The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 68: The Mystery of the Incarnation (2026)

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

We learn more about Jesus Christ’s nature as fully God and fully human. Because he was fully human, “like us in all things but sin,” Jesus had a human will that was perfectly aligned with the will of God the Father, a human body that can be seen and venerated, and a human heart with which he loves us. Fr. Mike sums up the teachings in recent readings by reviewing that the Incarnation is the mystery of the union of the divine and human natures in the one person of the Word. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 475-483. 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 is 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 down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in Ere 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 68. You guys are reading paragraphs 475 to 483. As always, I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the foundations of faith approach. You can follow a lot. along with any recent version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Also, you can download your own catechism in your reading plan by visiting ascensionpresspress.com slash C-I-Y. And also, you can click follow or subscribe. Whatever the word is, just click it. And you can receive daily updates and daily notifications. As I said, it's day 68. We have been going through, we've been following this part of the creed that is talking about what it is for God to be human and divine.

Sorry, what is for Jesus to be human and divine. Oh, man. And so we talked about the incarnation. Why did the word become flesh? Remember those four reasons a couple days ago for four reasons? One, to save us by reconciling us with God. Secondly, so that thus we might know God's love. Thirdly, to be our model of holiness, fourth to make us, partakers in the divine nature.

And so then we talked about the incarnation, this incredible mystery. The central mystery, remember, is the Trinity. Beyond that, though, is the incredible mystery of the incarnation, that God became one of us. Remember that we mentioned that many times that Jesus is a divine person. Remember the second person of the Trinity, divine person with two natures, a human nature and a divine nature. We talked about that he didn't absorb human nature, that he assumed human nature. We talked about the fact that he wasn't half God and half man.

He was fully God and fully man in the divine person of the second person in Trinity. Also, that here at Jesus, we talked yesterday. that he took on a truly human soul with the functions of intellect and will, operations of intellect and will. And as such, his intellect had to grow, but also as such, all the way along, every moment of his life on earth. The son of God in his human knowledge also showed the divine penetration he had into the secret thoughts of human hearts. So yes, he had truly human knowledge and at the same time, this human soul, right, will and intellect was united to the divine intellect and divine will. Now, we're talking about that today. Only one paragraph when it comes

to Christ's human will. That's paragraph 475. And then we're going to talk about Christ's true body. And now in many ways, we talked about yesterday how, yeah, in assuming our human nature, there is not one aspect of humanity and none one aspect of human life that Jesus didn't enter into that he thought with a human mind, he loved with the human heart, he moved around with a human body. But there's two paragraphs here about Christ's human body, his true body, what that are relevant to us, not just in this, that in suffering and loving and dying and rising from the dead in his body, he's redeemed that, but also that because he had a human body, we can actually portray the human face of Jesus. We can portray the body of Christ in this, in art, right?

in images. In fact, there was a heresy back in the day called the iconoclast heresy that said, no, you couldn't have any images whatsoever. And the church really faced that really honestly and strenuously wrestled with this question, of course, because in the Old Testament, one of the great commandments of God in the Ten Commandments is you shall have no graven image, right? You should worship no graven image. That what do we do when it comes to images of God? Yet the church concluded that because the word became flesh. He, because God assumed a true humanity, a body that was finite, therefore the human face of Jesus can be portrayed.

And so that's, you know, the 700s in thereabouts is where the church really wrestled with that and came to the conclusion that we can. And we actually can even venerate the image. You can venerate the icon. And in doing that, we're venerating the person of the one depicted, right? So we're not worshipping the icon. There was the second council of Nicaea that made that very, very clear. And then we're going to conclude with some nuggets, but before the nuggets,

we're going to look at the heart of the incarnate word. So we have three kind of, I don't want to say parts of Jesus, human will, his true body, and his heart, the heart of the incarnate will. But these three aspects of the human nature that the second person of the Trinity assumed in becoming one of us is will, his true body, and his heart. and there is this reflection in this last paragraph 478 this reflection that he has loved us all with a human heart that yes the the heart of the second person of the trinity right the divine heart of god that is love remember god is love he has also loved us all with a human heart for that reason

