Growing Through the Motions:
Living Your Faith with Intention
Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection
ISBN 9781954882980
eISBN 9781954882997
This is the seventh of 8 volumes currently available in the ‘Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection’, that I have read, and it is amazing! Over the last several years I have read and listened to a lot of Father Mike Schmitz’s offerings. This is one of 2 new volumes introduced in 2024. The first four volumes seem to have had eBook releases in 2022 in a series called ‘The Curious Catholic’. They were then rebranded and rereleased in the fall of 2023 as ‘The Sunday Homilies with Fr Mike Schmitz Collection’. I believe there were four in the original collection and there are now 8 in the new editions released late in 2023 and early 2024, with this being the eighth volume. It is hard tracking down all the works published by Father Mike as they are published under a few variations of his name:
Mike Schmitz
Fr Mike Schmitz
Father Mike Schmitz
and even
Michael Schmitz
But back to this volume. The description of this book states:
“"Live out your Catholic Faith with meaning and intentionality everyday.
When doing something over and over again, it can be easy to lose the meaning behind our actions and simply go through the motions.
For instance, the Mass—which is an incredible encounter with the Lord where he becomes bread and wine in front of our eyes—can become familiar and, at times, boring to us.
Thankfully, we have a Church that reminds us of the purpose and meaning behind each action of our Faith, and these actions allow Catholics to grow in a deeper relationship with the Lord through their small everyday tasks.
Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Growing Through the Motions: Living Your Faith with Intention shows Catholics how to seek meaningful connection with God in everything they do, including the Liturgy.
This new addition to The Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz Collection takes the homilies from Fr. Mike’s recent series and transforms them into an easy-to-read and easy-to-digest booklet.
In 4 short chapters, this booklet shows readers how to:
Embrace and find meaning in the obligations of their Faith
Understand the ‘why’ behind the motions of the Mass
Strengthen their Faith in their daily lives
Find purpose in the spiritual practices they participate in
And more!
Complete with thought-provoking questions, prayerful meditations, and real-life challenges after each chapter, this booklet is perfect for individual devotion or group study.”
The chapters in this volume are:
Welcome to The Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz Collection
Chapter 1: Passion or Duty?
Chapter 2: Start with Why
Chapter 3: Full Range of Motion
Chapter 4: Busy or Productive?
Notes
We are informed that this booklet and I assume the others in the series as well are adapted from a series of Homilies given by Fr. Mike Schmitz. It would be nice if there was a list of the homilies so we could go back and listen to them either in the podcast, youtube, or now even the Ascension App. The welcome message in the booklet states:
“Each booklet in this series has been created to invite Catholics to grow closer to God through reflections from Fr. Mike.
These booklets are short and relatable, with features that will help you apply what you read to your own life.
Quotes and Bible verses throughout the booklets will help you zero in on the key points.
Questions after each section prompt you to reflect and help you to dive deeper into the topic being presented. We recommend that you pray or journal with these questions as you make connections to your everyday life. (They also make great prompts for small group discussion, while keeping in mind that not everyone in your group may feel comfortable answering those of a more personal nature.)
Meditations are provided after each reflection to help you take the topic directly into prayer. We recommend setting aside some time after each chapter to read the meditation and pray or journal with it.
Each reflection ends with a challenge to put what you have learned into action. These challenges invite you to enter into prayer, serve others, make a resolution for the week, and more.
It is our sincere hope The Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz Collection helps you along the way in your journey toward holiness. May God bless you!”
A sample Reflect, Pray and Act section from the end of the second chapter is:
“REFLECT
Maintaining “functional movement” is as important for your faith as it is for your health. What are some practical ways you can exercise and strengthen your faith in your daily life?
The Greek philosopher Archilochus said, “We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but we fall to the level of our training.” Reflect on the “training” you have received in your faith. In a time of crisis, what might “falling back on your training” look like for you?
Have you ever experienced the strength of someone else’s support during a time of suffering? Discuss ways that you can support your friends and loved ones when the need arises.
This chapter connects the goals of spiritual commitment, consistency, and companionship to the stories of college students, a man at church, and Moses in the Old Testament. Think of three people in your own life who accomplish these goals and consider how you can apply their examples to your faith journey.
PRAY
In order to grow through the motions, you must make them a regular part of your life. We achieve this through commitment, consistency, and companionship. However, this is not always easy to do. Thankfully, you are not alone in this life. In fact, because the motions are what enable you to live in intimacy with God, he is eager to help and guide you.
