The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 122: Christ’s Faithful (2026)

Episode Date: May 2, 2026

There are three primary roles among Christ’s faithful: the hierarchy, the laity, and consecrated life. Fr. Mike explains the difference between these three roles, emphasizing that they are equal in dignity but different in the way they support the Church’s mission. We also learn that all of Christ’s faithful share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ. Lastly, Fr. Mike reviews the mission and characters of ecclesial ministry. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 871-879. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name's Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Catechism in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in scripture, and passed it down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity in God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is Day 122. We're reading paragraphs 871 to 879. I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the of faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the catechism of the Catholic Church. You can also download your own catechism in a year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com

slash cI. And I don't know if you know this. It's a secret. I don't know if they've ever said this before, but you can click follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications today is day 122. As I noted, we're reading paragraphs 871 to 879. We're talking about Christ's faithful. So remember, as we're talking about the church, there's what makes up the church, what makes up the body of Christ? Well, there's a structure there and there's certain roles within the church. Now, we're going to talk about those for the next few days. But here, the paragraph four, it's called, we're looking at Christ's faithful, hierarchy, laity, and consecrated life. So kind of these three elements or three aspects, the hierarchy, the laity, and the consecrated life. Those are the first

basically three paragraphs here, 871 to 873. And then we'll look at this, the hierarchical constitution of the church asking the question why the ecclesial ministry so ecclesial meaning church right why why is their ministry in the church why is it like this hierarchy simply meaning well actually the animology of hierarchy is sacred rule or sacred ruler and so it simply means here's the order right here is the yeah the thing that gets structure and not only any kind of structure but sacred structure or the structure that comes from the lord god himself because we're going to look at this in paragraph 874 and 875 is that Jesus essentially sets up a structure when he calls those 12 to himself. You know, he sent out the 72, sent out the 12, he had the three.

Like Jesus had a certain structure among his followers. And not only that, but you also have the Old Testament where that definitely has a very clear structure when it comes to the hierarchy essentially of the Jewish people, or at least the rulers of the Jewish people, the leaders of the Jewish people. Now, I say rulers and I say leaders. And that's true, but we have to understand what's the character of this rule? What's the character of these leaders? In paragraphs 876, 877 and 878 highlight just briefly the character of these kinds of rules or rulers or leaders.

The first is character as service. Now, we have to highlight this and emphasize this for all Christians. but in in particular those who have a certain ecclesial ministry has a character of service that since Jesus became a slave for all, all those who serve in the church, all those who quote unquote rule in the church or lead in the church do that as a servant, do it as a slave in imitation essentially of the Lord God who took the form of a slave for us. Secondly, so not only character as service, also a collegial character. The collegial would refer to here are the bishops who don't operate

on their own. They operate in union with each other, a college, right? College of bishops and in union with the Pope. Same thing is true when it comes to the priests. The priests don't act on their own. There's this collegialness. Collegiality? Collegiality among what's called the presbyterate, like the priesthood, united to the episcopate, that is the bishops. So some of these words are going to be fun. We're going to get into them deeper. So a character of service, character of collegiality and thirdly a personal character. So God always, when he calls, he doesn't call, hey, y'all, he calls you. He says, you come follow me. And so yes, there's a collegial character. There's a group, you know, there's a community of some sort. But there's also that individuality.

There's a personal character to Christ's call. That's reality when it comes to his call of all the Christian faithful, the reality of the call of the hierarchy, those in the hierarchy, and also the reality of the call of those consecrated people. So we're looking at that today. And so just to open our hearts, we just turn to the Lord Jesus now. Call upon his name, Jesus Christ. Bring us to your father. You make access to your father. Real, you make access to your father possible.

We ask that you please. Bring us, bring our hearts, bring our minds, bring our lives, bring our bodies, bring our whole entire selves to your father and to our father. For the power of the Holy Spirit, Lord God, please accept us, receive. us and let us let you love us pour out your spirit upon us so that we can be more and more like you Jesus we make this prayer in your name Lord Jesus to the glory of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit amen in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit amen as I said it is day 122 we're reading paragraphs 871 to 879 paragraph 4 Christ's faithful hierarchy laity consecrated life

The Christian faithful are those who, inasm as much as they have been incorporated into Christ through baptism, have been constituted as the people of God. For this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ's priestly, prophetic, and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the church to fulfill in the world in accord with the condition proper to each one. In virtue of the rebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to the world. to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the body of Christ and accord with each one's own condition and function. The very differences which the Lord has willed to put between the members of his body serve its unity and mission. For in the church, there is diversity of ministry, but unity of mission. To the apostles and their successors, Christ has

entrusted the office of teaching, sanctifying, and governing in his name and by his power. But the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ. They have, therefore, in the church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God. Finally, from both groups, hierarchy and laity, there exist Christian faithful who are consecrated to God in their own special manner and serve the salvific mission of the church through the profession of the evangelical councils. The Hierarchical Constitution of the Church

Why the Ecclesial Ministry? Christ is himself the source of ministry in the church. He instituted the church. He gave her authority and mission, orientation, and goal. As Lumengencium states, in order to shepherd the people of God and to increase its numbers without cease, Christ the Lord set up in his church a variety of offices which aim at the good of the whole body. The holders of office who are invested with a sacred power are in fact dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren so that all who belong to the people of God may attain to salvation. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul asks, How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?

