Episode Overview

Title: Do NOT Receive Communion Until You’ve Seen This
Podcast: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Host: Ascension
Guest: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Release Date: October 30, 2025

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz brings a candid and passionate discussion about the importance of worthiness when receiving Holy Communion. Drawing from personal experience and scriptural teaching, he explains why Catholics are called to abstain from the Eucharist if in a state of mortal sin, what constitutes mortal sin, and how to navigate uncertainty in moments of doubt. The episode challenges common misconceptions and offers practical spiritual counsel for Catholics approaching the altar.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scenario: A College Mass Witness

• Fr. Mike recounts his college experience with late-night student Mass (00:24).
• He describes a peer who, each Sunday, remained in the pew as others received Communion, choosing not to receive due to his state of sin.
  • “I think that he's sitting there thinking, like, here, I'm the failure. ...But I remember seeing that and thinking, that man gets it.” (00:52)
• Fr. Mike reframes this peer’s abstaining as a profound witness to the real presence of Christ.

2. Scriptural Foundation (1 Corinthians 11)

• St. Paul’s teaching warns against receiving the Eucharist unworthily: “...they are receiving the body and blood of Jesus unworthily. And in doing so, they're guilty of his murder, they're guilty of his death.” (01:29)
• Emphasizes the serious spiritual weight and consequences of receiving in a state of mortal sin.

3. What is Mortal Sin?

• Outlines the three requirements for mortal sin (02:13):
  1. Grave matter
  2. Full knowledge
  3. Deliberate consent
• Examples include intentionally skipping Mass, knowing it’s a grave sin, and freely choosing it.
  • “If I knew it was a grave sin and chose to do it anyways, that's a mortal sin. I can't receive Holy Communion.” (02:32)
• Reinforces the call to abstain from Communion if aware of mortal sin.

4. The Stakes: A Serious Spiritual Matter

• Stresses the Church’s and Scripture’s clear prohibition: receiving Communion in a known state of mortal sin is itself another mortal sin.
  • “Now, now we all know that receiving Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin is itself another sin. I don't care what anyone says...” (03:30)
• Corrects a common misconception: The Eucharist as “medicine for the sick, not for the dead.”
  • “Yes, it is medicine for sinners, but it's not medicine for the dead. What mortal sin is, it makes us in some ways spiritually dead.” (03:48)

5. Navigating Doubt

• For those uncertain about their spiritual state, Fr. Mike offers guidance:
  • “When in doubt, always receive and receive that peace.” (04:41)
• Explains that if any of the three requirements for mortal sin are missing, it may not be a mortal sin.
• Warns against spiritual scrupulosity:
  • “If you were the evil one...what you'd do is probably in that moment of communion...distract you by putting this thought in your head...to distract you from that moment of intimacy…” (05:06)
• Final aphorism: “When in doubt, receive. When in doubt, receive.” (05:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On abstaining from communion as a witness:

  • “By not coming forward to receive Holy Communion, he's honoring the Lord more than many of us who are coming to receive holy communion unworthily.” (01:10)

• On the seriousness of receiving unworthily:

  • “St. Paul's language is so serious...we're guilty of the very body and blood of Christ in the sense that we're guilty of his murder. Which puts the stakes pretty high.” (02:47)

• On misinterpreting the Eucharist as ‘medicine’:

  • “It's not medicine for the dead. What mortal sin is, it makes us in some ways spiritually dead.” (03:48)

• Condensed advice for the uncertain:

  • “When in doubt, receive and receive that peace.” (04:41)
  • “That man I knew in college was a greater witness...than maybe anyone else I've ever met in my life.” (05:34)
  • “That declaration, I need to be here, but I can't receive right now...has inspired me to love Jesus more maybe than...any book I've ever read on the Eucharist.” (06:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:24 – Story of the college Mass and classmate’s witness
• 01:29 – St. Paul’s teaching on worthy reception
• 02:13 – Explanation of mortal sin and its requirements
• 03:30 – On the gravity of the sin of receiving unworthily
• 04:41 – Counseling the uncertain: “When in doubt, receive”
• 05:34 – The impact of witnessing someone abstain

Tone and Final Message

Fr. Mike’s tone is heartfelt, direct, and pastoral, blending doctrinal clarity with personal empathy and encouragement.

He closes by reminding listeners:

• Attending Mass, even when one cannot receive, is still a powerful witness and a profound act of faith.
• Careful discernment honors both the Eucharist and one’s relationship with God, balancing reverence with trust in God’s mercy.

Summary in a Sentence:
Fr. Mike Schmitz challenges the faithful to thoughtfully discern their state before receiving Communion, teaching that abstaining out of reverence is a powerful spiritual witness, and offering reassurance for those who are unsure.