The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode: Day 349 – Temptation, Trust, and Prayer
Date: December 15, 2025
Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2732–2737

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the ongoing “battle of prayer,” focusing specifically on temptations in prayer, humility, and especially the challenge and necessity of filial (childlike) trust. Fr. Mike explores some of the deepest questions Catholics face: What good does it do to pray? Why do we sometimes feel unheard by God? Through the Catechism and personal insight, Fr. Mike explains temptation in prayer, practical atheism, acedia, trust, and the true image of God we bring to our petitions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Temptations in Prayer

Reference: [04:40]–[06:50]

• Most Hidden Temptation:
  The Catechism identifies the most common yet hidden temptation in prayer as “lack of faith.”
  • “It expresses itself less by declared incredulity than by our actual preferences. When we begin to pray, a thousand labors or cares thought to be urgent, vie for priority once again. It is the moment of truth for the heart. What is its real love?” (Catechism, 2732)
• Practical Atheism:
  Fr. Mike introduces “practical atheism”—living as if God does not exist despite professing faith.

  “If you actually look how I live, for all intents and purposes, I’m an atheist because I live... not just what we profess to believe, but how we actually live.” [11:05]

  • Calls listeners to self-examination: Are we Christians in word, or in all aspects of life?

2. Acedia: The Noonday Devil

Reference: [07:00]–[08:40]

• Definition:
  Spiritual depression, carelessness of heart, or “a sorrow at having to do God’s will in this moment and place.” [13:20]
• Illustration:
  Fr. Mike recommends the book Acedia: the Noonday Devil to understand this temptation.

  “If you want to summarize what acedia is... I would rather be somewhere else doing something else. It’s this lack of joy in doing the Lord’s will.” [13:30]

3. Filial Trust and Prayer of Petition

Reference: [08:40]–[10:55]

• Tested Trust:
  True, childlike trust in God is “tested” (proved and refined) through tribulation, not so God finds out our hearts, but so we are refined.

  “Testing is not to say, ‘I want to see if I can fail you.’ The testing is ‘I need to refine you.’” [14:35]

• Prayer of Petition:
  The main challenge: we doubt prayer’s efficacy when our petitions go unanswered.
  • The Catechism asks: “Why do we think our petition has not been heard?” and “How is our prayer efficacious?” (2735)

4. Why Do We Complain of Not Being Heard?

Reference: [10:55]–[13:50]

• Unbalanced Approach:
  We’re rarely concerned if our praise and thanks are “acceptable” to God, but we demand results for our petitions.

  “When we praise God or give him thanks... we’re not particularly concerned whether or not our prayer is acceptable to Him. On the other hand, we demand to see the results of our petitions.” (Catechism, 2735)
  “When I’m praising God or thanking him... anything I give you is fine, right? But when I’m asking for something, oh, wow, I am... I’m serious now.” [18:50]

• Image of God:
  Our approach reveals our image of God: Is He an instrument to be used (a “divine ATM”), or a loving Father?

  “What is the image of God that motivates our prayer? Is he an instrument to be used, or the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ?” (Catechism, 2735)

5. Do We Know How to Pray as We Ought?

Reference: [13:50]–[16:10]

• The Catechism reminds us we often do not know what is truly best—we ask for what we desire, not always what we need.

  “Am I convinced that I don’t know how to pray as we ought? Am I asking God for what’s good for me?” [21:05]

• God yearns for us to pray freely and trustingly, knowing that our dignity as His children lies in our freedom (2736).

6. Asking with a Divided Heart and God’s Jealous Love

Reference: [16:10]–[18:30]

• If we approach God with a divided heart—loving other things as much as or more than Him—He cannot answer us as He desires.

  “God is jealous for us—is the sign of how true his love is. If we enter into the desire of His Spirit, we shall be heard.” (Catechism, 2737)

• Fr. Mike:

  “If God was indifferent to you giving your heart... to any other thing, any other false god, that would reveal to us that he doesn’t really love us that much.” [24:30]

7. Waiting and Perseverance in Prayer

Reference: [18:30]–end

• Evagrius Ponticus:

  “‘Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him for. He desires to do something even greater for you while you cling to him in prayer.’” [25:08]

• St. Augustine:
  God wants our desire to be exercised in prayer so that we are able to receive His gifts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Practical Atheism:

  “Am I a Christian or am I a practical atheist, where I profess faith in Jesus but I live as if he doesn’t really exist?” [12:10]

• On Filial Trust:

  “If I know that God loves me... then we say, okay, here we are in prayer. My prayer is always heard—it’s always heard according to his will, and he’s good, and I trust him.” [27:00]

• Trust and God’s Plan:

  “If there’s anything that we need, when it comes to a life of prayer, it is a heart of trust.” [28:15]

• Evagrius Ponticus’s Consolation:

  “‘Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him for. He desires to do something even greater for you while you cling to him in prayer.’” [25:08]

• On divided hearts:

  “He is jealous over you... that our God is jealous for us is the sign of how true his love is.” [24:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:06 | Episode opening, topic intro | | 04:40 | Introduction to temptations in prayer/lack of faith (2732) | | 07:00 | Definition and discussion of acedia (2733) | | 08:40 | Transition to filial trust; explanation of testing and trust (2734) | | 10:55 | “Why do we complain about not being heard?” The paradox of prayer (2735) | | 13:50 | The image of God in our prayer life; do we know how to pray as we ought? (2736) | | 16:10 | Divided hearts and God’s jealous love for us; true trust and surrender (2737) | | 18:30 | Importance of perseverance and waiting in prayer; Evagrius Ponticus’s teaching and other wisdom | | 28:15 | “If there’s anything we need in prayer, it is trust.” |

Tone and Style

Fr. Mike’s tone is friendly, energetic, empathetic, and honest. He is candid about his own struggles and temptations in prayer, inviting listeners to reflect deeply but with hope and reassurance.

In Summary

• Temptation in prayer—often hidden—usually centers around a practical lack of faith and a preference for other priorities.
• Acedia is spiritual restlessness or sorrow at having to do God’s will “here and now.”
• Filial trust is refined through tribulation; the challenge of unanswered prayer is universal but has deeper meaning.
• The way we approach God reveals whether we see him as a Father or a mere instrument.
• God’s “jealousy” is a sign of true, passionate love.
• Clinging to God in prayer—even when answers are delayed—opens us to greater graces than we seek.
• Ultimately, what God most wants from us in prayer is humility and trust.

“If there’s anything we need, when it comes to a life of prayer, it is a heart of trust.” – Fr. Mike Schmitz [28:15]