← The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done for Lent
00:04:50
So often we focus our Lent on discipline, willpower, and perfection. But the goal isn’t perfection. The goal is union. Fr. Mike Schmitz shares that the most powerful thing he ever did for Lent wasn’t adding more prayers, books, or practices, instead it was choosing silence. See how this simple step can transform your Lent and bring you closer to the Lord than ever before!
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I remember talking to a mom afterwards, and she was like, I was so mad when you had that challenge, because I'm like, I have a. I'm a mom. I have kids, I have a husband. She said she did it, and it was the. Her best Advent she'd ever experienced. For me, it was the best Advent I ever experienced. And so what I'm trying to do is I'm bringing this into Lent. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is essential. Resents so often the stuff that we end up doing for Lent is just like how to exercise discipline. Now, I love exercising discipline. I think exercising discipline is a thing that we all need to learn how to do. And I'm. When I say we all, I mean me all. But I think one of the things we all need is when it comes to my relationship with God, to answer the question, what will move the needle more or most? What will actually improve that relationship? Recently, a brother priest had shared this with me. We were in our priest fraternity group, and he said, the goal is not perfection. The goal is union. I was like, oh, my gosh, that's it. So often, though, as Catholics, as we enter into Lent or any kind of season of spiritual, spiritual lives, our goal is perfection. My goal is, okay, I'm going to eliminate this vice. I'm going to grow in this virtue. Now, again, that's a good thing. That's not the goal. The goal is not perfection. The goal is union. And so I've looked at my life and said, okay, what was the best thing I've ever, ever done for Lent or for Advent? It hasn't in the past necessarily been giving up coffee for Lent or giving up sweetener in my coffee for Lent or giving up social media or whatever. It came down to one. I mean, those are all good. They've all been good things for me. But one adv. A number of years ago, I challenged everyone who was joining us on the Sunday homilies during advent that for 29 days. Because advent that year was 29 days for 29 days, taking 29 minutes every single day and just parking ourselves in the presence of Jesus and being there in silence. Now, you don't have to go into a chapel, but you could. I think it's good. You can pick the number 29. You can pick the number 21, but I think it has to be over 20. Now, here's where I've gone wrong. Where I've gone wrong is I brought in materials. Where I've gone wrong is I brought in something as amazing as, like the Bible in the ear. Because I do listen to that at 1.5 or 2 times speed. I brought in things like the Chosen. I have my iPad there, and I'm talking to Jesus as he's right here, truly present in the Eucharist. And here he is on the screen in the person of Jonathan Roumie. Those are all good things. But what moves the needle more than anything is silence. What moves the needle more than anything is not like. Okay, now I'm going to write my task list for tomorrow morning. But it's going into the chapel at the end of the day. No headphones, no work, no book, no materials, just silence. This has been the key for me and I want to share with you. This is my invitation for every one of us. I still do the Bible in the air. I do it on the treadmill. I still again pray all those other prayers. A Holy hour. That's active. Liturgy of the Hours, that's active Mass, that's active Chaplet Rosary. If the goal is not perfection, but the goal is union. I know my relationship with the Lord is growing when I take that 29 to 21 minutes of silence and just let the Lord say what he needs to say. I let what's in my heart bubble to the surface without all the distraction of all the noise and all the work and all the even great noise and even great work. But just silence. Silence is what I know. It's what I need this season. I wonder if it's what you need this season. Many of you are going through the crux this Lent. I hope you are, which is great. There'll be great reflections every single day. Great things you can do every single day. My little minor addition to the crux is this silence. Incorporate some amount of silence every day and could be your commute at the same time with the commute. Sometimes the silence is too short because you're doing other things. That's okay, though. I mean, better than nothing. But it could be this. What if for the next 40 days, we committed in the crux during lent to have 21 minutes each day of silence? I don't think we will be the same at the end. That's one of my things, this Lent. And I think it's going to be the thing that moves the needle more than anything else. Because the goal is not perfection. The goal is union. That's what I want with him. And I realize this. I cannot get that unless I'm willing to be in his presence and be quiet anyways, from all this here at ascension presents. My name is father mike. God bless. Hi, my name is. Hi, my name is father Mike schmitz, and this is ascension. I forgot my name. Hi, my name is father Mike schmitz, and this is ascension. Presents. I'm going to slow it down.