As you begin your time of prayer, remember that though God wants you to have a full range of motion, he is also capable of working within the range of motion you currently have. Your ability to commit, be consistent, and find faithful companions might be limited. He understands and wants to work with you where you are. Spend time sitting with the Lord, letting him show you how you can move forward in these areas.
ACT III
Find a church that offers daily Mass or Adoration at a time that works for you and commit to attending for three consecutive weeks. That’s three separate occasions. If possible, find a “buddy” to go with you.”
Each of the chapters has a section like that at the end. Some are longer and some are shorter. While reading this volume I highlighted a number of passages. Some of them are:
“When we are given a duty—something we have to do—what is our usual response? What’s our attitude when we’re obliged to do something?”
“We will do what is asked of us, but only by going through the motions. How much of our life is spent just going through the motions?”
“When it comes to faith, our attitude toward so much of what we do is often, “I have to be here, I know I’m obliged.” We know it’s our duty, and so we end up going through the motions. This can become the thing that defines our relationship with God, and we end up stuck. Have you ever felt this way when it comes to your faith?”
“We sometimes feel this way when we come to Mass. Everything we do at Mass has a point. It is all supposed to mean something, but most of the time, we do it simply because it is our duty. We have no idea what it means. Just imagine how different our worship at Mass could be if we realized the meaning.”
“But faith is not a thing. Faith is trust. Faith is trust in another, which means that you can’t hold onto it—it is a relationship.”
“The same is true for so many of us. We might peak at one point, but then we realize that we’re stuck. This is not because we aren’t going through the motions, but because we’re not growing through the motions. It’s not about passion or duty. We grow when we show up and go through the motions and put our whole heart into it.”
“A lot of times, the only reason we show up anywhere is because we feel that we are supposed to. We spend so much of our lives doing “the next thing.””
“The problem is that we can live our entire lives like this. We can spend a lifetime just showing up and doing what we know how to do. Ultimately, we may not know why we are in a certain job or relationship beyond the reason that at the time, it just made sense. It was the next thing to do.”
“At Mass, it is really easy to believe that we are simply going through the motions. Every Sunday, we walk in, we genuflect, and we make the Sign of the Cross. When we hear, “The Lord be with you,” we know what to say. We know what to do and how to do it.”
“That’s why this book is called Growing Through the Motions. This is what we have to do. Otherwise, our daily routines can feel empty, meaningless, and mundane.”
“The motions work. In fact, they are necessary. Without them, we can’t grow.”
“I wonder how many of us believe that greatness is possible. How many of us truly believe that God wants greatness out of us? How many of us really believe that God wants us to be saints? And not only that, but that it is possible for us to be saints?”
“Lastly, when you show up to Mass every Sunday, it can feel like you’re simply going through the motions. But if you have a why—if you find a reason for all of this, I’m telling you—I’m promising you—that going to confession and Mass will never again feel like you’re just going through the motions.”
“Here’s a “why.” I go to confession because I know it heals me, and so my “why” is that I want to be healed. Or maybe I go to Mass because I know that it gives me life, and so my “why” is I that want to be filled. Maybe I go to both confession and Mass because I want to be holy. All of these reasons are good. To want to be healed, to want to be filled, and to want to be holy are all really good “whys.””
“Come to Jesus in the sacraments—because the goal is him, and the “why” is love.”
“We are asked to come to Jesus in the sacraments. He asks us to come to confession. He asks us to come to Mass. And we show up, and we do what we know how to do. We do it in a familiar way. But our “why” has to be a “who.” I have to be there because Jesus wants me there.”
“In this chapter, we will highlight the importance of not just going through the motions at certain times or in certain seasons. We need to be able to go through the motions in every season. Another way to say this is that we need to have a full range of motion.”
“Think about how much easier it is to be kind, patient, and generous with strangers than with your family. Sometimes, spending time with your family serves as a reminder that you are not as patient or as generous as you thought. Because, out in the world, you get to be generous and patient when you want to be. At home, you often need to be generous and patient even when you don’t want to be.”
“In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus stresses the importance of being able to pray without growing weary (Luke 18: 1–8). How do we do this? I think the answer is that we pray even when we’re weary. How do we become capable of praying in every season? We pray in this season.”
