Episode Overview

Episode: The Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz — Day 66: True God and True Man (2026)
Date: March 7, 2026
Theme: This episode explores the foundational Catholic teaching that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man. Fr. Mike guides listeners through key Catechism paragraphs (464–469), explaining historical controversies (heresies) that addressed misunderstandings about Christ’s divinity and humanity, and the Church councils that clarified orthodox belief. The episode’s heart is the importance of knowing who Jesus truly is, not only for our own faith but to be able to lovingly explain it to others.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Question Matters

• Fr. Mike begins by reminding listeners that it’s not enough to simply say “Jesus is Lord” — Christians must understand what it means to call Christ “true God and true man.”
• “We want to understand who Jesus really is so that we can love him...and also explain it...to any friend who asks what it means that Jesus is both human and divine.” (03:40)

2. Early Heresies: Denying Christ’s Humanity

• The first heresies often denied Jesus’s true humanity (not just his divinity).
• Gnostic Docetism: Claimed Christ only appeared to be human, because material reality was considered evil.
  • “For Gnostics, it was the material world that was evil...so they would say it’d be improper to divinity to actually take on humanity, to get hungry, to digest, to sleep, to suffer and die.” (13:00)

3. Jesus: Son of God by Nature, Not Adoption

• Refuted the teaching of Paul of Samosota, who claimed Jesus was made the Son of God by adoption (e.g., at his baptism).
• The Church, even from the 3rd Century (Council at Antioch), affirmed that Jesus is the Son of God by nature, not by adoption. (14:35)
• “We’re sons and daughters of God by adoption; Jesus is unique—he is the Son of God by nature. Always, always the Son of God.” (15:00)

4. Councils & The Clarification of Christ’s Divinity

• First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325): Affirmed that the Son is “begotten, not made, consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father,” directly opposing the Arian heresy which said the Son was created.
  • “Council of Nicaea, year 325… said that no, the Son of God is begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father. We say that every Sunday.” (16:25)

5. Nestorianism: Confusing Christ’s Personhood

• Nestorian Heresy: Claimed Christ was a human person joined to the divine Person of God’s Son.
• Council of Ephesus (431): Defined that Jesus is one divine person with two natures—divine and human.
• The term Theotokos (“Mother of God”) for Mary: Not a focus on Mary’s honor, but a way to protect the truth about Jesus.
  • “We call Mary the Mother of God not because it’s meant to be simply a title of honor…but it’s saying something about Jesus…from the very moment of his conception, the eternal Son of God…united to himself humanity.” (21:45)

6. Monophysitism: Absorbing or Losing Christ’s Humanity

• Monophysite Heresy: Claimed Christ’s human nature ceased to exist (was “dissolved” in his divinity), likened to Alka Seltzer dissolving in water.
  • “Here’s my image…humanity that Christ assumed gets lost in this sea of divinity...just dissolves, goes away.” (24:55)
• Council of Chalcedon (451): Affirmed Jesus is “perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, truly God and truly man, consubstantial with the Father as to his divinity, and consubstantial with us as to his humanity…without confusion, change, division, or separation.”

7. The One Person of Christ

• After Chalcedon, further errors tried to make Christ’s human nature a separate subject.
• Constantinople II (553): Re-affirmed that everything in Christ’s human nature is attributed to his Divine Person as its proper subject.
  • His miracles, sufferings, and even his death — all truly the actions of God. (28:40)

8. Why This Matters — For Our Salvation

• Fr. Mike emphasizes this is not technical detail for its own sake:
  • If Jesus is not fully God, he cannot redeem us.
  • If Jesus is not fully human, he cannot redeem us.
  • “It matters that Jesus is fully God…if he wasn’t fully God, we couldn’t be redeemed. It also matters that Jesus was fully human, because if he wasn’t fully human, we couldn’t be redeemed, right?” (31:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Clarity for Evangelization:

  • “We want to understand who Jesus really is so that we can love him...but also so we can explain it...to any friend.” (03:40)

• On Theotokos (Mary):

  • “It’s not about Mary...what it is about is how fully Jesus has united his divinity to our humanity. The being in Mary’s womb is the second Person of the Trinity.” (21:45)

• On Human Nature in Christ:

  • “Jesus did not act as a human being simply as a divine being. And we recognize...God did this to come close to us and bring us close to divinity.” (25:40)

• On the Central Creed Formula (from Chalcedon):

  • “We confess that one and the same Christ…is to be acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, change, division, or separation.” (26:50)

• On the Practical Significance:

  • “It matters that Jesus is fully God and fully human...God has made himself our brother so we could become sons and daughters of God.” (32:15)

• Closing Liturgical Reflections:

  • Roman Liturgy: “What he was, he remained, and what he was not, he assumed.” (33:05)
  • St. John Chrysostom’s Liturgy:
    “O only begotten Son and Word of God…you who without change became man and were crucified, O Christ our God…glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us.” (33:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction and episode focus
• 03:40 – The need for clarity about Jesus’ divinity and humanity
• 13:00 – Gnostic Docetism and early heresies against Jesus’ humanity
• 14:35 – Council at Antioch and refutation of adoptionism
• 16:25 – Council of Nicaea and the Arian heresy
• 19:25 – Nestorianism and Council of Ephesus
• 21:45 – Theotokos: Mary as Mother of God explained
• 24:55 – Monophysitism and the “Alka Seltzer” analogy
• 26:50 – Chalcedonian definition and its importance
• 28:40 – Constantinople II and unity of Christ’s person
• 31:45 – Why both divinity and humanity matter for salvation
• 33:05 – Liturgical quotations on the Incarnation
• 34:15 – Final encouragement to persevere in understanding

Final Thoughts

Tone and Style:
Fr. Mike’s presentation is warm, encouraging, and sometimes a bit playful, using analogies (“Alka Seltzer in water”) and repeated emphasis on years of councils to help listeners remember. He acknowledges the episode’s density and reassures listeners that wrestling with these mysteries is worthwhile.

Summary Statement:
Understanding Christ as true God and true man isn’t just an abstract doctrine but is essential for our salvation and our capacity to share Jesus with others. The Church’s precise clarifications safeguard the reality that God drew close to us in the most concrete, loving way possible.

Additional Resources

• For more details: Read Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 464–469.
• Next episode: Fr. Mike will explore even more deeply how the Son of God is man.

“God has made himself our brother so that we could become sons and daughters of God.” (32:15 – Fr. Mike Schmitz)