The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz

Episode: Day 43 – Creation Is Good (2026)
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Readings: Paragraphs 299–308 (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition)

Brief Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike unpacks the Catechism’s teaching on the goodness and order of creation, the ongoing presence and sustaining power of God, and the role of Divine Providence. He explores how human beings participate in God’s providence as secondary causes and stresses the dignity and responsibility that comes with human freedom. Listeners are encouraged to see their actions, prayers, and sufferings as real and meaningful participation in God’s plan.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Creation Is Ordered and Good

[02:03 – 07:40]

• God creates the world as “ordered and good” because He Himself is Reason (Logos), not chaos.
• The Judeo-Christian vision provided the groundwork for scientific inquiry by asserting that natural laws are consistent and discoverable.
  • “God creates through wisdom; his creation is ordered.”
• Creation is a “gift addressed to man,” and God has entrusted it as an inheritance.
• The Catechism highlights the Church’s repeated defense of the goodness of creation—and specifically, the physical world.

Notable Quote:

“Because God himself is reason, right? God is reason itself. And so it’s not chaotic. … it has an order to it.”
— Fr. Mike, [01:11]

2. God Is Transcendent Yet Imminent

[07:40 – 10:22]

• God is outside and beyond creation (transcendent), yet also intimately present within it (imminent).
  • References to Psalm 8 and Acts of the Apostles:
    • “In him we live and move and have our being.”
  • St. Augustine:
    • “God is higher than my highest and more inward than my innermost self.”

Notable Quote:

“He’s so transcendent. He’s also more inward than my innermost self. He’s so imminent—so close to me.”
— Fr. Mike, [29:55]

3. God Upholds and Sustains Creation

[10:22 – 12:44]

• God does not merely create and step away (“clockmaker God”/deism), but continually upholds and sustains creation and every creature.
• Our dependence on God is the source of wisdom, freedom, joy, and confidence.
  • Book of Wisdom is cited:
    • “For you love all things that exist and detest none of the things that you have made.”

Notable Quote:

“With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence but also and at every moment upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act, and brings them to their final end.”
— Reading from Catechism, [10:43]

4. Divine Providence & Human Participation

[12:44 – 19:49]

• Creation is a work in progress (“created in a state of journeying”—in statu vie) and is moving toward ultimate perfection.
• Divine Providence: God’s dispositions by which He guides creation toward its end.
  • Vatican II: God “protects and governs all things which he has made … ordering all things well.”
• God’s care is “concrete and immediate”—He is sovereign over all events, yet involves creatures in carrying out His plan.
  • God is described as the “primary cause,” but employs “secondary causes”—mediators of his providence.
  • Human beings are free and have the dignity of participating in God’s plan.

Notable Quotes:

“God grants His creatures not only their existence, but also the dignity of acting on their own, of being causes and principles for each other, and thus of cooperating in the accomplishment of his plan.”
— Catechism reading, [16:51]

“So this … dignity that God gives us—of being free and of cooperating, entering deliberately into the divine plan by our actions, our prayers and our sufferings—can you believe this? It’s incredible.”
— Fr. Mike, [38:21]

5. Human Actions, Prayers, and Suffering Are Meaningful

[19:49 – End]

• The dignity and responsibility of freedom: humans can cooperate in God’s plan or reject it (“we can say yes to God and we can say no to God”).
• Prayer does not change God’s mind but draws us into being causes in his providence.
  • Example: feeding ourselves or others, loving neighbors, interceding through prayer, or embracing suffering.
• Even suffering, when united to Christ, is a real and powerful participation in God’s providential work.

Notable Quotes:

“When we say yes to the Lord, when we cooperate with His plan, when we trust in Him, we’re becoming causes.”
— Fr. Mike, [38:49]

“Your suffering means something, your suffering does something. When you deliberately unite it to Jesus, it accomplishes God’s providential plan for this universe. It matters, because you matter. Because He made you and He knows you and He loves you.”
— Fr. Mike, [40:37]

Memorable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On God's Reason and World Order

  “God himself is reason ... It’s not chaotic ... it’s ordered and it’s good.” [01:11]

• On God’s Presence

  “God is higher than my highest and more inward than my innermost self.” [29:55]

• On Human Participation

  “God gives us ... the dignity of acting on our own, of being causes and principles for each other … This is not a sign of weakness, but a token of Almighty God’s greatness and goodness.” [16:51 / 33:02]

• On the Meaning of Suffering

  “Your suffering means something, your suffering does something. When you deliberately unite it to Jesus, it accomplishes God’s providential plan for this universe.” [40:37]

• Invitation to Trust

  “Jesus asks for childlike abandonment to the providence of our Heavenly Father, who takes care of his children’s smallest need.” [34:13]

Important Timestamps by Segment

• [00:05] – Fr. Mike’s introduction & overview
• [02:03] – Key points of today’s Catechism reading
• [07:40] – God’s transcendence and presence
• [10:22] – God sustaining creation
• [12:44] – Divine Providence explained
• [16:51] – Secondary causes & human cooperation
• [19:49] – How actions, prayers, and suffering participate in God’s plan
• [29:55] – St. Augustine’s reflection
• [34:13] – Childlike trust in God’s providence
• [38:21] – The dignity of human cooperation
• [40:37] – The significance of suffering

Summary

This episode emphasizes that creation is fundamentally good and ordered, reflecting the wisdom and reason of God. God remains actively involved in every aspect of creation, upholding and guiding it through providence—not as a distant clockmaker, but as an intimately present and loving Creator. Human beings are called to participate in God’s plan not only through their actions, but also through prayer and even suffering. Our cooperation—conscious or unconscious—is made possible by God’s gift of freedom and is a sign of our dignity as His children. Fr. Mike closes with encouragement for those suffering, affirming that their pain is neither wasted nor meaningless when united with Christ.

Fr. Mike’s Closing Blessing:

“I’m praying for you. Please, please, please pray for me. My name is Father Mike, and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.” [41:11]