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

Episode: Day 6: Knowing God With Certainty (2026)
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz (Ascension)
Topics: Recap of Chapter 1 ("The Search"), Human Nature and Vocation, Certainty in Knowing God, Faith and Reason, Language About God

Overview

This episode serves as a review, recapping the essential points from the first chapter of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Fr. Mike walks listeners through the "in brief" summary (paragraphs 44-49), exploring the nature and vocation of the human person, the certainty with which we can know God, and the relationship between faith, reason, and language about God. With practical explanations and relatable analogies, Fr. Mike highlights how these teachings form a foundation for the rest of the Catechism journey.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Recap and Purpose of the "In Brief" Section

• The "in brief" section is a six-point summary that revisits and consolidates the teachings covered over the past few days.
• It's essentially the end-of-week review—“six bullet points and six very short sentences”—to help listeners internalize the chapter's key concepts.
  • (00:57) “If the first two days we had were syllabus days, this is kind of like, okay, end of the week review.”

2. Human Nature and Vocation

• Man as a Religious Being: By both nature (what we are) and vocation (our purpose/calling), humans are religious beings:
  • Nature: “The ‘what it isness’ of a thing… Human being, the what it isness is a body and soul composite.” (03:18)
  • Vocation: From Latin ‘vocare’—to be called. “What you're called to… There’s a call that's been placed on your life that you're alive on purpose... God wanted you to exist, which means he loves you.” (04:25)
• Our Fulfillment:
  • The only way to live a “fully human life” is in free communion with God.
  • Quoting St. Augustine: “When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrow or trials, entirely full of you, my life will be complete.” (05:11)
  • Fr. Mike clarifies this doesn’t mean life is free of pain, but that deep joy (an “abiding and pervasive sense of well-being”) comes from union with God. (07:35)

3. The Human Search for Meaning

• Humans are perpetually looking for satisfaction—in power, wealth, relationships, wisdom—but these never fully satisfy.
• True completion comes only from God: “When we find God, we realize, oh, there’s nothing more that I’m waiting for… I’m just diving more and more deeply into him, which is just incredible.” (08:58)

4. Certainty of God’s Existence — Faith and Reason

• Certainty through Creation and Conscience: “When human beings listen to the message of creation and the voice of conscience, we can arrive at certainty about the existence of God.” (10:00)
• Church Teaching: The one true God “can be known with certainty from his works by the natural light of human reason.” (10:50)
• Faith and Science:
  • They are not in opposition; truth cannot contradict truth: “Faith is asking a question about supernatural realities. Science is asking the question about natural realities… What is true about supernatural realities can never contradict what is true about natural realities.” (12:00)
• Types of Questions:
  • Science: “What is this? How did it come to be?”
  • Faith: “Who made this? Why did this… Who did this person make this for?”
    • “The answer to the question who and why will never contradict the answer to the question what and how.” (13:28)

5. Objective and Subjective Truth

• Objective truth: True regardless of personal opinions or feelings.
• Subjective truth: Dependent on the individual’s experiences or preferences.
• “Objective truth cannot be replaced by subjective experiences… If all we had was subjective truth, my truth versus your truth, then we vanish.” (15:45)
• The quote "Without the Creator, the creature vanishes" (Gaudium et Spes) speaks to the need for God as the grounding of all meaning and existence. (16:40)

6. Speaking About God: Analogy and Language

• We can "name God, starting from the manifold perfections of his creatures," but our language is always limited and can never exhaust God's mystery.
• Fr. Mike’s analogy:
  • Every baby is born capable of any language, but unless they use and develop one, they will speak none.
  • Similarly, human language gives us a way to say something true about God, even if it's always limited.
    • “There is far more about God than we could ever say… but scripture and reason and our human language gives us the ability, by looking at the perfections… of reality around us, and says, okay, that's a glimmer.” (18:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Joy and Fulfillment:
  • “I might not be happy all the time… but joy is the abiding and pervasive sense of well-being. A sense that I know that God exists, I know that he knows my name. And when I’m united to his will… my life is complete.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 07:40)
• On Faith and Science:
  • “Contradictions cannot exist between good science and good religion…the questions that science asks are… what and how… the questions that religion asks are who and why… they will never contradict each other.” (13:10)
• On the Purposeful Nature of Our Lives:
  • “You are alive on purpose… The very fact that you exist reveals that God wanted you to exist, which means he loves you.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 04:36)
• On Meaning in Life:
  • “If this world is accidental, then the answer is no. If all there is is materialism… then meaning vanishes. But human beings in this world was brought into being by an objective creator… and has a purpose for creating you. Without the Creator, the creature vanishes.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 16:02)
• On Language About God:
  • “There is far more about God than we could ever say, and we will never actually fully capture the truth of what and who God is. But scripture and reason and our human language gives us the ability… to say something solid.” (Fr. Mike Schmitz, 18:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:06-01:21 – Introduction and context for the day's reading
• 03:18-04:45 – Nature and vocation of human beings explained
• 05:11-08:58 – St. Augustine’s quote and experiencing joy in God
• 10:00-13:40 – Certainty about God’s existence, faith and science compatibility
• 15:45-16:58 – Objective vs. subjective truth, meaning of “Without the Creator, the creature vanishes”
• 18:00-19:20 – Analogy of language, limitations and possibilities of speaking about God

Tone and Final Encouragement

Fr. Mike’s tone throughout is both pastoral and enthusiastic, acknowledging that the early days of Catechism study are “traction-building” and may feel rudimentary but promising deeper and more profound insights as the series unfolds. He closes with a word of encouragement, promising, “I'm praying for you… stick with it… things are going to become not more and more muddy… but so much more profound.” (19:03)

For Listeners:
This episode is a foundational “recap” meant to solidify understanding before moving deeper into the Catechism. It’s approachable, reflective, and offers practical analogies that make complex doctrine accessible. Whether new to the Catechism or looking for a refresher, Fr. Mike sets the stage for a journey where faith, reason, and human longing find their fulfillment in God.