the sacred heart of jesus pierced by our sins and for our salvation is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that love with which the divine redeemer continually loves the eternal father and all human beings without exception. We're going to talk about that at the end. And then we're going to conclude with five little nuggets in brief as we conclude the section. Tomorrow we're going to talk about how Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and talk about the enunciation and Mary's role tomorrow. But today on day 68, we're reading paragraphs 475 to 4.5 83, Christ's human will, Christ's true body, the heart of the incarnate word, and this in brief. Before we do this, let us pray. Let's actually ask God the Father to be with us now. Oh, man,

here we go. Father in heaven, I thank you. I thank you so much for every person who's joined us. Every person who press play today, this is their day 7, 68. This is our day 68 together. whether this is the actual day 68 or whether you know we're struggling to press play every single day. Lord God, this is the day you want us to hear these words. This is the day that you want us to reflect on this truth. This is the day that you want to reveal to our minds the power of knowing you more deeply so we can love you more truly. Help us to do both. Help us to follow you. Help us to belong to you. Help us to be yours this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Again, it's in day 68,

reading paragraphs 475 to 483. Christ's human will. Similarly, at the sixth ecumenical council, the third council of Constantinople in 681, the church confessed that Christ possesses two wills and two natural operations, divine and human. They are not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that the word made flesh willed humanly in obedience to his father all that he had decided divinely with the Father and the Holy Spirit for our salvation. Christ's human will does not resist or oppose, but rather submits to his divine and almighty will. Christ's true body. Since the word became flesh in assuming a true humanity, Christ's body was finite. Therefore, the human face of Jesus can be portrayed.

At the 7th Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, the church recognized its representation in holy images to be legitimate. At the same time, the church has always acknowledged that in the body of Jesus, we recognize in him God made visible, so that we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible. The individual characteristics of Christ's body express the divine person of God's son. he has made the features of his human body his own to the point that they can be venerated when portrayed in a holy image for the believer who venerates the icon is venerating in it the person of the one depicted. The heart of the incarnate word. Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his passion, and gave himself up for each one of us. As St. Paul wrote, The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. He has loved us

all with a human heart. For this reason, the sacred heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that love with which the divine Redeemer continually loves the Eternal Father and all human beings without exception. In brief, at the time appointed by God, the only son of the Father, the eternal word, that is, the word and substantial image of the Father, became incarnate, without losing his divine nature he has assumed human nature. Jesus Christ is true God and true man in the unity of his divine person. For this reason, he is the one and only mediator between God and men.

Jesus Christ possesses two natures, one divine and the other human, not confused, but united in the one person of God's son. Christ, being true God and true man, has a human intellect and will, perfectly attuned and subject to his divine intellect and divine will, which he has in common with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The incarnation is therefore the mystery of the wonderful union of the divine and human natures in the one person of the Word. Okay, it's so good.

I don't know if you guys got that, but okay, since we already talked about Christ's human will, which, again, he doesn't oppose or resist the Father, but rather submits to his divine and almighty will. This is, I love this, there is a, um, There's a line here in paragraph 475 that highlights this. It says that, you know, Christ had two wills and two natural operations, divine and human, right? They're not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that the word made flesh wield humanly in obedience to his father

all that he had decided divinely with the Father and the Holy Spirit for our salvation. Again, so think about what that means. Well, many, it means many things. One of the many things that it means. There are times when some people will say, how evil, how wicked of the father to give his son up to death, right? That seems so cruel, seems so heartless that the father would be willing to sacrifice his son. Well, what we know is that, here, think about this, it says, he willed humanly in obedience to his father, all that he had decided divinely with the father, and the Holy Spirit for our salvation. So this is not the father,

you know, on his own, sending the son to die for the sins of humanity. This is the father, son, and Holy Spirit. United, united in this purpose, united in this mission, that the father is sending the son, of course. I mean, John chapter 3, verse 16, God gave his only,