And how can men preach unless they are sent? No one, no individual and no community can proclaim the gospel to himself. As St. Paul says, faith comes from what is heard. No one can give himself the mandate and the mission to proclaim the gospel. The one sent by the Lord does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue of Christ's authority. Not as a member of the community, but speaking to it in the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself. It must be given and offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace authorized and empowered by Christ. From him, bishops and priests receive the mission and faculty, the sacred power, to act in persona Christi Capatis. Deacons received the strength to serve the people of God in the diaconia of liturgy,

word, and charity, and communion with the bishop and his presbyterate. The ministry in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own powers is called a sacrament by the church's tradition. Indeed, the ministry of the church is conferred by a special sacrament. Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service. Entirely dependent on Christ who gives mission and authority, ministers are truly slaves of Christ in the image of him who freely took the form of a slave for us. Because the word and grace of which they are ministers are not their own, but are given to them by Christ for the sake of others, they must freely become the slaves of all. Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental

nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the 12 as the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy. Chosen together, they were also sent out together, and their fraternal unity would be at the service of the fraternal communion of all the faithful. They would reflect and witness to the communion of the divine persons. For this reason, every bishop exercises his ministry from within the Episcopal College, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter and the head of the college. So also, priests exercise their ministry from within the presbyterium of the diocese, under the direction of their bishop. Finally, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry

that it have a personal character. Although Christ's ministers act in communion with one another, they also always act in a personal way. Each one is called personally, you follow me, in order to be a personal witness within the common mission, to bear personal responsibility before him who gives the mission, acting in his person and for other persons, saying, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, or I absolve you. Sacramental ministry in the church then is a service exercised in the name of Christ. It has a personal character and a collegial form. This is evidenced by the bonds between the Episcopal College and its head, the successor of St. Peter, and in relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his particular

church and the common solicitude of the Episcopal College for the Universal Church. Okay. So there we have it paragraphs 871 to 879. I think there's something just, it's beautiful. I think it's beautiful. Here we go. Let's go back to the beginning, 871. One of the things that is highlighted at the very top of the key here, at the very top of

this whole section, is the fact that the Christian faithful are those who, what, they've been incorporated in Christ through baptism, and they've been constituted as the people of God. for that reason, since they become sharers and Christ's priestly, prophetic, and royal office in their own manner, they're called to exercise that mission, which God is entrusted to the church to fulfill in the world. So there's this sense right off the bat where here's the catechism that highlights the fact that, yes, the Christian faithful have been incorporated into the body of Christ and when incorporated, they are anointed in some unique way, right, as Christ as little Christitos, right? Little Christ's as Christians with a priestly, prophetic, and royal role.

So that's part of the identity of the Christian. Because of that, every Christian is then going to be called to exercise that mission. Somehow, in some way, according to the condition proper to each individual. So that's going to be just incredible to exercise this. Now going on, paragraph 872 also highlights, by virtue of the rebirth in Christ, there exists among all Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the body of Christ and accord with each one's own condition and function. So there's this reality that St. Paul says, right? In Christ there's

no Jew, nor Greek, nor slave, nor free, no male and no female. There's this recognition that all are one in Christ, this dignity, this equality, in the equality of dignity. That's what it is. Now, it's not the same thing as equality in role, because there's still different roles. Like, for example, mothers and fathers in a family, they're equal in dignity, but they don't have the same role. They might do some of the same things, but in some ways, only a father can father and only a mother can mother. Now, they both can cook a supper. They both can take care of sick kids. But there's a way in which the character of this is accomplished in a different way.

Now, going on, paragraph, I hope that analogy made sense. Paragraph 873 talks about this. Now, we highlighted in 871 and 872 the similarity or the unity, the equality. Paragraph 873 highlights, now, the very differences which the Lord has will. to put between the members of his body serve its unity and mission. There's a diversity of ministry, but a unity of mission. And that's

so incredible. To the apostles and the successors, Christ has entrusted a particular office of teaching, sanctifying, and governing in his name. But the paragraph goes on to say, but the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly

office of Christ. So there is, it goes on to say, I just want to read the whole thing again. They have, therefore, in the church and in the world, their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God. So that's this reality that, yes, there is a hierarchy, there's a structure to the bishops and priests. There's this unique kind of role. But to all the Christian faithful who share, they share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office, they have their role in the church and in the world. And it's not, and I will not say this. I will not say those are lesser roles or

