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the First Commandment, which proscribes idols. The honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype…” (15:16)

  • Fr. Mike’s analogy:

    • Kissing a photo of a loved one is an “expression of affection that cultivates affection”—not mistaken for loving the object itself, but for whom it represents.
    • Quote (Fr. Mike):

      “We all know this, that expression of affection increases affection. We are meant to love God more and more... when we have these images, the idea behind veneration is not adoration, it’s not worship… that’s a reminder. Here’s the one I love.” (16:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Agnosticism's Relevance:

  “There's been a rise in agnosticism in our day, which makes sense with so much confusion... Someone might not even be at the place where they're willing to say, I know that God exists, or I know that God doesn't exist.” (02:40)

• Venerating Images, Not Worshipping:

  “If you've been raised Catholic, you know that you've never, ever been tempted to worship a statue… That veneration has become so natural. Just as natural as loving to have a picture of your family up in your house.” (17:15)

• Connection between Images and Relationship:

  “These are the people that are my family... Or our Lord himself, our mother Mary, Joseph. They're just reminders—the veneration is an expression of affection that grows our affection.” (18:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:05] — Introduction & Overview
• [02:20] — The Rise and Forms of Agnosticism
• [07:15] — Agnosticism in the Catechism: Honest Search & Indifferentism
• [12:10] — The Commandment on Graven Images & Catholic Statues
• [13:00] — Old Testament Images Allowed by God
• [14:30] — The Incarnation and Seventh Ecumenical Council
• [15:16] — Catechism on Veneration vs. Worship of Images
• [16:45] — Analogies for Veneration: Affection and Reminders
• [18:05] — How Images Foster Affection for the Saints and God

Closing Thoughts

Fr. Mike closes by previewing the next episode (moving into the Second Commandment) and offering prayers for the listeners, reminding them that expression deepens love: just as images help us honor those we cherish, so too can sacred art help us grow in our devotion to Christ and the saints—always ensuring that worship is reserved for God alone.