“We don’t rise to the challenge, but we fall to the level of our training, the level of our preparation. This means if I want to pray in all seasons, I need to start by praying in this season. It means if I want a full range of motion, I have to go through the motions now. It starts today. We get ready for then by acting now.”
“I think we can strive for three goals: commitment, consistency, and companionship.”
“We can only have a full range of motion if we make the commitment ahead of time and actually show up.”
“Remember what St. Paul said to Timothy? Do the things you were taught, do the things that you learned, do the things that you believe.”
“The only way we can be there in someone’s worst season is if we learn how to show up in every season. We can only be there if we train ourselves to go through the motions, and grow through the motions, so that we can have full range of motion in every season.”
“If you look around our world, everybody seems to be busy. Here’s the thing: everybody is busy, but not everybody is productive. It’s not the same thing.”
“The reason we are doing these things—the reason we go to Mass—is because Jesus himself asked us to go. Every time we say yes to this invitation, we are saying yes to him. And we are not only going through the motions, but we are also growing in our ability to love. Every time we attend Mass, we are exercising love.”
“I become able to go through the motions in any season when I show up in every season. We can grow. We say yes to the Lord. He is our “why,” and our “why” is a “who.” We can attend Mass and practice our faith because we believe that repeated actions are amplified over time. Over time, they have a compounding effect.”
“When it comes to prayer, we do the same thing every time. When you go to Mass, you know what’s coming. One of the many reasons for this is because repeated actions are amplified over time. This means that we can focus past the actions—we don’t have to think about the actions anymore but can see past them to the heart of what we are really doing.”
“We also have to be real with ourselves: maybe I’m doing things right, but am I doing the right things? Even if I’m showing up, even if I’m efficient, am I doing the things that matter?”
“He goes on to say, “Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.” Why? Because everyone is busy, but not everyone is productive. Everyone is capable of being efficient, but not all of us know what it means to be effective.”
“We are called to work hard. But there is nothing so worthless as working hard on the wrong things.”
“We can only avoid self-condemnation when we know our brokenness and know Jesus’ mercy.”
“Because I don’t want to just be busy, I want to be productive. I want to be effective. I don’t just want to do things right; I want to do the right things.”
“This chapter emphasizes the distinction between doing things right and doing the right things. How do you discern what actions align with God’s will and purpose for your life?”
I really hope those few quotes give you a feel for this volume. This book really hit home for me. To be honest I think it is the best in the series yet. I read this while away on a silent retreat and so much that was in this volume echoed the reflections and meditations of the retreat. It is a volume I hope all three of my teenagers will read. And it is a book I wish was around when I was a teen or young adult, I would have greatly benefited from reading it.
This is another really powerful little volume. It is one I will likely return to again and read again and again. When I was in university, I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, there was a series of booklets by the founder Bill Bright, called Transferable Concepts, and by reading them many times you could almost memorize them and the message so that you could share it. This volume reminds me a lot of those books, but specifically geared for Catholics. To be honest any Christian would benefit from reading this book.
This is another excellent resource from Fr Mike, I have used his Bible in a Year Companions, and am currently using the Catechism in a Year Companion and read some of his other offerings. What I love about this book and this new collection is you can pick and choose. Read a booklet from beginning to end or jump around and read the different topics as you are inspired, or as they seem relevant. Because they are based on Father Mike’s actual homilies the text flows well, is engaging and keeps your attention. They would be great to work through as a group study or for personal reading, reflection, or spiritual reading.
I can easily recommend this volume and look forward to reading others in the set. It is another great resource from Father Mike and Ascension. An excellent resource for any Catholic or even any Christian!
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books By Father Mike Schmitz:
Made for Love: Same-Sex Attraction and the Catholic Church
The Sunday Homilies:
Set Apart: Living for Heaven Here on Earth
…
Contributed to:
Pray, Decide, and Don't Worry: Five Steps to Discerning God's Will
Don't Be Afraid to Say Yes to God! Pope Francis Speaks to Young People
…
Audio Talks by Father Mike Schmitz:
Living Life by Design, Not by Default
Love - Sacrifice - Trust He Showed Us the Way
From Love, By Love, For Love
True Worship
The Four Last Things
Jesus Is …
Changed Forever - The Sacrament of Baptism
We Must Go Out - The Sacrament of Confirmation
…
