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

Episode: Day 40: God Is the Creator (2026)
Date: February 9, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Reading: Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 279–284

Overview

Main Theme:
Fr. Mike Schmitz explores the foundational Christian belief that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. He discusses why this doctrine matters profoundly for understanding our origins, the purpose of creation, the relationship between faith and science, and what it means for our personal meaning, freedom, and destiny. This episode begins a deep dive into the Catechism's treatment of God as Creator, setting the stage for upcoming discussions about creation, the fall, and salvation in Christ.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Importance of "God the Creator" (00:45–03:10)

• The episode begins by reaffirming that recognizing God as Creator is a pivotal claim of the Christian faith.

• Fr. Mike quotes the Catechism:

  “Catechesis on creation is of major importance. Why? Because it concerns the very foundations of human and Christian life.”
  (Catechism, 282)

• This foundational belief answers the most universal and persistent human questions:

  • Where do we come from?
  • Where are we going?

2. Relationship Between Faith and Science (04:50–09:35)

• Science and Faith ask different questions:
  "Science asks the question, you know, how and what?... The questions that faith asks are also who and why? Who made this? Why did they make it?" (Fr. Mike, 03:54)

• The Catechism praises the findings of science (age and size of cosmos, evolution, etc.) for deepening our awe and thankfulness:

  • “These discoveries invite us to an even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers.”
    (Catechism, 283)

• Fr. Mike emphasizes that science does not diminish God’s creative role:

  • “It does not take anything away from God’s glory…because we realize the depth of the mystery of the universe all comes from the infinite depth of the mystery of God Himself.” (08:14)

3. Creation Is Not a Cosmic Accident (06:45–14:00)

• Contrasts atheistic materialism (“space dust”) with the Christian belief that creation is purposeful.

  • “You and I, we exist by random chance. You and I are nothing, literally nothing more than, than space, dust... No, that is not incredible...” (07:48)

• Christians believe:

  • We are “dust”—but dust animated by God, created for resurrection and glory.
  • The universe is created on purpose and for a purpose.
  • God’s intention is relationship: “We get to have a wider mind…because not only are we interested in the what and the how, but the who and the why.” (09:00)

4. The Questions that Matter Most (12:30–14:30)

• The Catechism insists the questions of “origin and end” are inseparable and decisive for meaning and how we live:

  “Those questions are decisive for the meaning and orientation of our life and actions.”
  (Catechism, 282, emphasized by Fr. Mike at 13:48)

• If the universe is accidental, consequences follow:

  • No true free will: “If all this world is…just stuff hitting stuff…then everything is just physics, which means it’s all just pre-programmed…You and I are simply computers.” (14:28)
  • No moral right or wrong: “In order to have good and evil, in order to even say ‘this is wrong, that’s bad’, you need to have God. Without God, there’s no such thing as right or wrong.” (16:40)
  • Atheistic views narrow human meaning—only preference or utility remain.

5. God’s Purpose in Creation (17:10–18:55)

• Fr. Mike draws on paragraph 279 to situate the whole drama of salvation:

  • First: The Creator.
  • Then: Creation.
  • Finally: The fall, which is answered by Jesus Christ.

• God created from the beginning with a view to the new creation in Christ:
  “From the beginning, when God created everything, what was in his mind was that you and I would be created for and choose to have a relationship with him, that we would be brought into his own divine life.” (17:48)

• The answer to “why is there something rather than nothing?”:
  “Because God loves you and he wants you to have eternal life with Him.” (18:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the significance of our origin:

  “Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is our origin? What is our end? Where does everything that exists come from and where is it going?... Those questions are decisive for the meaning and orientation of our life and actions.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz, quoting the Catechism (13:48)

• On faith vs. materialism:

  “The atheist, their vision is too small, their vision is too narrow. The Christian, we get to have a wider view...because we also want to know the answers to the questions ‘Who made us?’ and ‘Why did they make us?’”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz (09:00)

• On science and the Creator:

  “It does not take anything away from God’s glory…because we realize the depth of the mystery of the universe all comes from the infinite depth of the mystery of God Himself.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz (08:14)

• On the necessity of God for meaning and morality:

  “Without God, if this world is just an accident, you only have preference or utility... But we all know there’s such a thing as right and wrong. That can only exist when there’s free will and a Creator.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz (16:40)

• On God’s original purpose for creation:

  “God created all that’s visible and all that’s invisible so that you and I could have new life in Jesus. That you and I can be brought into the eternal love of the Trinity in a way surpassing the union Adam and Eve had with God.”
  — Fr. Mike Schmitz (18:14)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:45 | Introduction to the importance of God as Creator | | 03:54 | Faith and science ask different questions | | 07:48 | Materialism vs. Christian belief in creation | | 09:00 | The “who and why” of existence | | 13:48 | Origin and end: decisive questions for meaning | | 14:28 | Free will and morality require God | | 17:48 | God’s eternal plan: union with Him in Christ | | 18:40 | Why is there something? “Because God loves you” |

Conclusion

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz lays a foundation for understanding why it is so vital—both personally and theologically—for Christians to affirm that God is the Creator. He makes clear how this belief affects our view of the world, human freedom, moral truth, and our ultimate destiny. Rather than diminishing God, new scientific discoveries magnify our wonder at the Creator. Above all, the episode invites listeners to ponder and rejoice in the fact that the universe—and our lives—exist for relationship with God, culminating in eternal life with Him in Christ.

Please pray for each other, as Fr. Mike reminds, and return for the next episode’s deeper dive into the mysteries of creation!