Why Be Catholic?
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Why does Fr. Mike want everyone to become Catholic?
Why would I want everyone to be Catholic? Because it's true. But also because then they'd be brought into a new And the most powerful relationship with the true and living God is Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Essential Presents. A number of years ago, I was talking with a family member. Um, it was interesting. Uh, they had heard me talking a lot about uh here, I work on the campus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and how I was saying regularly that I want everyone, I want every faculty member, every staff member, every every student on campus to be Catholic. And they heard me say this again and again to somehow about how you know, just want to get the gospel out there and want everyone to become.
Catholic. And they said at one point, like, I get it, but like, isn't that kind of mean? What do you mean is that isn't that kinda mean? Well, isn't it kind of mean For everyone to become Catholic, because then they have to follow all the Catholic rules. It was if you become Catholic, the thing you're really saying yes to is you're saying yes to the rules. And isn't it kind of just like, let them just not have to say yes to the rules? And I thought that is very fascinating. First of all, it's fascinating because it kind of reveals something, right? If it reveals something about our hearts, and you might have thought that in the past too. You might have thought, gosh, I I love these people, they're in my life.
If um I don't know if I wanted to be want them to be Catholic because We're putting a heavy burden on their shoulders. I think the first thing it reveals is it reveals that uh It reveals something about how we see our faith. Because if you're a professing Christian or professing Catholic, you recognize that that yeah, this is this relationship comes with some responsibilities. But we can ask the question. Am I more focused on the responsibilities? Than on the relationship. Am I am I am I more focused on the rules than on the relationship?
Is being Catholic really just about following a list of rules?
And I've talked to many people who have said something similar, that sense of gosh, if they become Catholic, they have to follow all the rules. And I want to ask the question, oh, is that how you see? Being Catholic. Is it just the rules? As a high schooler and going into college, I was reading through the gospels and I came across these little sections and a couple of the gospels that were entitled The Conditions of Discipleship. Here's Jesus who even says this. He says, if you if you want to be my disciple, you must. Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me. Like these are the conditions for discipleship. You must deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. So it's not as if Jesus is like, no, don't worry about it.
No, there are rules. In fact, later on, Jesus says, if you love me, keep my commandments. So there there are rules, right? There are responsibilities that we have to live up to and we have to we're that we're called to strive for at least. So yes. Anyone who says gosh. Why why should they be Catholic? They have to follow all the rules. They're not wrong. But there's a bigger question at stake here. There's a bigger thing at stake. Again, the heart of it is Oh man, is that all you see this as? Is going to church because that's the rule? Is is prayer because that's the rule? Is is is living a uh a life that you're striving after virtue? Is that are we only doing that because it's the rule? It doesn't just reveal something about our hearts, it reveals something about how we see the world.
And it reveals something about how we see God.
What do Jesus’ commandments tell us about the purpose of rules?
Is God just the uh The cosmic taskmaster or the cosmic police officer who's watching our every move in order to catch us doing good or catch us doing bad. Or is God the God who Revealed to us in Jesus. The father who Who loves us, the God who who would go to the furthest extent to bring us back home. I mean, think about this. The God of the universe who wants a relationship with you and with me. And we're fixated on what? We're we're fixated on well, what are the rules? What are what are the things you're gonna ask of me?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why does Fr. Mike want everyone to become Catholic?
0:00–1:44
2
Is being Catholic really just about following a list of rules?
1:44–3:12
3
What do Jesus’ commandments tell us about the purpose of rules?
3:12–5:05
4
How does Catholicism connect salvation with a personal relationship with God?
5:05–7:01
5
Why does Fr. Mike compare Catholic faith to marriage?
7:01–9:20
6
What does it mean to give God permission to love you as you are?
9:20–10:58
7
How do the sacraments help us experience God’s love and re‑program our hearts?
10:58–11:13
8
What is the ultimate reason, beyond rules, to choose the Catholic faith?
11:13–11:16