greater roles. I would say they're different roles. Remember, as St. Paul's writing to the early church. This already existed in the early church. St. Paul wrote, said, you know, remember the I cannot say to the foot or the ear, whatever part of the body, I don't need you. We all need each other. The whole body is constituted in such a way that we all need the rest of the body. We all need each other. So that's highlighting this now. Moving on from there, paragraph 874 to 879 is asking the question. First, why the ecclesial ministry? Well, very clearly, in order to shepherd the people of God and to increase this number without cease. Christ the Lord set up in his church a variety of offices, which aim at the good of the whole body. Why does the ecclesial ministry exist? Why does the hierarchy

exist? To serve the whole body and to continue the mission of Jesus Christ. Why? I keep asking the questions, don't I? Sorry about that. Because in paragraph 875, St. Paul's letter to the Romans is quoted when he asks, how are they to believe in him of whom they've never heard? How are they to hear without a preacher? How can men preach unless they're sent? And the church highlights this, that no one, no individual, no community can proclaim the gospel to himself. And also, no one can send himself out into the world, but we have to be sent as emissaries of Jesus. And so the church exists in so many ways because no one can be stow grace upon himself. No one can be so grace upon himself.

It must be given and offered. That fact, as paragraph 875 says, that fact presupposes ministers of grace. Since no one can be so grace upon themselves, there must be ministers of grace. there must be ministers of grace who have been authorized and empowered by Christ. And from Jesus, bishops and priests receive that mission and that faculty to go out and act. Here's the fancy, fancy phrase, to act in persona Christi Capitis, right, in the person of Christ, the head. And it's so remarkable. This sentence just jumped out to me.

It's a reading paragraph 875. It says, the ministry in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own power. is called a sacrament in the church's tradition. Say that again, the ministry in which Christ's emissaries, so the bishops, priests, deacons, the ministry in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own powers. And that is so remarkable.

That's incredible. And it reminds me as a priest of the reality that later on, you know, in paragraph 878, the personal character of this hierarchy, the ecclesial ministry, this personal character is, I baptize you in the name of the Father's Son or Holy Spirit. This is my body. This is my blood.

I absolve you that because of God's grace through the sacrament of holy orders, which we'll talk about when we get to that second pillar, because of God's grace through the sacrament of holy orders. When I say that, I'm not speaking as Mike Schmitz. I'm speaking in the person of Jesus Christ, in persona Christi Capitis, in the person of Christ, the head.

And that's that personal character where Jesus does something, God does something that I couldn't do on my own. was just, man, that's so humbling. And it's just, it's remarkable. And your priest, your bishop, that's the same way that they operate as well. What they give to us, what they give to you is something that they could not give on their own, no matter how good or wise or caring or loving they are because of the sacrament of holy orders. Because they've received what they couldn't merit and they didn't give to themselves.

But God, through the church, has given to them, they're able to offer by God's power what they could not offer on their own power. Now, last couple things, he highlighted the fact that the sacramental nature, the deepest nature of this ecclesial ministry is his character as service, that Jesus, as he said, I did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. That's so all those bishops, priests, those who, again, those who lead must lead as slaves. They must lead as servants. Secondly, they lead together. That's the collegial character, that no one acts on their own. we all act in communion with each other.

This preserves unity, and it preserves in many ways. It preserves the faith and has preserved the faith. At the same time, paragraph 878, there is that personal character that Jesus calls each individual one by one. And so anyone those people listening to this who are maybe even discerning a call to religious life, call to the priesthood, call to the deaconate, I just invite you. Keep praying about that because the Lord does, he continues to call all of us, right, to belong to him and serve. of him as Christians, but he also calls some men to be priests and deacons. He also calls some women and some men to be consecrated religious. So keep that in mind. Last paragraph, 879 is kind of, it's almost like a nugget in the middle of this whole section because it just summarizes everything we've been reading for the

first, you know, the previous four or five paragraphs where it says sacramental ministry in the church then is a service exercised in the name of Christ. Yeah, service. It has a personal character and a collegial form. This is evidenced by the bonds between the Episcopal College and its head, the successor of St. Peter, right? So all the bishops united with each other and with the Pope. And in relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his particular church, right, so the bishop is responsible for that church in that diocese, and the common solicitude,

fun word, the common solicitude of the Episcopal College for the universal church. So your local bishop is responsible for his diocese at the same time. that whole Episcopal college, right? The college of bishops together are very conscientious about the need for the whole world to be sanctified, for the whole world to be made holy, for the whole world to come to know the great love of God in Jesus Christ. And that's why we have the catechism because the bishops got together with the Holy Father, right? And there is this sense of, you know, the church needs this updated teaching. the people have changed.

The teaching is not, but the teaching needs to be presented in a new way. And that's why we're here because there have been leaders in the church who have served. And in serving, they've called us to learn more. They've called us to grow deeper in knowledge, not only of the Lord God, but also of his church on earth. And that's what we're doing right now. So good job for doing that right now. We're trucking right along, you guys. Day 122, you made it to this day.

You made it through this day. congratulations. I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.