Podcast Summary: "How Being a Christian Will Affect Your Life"

Podcast: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
Host: Ascension
Episode Date: October 23, 2025
Guest/Speaker: Fr. Mike Schmitz

Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz addresses a profound question: What does following Jesus actually mean for your life, especially in terms of suffering and joy? Responding to a listener who finds the lives of the saints both inspiring and intimidating, Fr. Mike explores misconceptions about the Christian path—dispelling the myths that it's only about suffering or only about blessings. He emphasizes that everyone will face suffering in life, but Christianity is about allowing Jesus to transform that suffering, giving it meaning and presence. The core message: "You’re not choosing suffering. You’re choosing Him."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Inevitable Nature of Suffering [00:00–01:30]

• Fr. Mike starts with a stark reminder: suffering and loss are part of life for everyone, regardless of faith.
• Quote: “That loss, that suffering, that pain... It’s coming either way. The question is not can you avoid suffering by avoiding Jesus. The question is, can your suffering be transformed by embracing Jesus?” (Fr. Mike, 00:00)

2. The Lives of the Saints – Inspiration and Intimidation [01:30–03:45]

• Listener finds saint stories motivating but also daunting, as saints often endure serious suffering after choosing Jesus.
• Fr. Mike points out that this dual-response is natural: “It seems like all of these saints have the same story...they start following the Lord and they have horrible things happen to them.” (01:55)

3. Dispelling Two Narratives about Christianity [03:45–06:10]

• False Narrative 1: Follow Jesus and life is perfect (“blue skies, rainbows, butterflies”).
• False Narrative 2: Follow Jesus and life is non-stop misery.
• The truth, as Fr. Mike emphasizes, lies in the middle.

4. What Jesus Actually Promises [06:10–08:10]

• Fr. Mike states that there’s no biblical promise of wealth, health, or worldly success for Jesus’ followers.
  • Quote: “It is nowhere in the Bible promised to be blessed with health or financial success. Christians have never thought that until...unless they get it wrong.” (06:45)
• Jesus promises joy and love, but also asks us to deny ourselves and pick up our crosses.

5. Will Christians Suffer More By Following Jesus? [08:10–12:15]

• Sometimes, yes—Christians might actually suffer more, simply because they follow Jesus against a resistant world.
  • Exclusion, misunderstanding, or even persecution can follow: not getting jobs, relationships, or facing harassment.
  • Memorable Moment: The story of young Catholic students losing romantic interests because of their commitment to chastity.
    • Quote: “The number of young women and even the number of young men who have told me this and said... the person I told that to...they broke up with me. This bananas, that is completely bonkers. But it's true.” (10:05)
• Cites a heartfelt message from a man in a Muslim country whose conversion could cost him his life.

6. The Universal Reality of Suffering [12:15–14:00]

• Most suffering isn’t a direct result of faith; it’s simply “life happening”—illness, aging, tragedy.
• “The cross is going to come either way in your life. In my life, the cross is going to come either way. Sickness will come, injury will come, devastation will come, tragedy will come, death will come.” (13:20)
• The choice isn’t between a suffering or a suffering-free life, but rather, suffering with Jesus or without Him.

7. The Secret of the Saints: Transformation through Grace [14:00–16:00]

• Saints aren't superhuman; they simply let God’s grace into every crack and wound of their lives.
• Quote: “They've allowed God's grace to enter into their tragedy and allowed him to transform it.” (14:30)
• God’s grace doesn’t always remove suffering, but transforms it and brings meaning, even to pain.

8. What Are You Really Signing Up For? [16:00–17:50]

• Summary of the Christian “offer”: not prosperity, not endless hardship—rather, a life where Jesus’ presence transforms every cross carried.
• Powerful Closing Line: “It is not a matter of either suffering or not suffering. It’s a matter of either I suffer with Jesus or I suffer without him. As Christians, even in the worst moment...we’re never alone. You’re not choosing suffering. You’re choosing him.” (17:20–17:40)

Notable Quotes

• On Suffering's Inevitability:
  “That loss, that suffering, that pain...It’s coming either way. The question is not can you avoid suffering by avoiding Jesus. The question is, can your suffering be transformed by embracing Jesus?” (00:00)

• On Misconceptions:
  “It is nowhere in the Bible promised to be blessed with health or financial success. Christians have never thought that until...unless they get it wrong.” (06:45)

• On Real-World Consequences:
  “The number of young women and even the number of young men...the person I told that to...they broke up with me. This bananas, that is completely bonkers. But it's true.” (10:05)

• On the Saints:
  “They're ordinary people who have simply allowed God's grace to enter into their cross and transform it.” (14:20)

• On Christian Life’s True Choice:
  “It is not a matter of either suffering or not suffering. It’s a matter of either I suffer with Jesus or I suffer without him...You’re not choosing suffering. You’re choosing him.” (17:20–17:40)

Important Timestamps

• [00:00] – Opening reflection on suffering’s inevitability
• [03:45] – Two common (and false) narratives about Christian living
• [06:10] – What Jesus does and does not promise followers
• [10:00] – Real-life stories: relationships impacted by faith
• [12:15] – Suffering as a universal human experience
• [14:00] – How the saints transform suffering through grace
• [17:20] – Closing and core message: The real Christian choice

Tone & Style

Fr. Mike speaks candidly and compassionately, balancing gentle realism with deep hope. His candid storytelling, humor (“This bananas, that is completely bonkers”), and honest confrontation of tough questions make the episode direct, but also encouraging—reminding Christians they are "never alone" in their suffering when they walk with Jesus.