he so loved the world that he gave his only son. But there is the son who goes forth, willingly. Here is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who decided divinely with each other for our salvation. Again, so just keep that in mind. That's powerful, powerful to recognize that in his human will, in his human intellect, Christ submitted not only to his father, but to everything that he had decided divinely with the Father and the Holy Spirit for our salvation, which is remarkable, incredible. We also talked about Christ's true body, right, so that in assuming a true humanity, Christ's body was finite, therefore the human face of Jesus can be portrayed. And in this

last line here of paragraph 477. It says this, he has made the features of his human body his own. So that's what he really looks like. That's to the point that they can be venerated when portrayed in a holy image. And this is a quote from the second counsel of Nicaea. For the believer who venerates the icon is venerating in it the person of the one depicted. Right. So look at an image, a statue, an icon or a painting of a saint, or in this case, of Jesus. If we were to light a candle and front of that kind of thing. We're not worshipping the image. We're not bowing down before the image. It's venerating the icon or venerating the image in order to, in our human bodies, in our time, to venerate in it the person of the one depicted. Right. So in this, we recognize that we're not

worshiping a statue of Jesus or we're not worshiping an image icon painting of Jesus. But it expresses a deeper and more profound reality. It's kind of like, I don't know, have you ever done this, but maybe you have a photograph of your child or a photograph of your sweetheart, whatever this is. And someone you have a lot of affection for. And there might be times when, you know, you just, you miss them, you're praying for them. Maybe just give that image a kiss. Now, you don't, again, if you've ever done that, you'd be like, wait, so weird. It's not weird. It's very normal. I'm telling you this right now. You know you're not kissing the person. And you're not saying, this is, as I'm kissing this photograph, I'm kissing this image, this is them.

He said, no, it's a reminder. It's an expression of something in time of just, yeah, what your heart, the one your heart loves, right, the one your heart longs for. You know, similarly, that last paragraph, or last little section here, paragraph 478, about the heart of the incarnate word, the one your heart longs for. I just want to go back and, man, pray with this. Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony, and his passion, and gave himself up for each one of us.

Think about this. Isn't that incredible? And again, this massive mystery of the divine intellect of God with the human intellect of God. But Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony, and his passion. without exception. That's the last line of this paragraph. This is, his heart is considered the chief sign and symbol of that love with which the divine redeemer continually loves the eternal father and all human beings without exception. You're not disqualified.

God loves the father. Jesus, it's the son of God. Jesus Christ loves the father and all human beings without exception. He's loved this all with a human heart. And to think about this. He knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his passion and gave himself up for each one of us. That before we even came into being, Jesus loved you as he walked this earth. Jesus loved you in his suffering, his agony. Jesus loved you in the midst of his passion. And he gave himself up for you. That's why I love this St. Paul's letter to the Galatians chapter 2, verse 20, where he writes, The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. Remember, Paul never met Jesus during his earthly life, during Christ's earthly life, that we know of at least,

that Paul did not encounter Jesus that we know of until his road to Damascus. But yet, Paul can say, but the Son of God loved me and gave himself for me. See, when we encounter this love, it becomes intensely personal. When we encounter this love, it is not something we just read about in a book that, yeah, God kind of sort of loves all of us. Like, no. St. Paul was able to say, actually, what he did in his passion, in his agony, what he did on the cross, he did for me. That Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony, and his passion, and gave himself up for each one of us. He has loved us all with a human heart. This is just incredible. As I've said many times, I'll say again,

the question of course is not whether or not God loves us. And even later the question might be, how do we love him back? But the first question is, does he have your permission to love you? He already loves you. Does he have your permission that you let him love you? Today,

after just finishing up this episode today of the Catechism in the year, does God have your permission to love you? He has loved us all with a human heart without exception. And that's just incredible. I just invite you and I invite myself to, if I get done with this, I'm just going to pray with this and just ask,

Jesus, help me. Help me to let you love me because you have loved me and you gave yourself up for me and for everyone listening. You love them and you have given yourself up for them. So Father, I pray for them right now. Jesus, I pray for them right now.

You guys, I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.