But back to this volume. The description of this book states:
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
Have you ever collected anything? If you haven’t, what is something you might like to collect? Why?
Can you think of a recent experience where you decided not to do something because you didn’t think you were going to get anything out of it (going to class, going to Mass, getting together with family, prayer, etc.)? Did you regret not doing it?
Have you ever had a discussion with a non-Catholic about the question of “faith and works” and the differences between Catholics and many Protestants with regard to salvation? How did it go? If you were to have a discussion now, what would you emphasize or say?
Thinking about the basketball analogy, where does grace fit into your life? Do you try to do it all on your own, or do you let God help you? Are you letting his gift of grace pick you up and give you life? Are you letting go of the ball instead of keeping the gifts you’ve been given for yourself? Are you asking him to pick you up and to help you again?
Even in our most broken moments and deepest sufferings, through grace we still have something to give. Have you ever thought about how your sufferings can be an opportunity for self-giving rather than self-serving? What strikes you most about that?
Have you ever fallen into thinking that you’ll give when you have more, but not right now? What’s wrong with this way of thinking? How can we switch our mentality?
Pray
As you meditate on today’s chapter, be prepared to write down any answers you receive from God during your prayer. One of the beautiful things about life with Jesus is that he is always showing us how to be more like him—if we ask!
You may have heard that we are called to give Jesus (and the Church) our “time, talent, and treasure.” This is a clever way of saying everything—we need to give him our “all.” As we learned, God doesn’t need our help, but he wants us to join him in fulfilling his will. So ask the Holy Spirit today to show you how you can give the Lord more of your time, talent, and treasure.
Start by thinking in terms of more “ones”: one minute of service, one action where you use a talent you have been given, one dollar you can offer to God. Then, move on to “threes”: three minutes of service, three “talented” acts, three dollars given to God. Then, increase this to “fives.” The best way we can be saved from lifelessness is to live fully in Christ—by sharing this life with the corner of the world he has placed you in.
Act
Write down a list of the places you usually go to receive something. Then, ask God what you can offer in those places and write down the answers.”
Each of the chapters has a section like that at the end. Some longer some are shorter. While reading this volume I highlighted a number of passages. Some of them are:
“The question “Are you saved?” brings up another question: “Saved from what?””
“Salvation is not just about past forgiveness or a future hope of heaven. Have you ever thought of salvation as also being a part of your present, day-to-day life? Can you see it in your own life? In what ways?”
“In Christ, all of us have been saved from fatherlessness. Whatever the weaknesses and mistakes of your earthly father, your heavenly Father makes up for them. Whatever wounds your earthly father caused your heavenly Father can heal. Whatever love your earthly father lacked your heavenly Father will lavish upon you. In this prayer time, seek to enter into the presence of the perfect, loving Father you have always looked for. After spending quiet time with your heavenly Father, pray to him in the words Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven …””
“An ancient saint, St. Cyril of Alexandria, said this. Jesus took to himself our humanity so he could give us his divinity. Jesus took to himself our weakness so he could give us his strength. Jesus took to himself our brokenness and lowliness so he could give us his wholeness and make us like himself. He took our debt so he could give us his mercy.”
“Remember, the heart of salvation is being saved from being un-Christlike. Salvation is being saved not just from owing a debt but from walking through this world and not looking like God or living like God or loving like God.”
“It isn’t fair that you and I wake up every morning with all these pains in our hearts, but it also wasn’t fair that God was completely innocent and took upon himself for every single one of us our brokenness, our pains, our sufferings, our temptations. He took all of those into his own heart on purpose.”
“It’s not fair that it’s broken, but it’s also not fair that you’ve been made whole. Salvation is a gift. It’s undeserved. It’s unmerited. It’s unearned. It’s just given. Actually, that’s what the word “grace” means.”
“People who ask, “Are you saved?” often misunderstand what we believe as Catholics. Many times, they think that Catholics believe we work for our salvation. That’s not actually the case. Here’s what we believe about how salvation works: we believe that we are saved by grace through faith working itself out in love.”
“We are saved by grace through faith. Faith is our response to grace, which is just a yes to God. It’s an obedience to God working itself out in love. That’s the core, the whole heart of everything. It comes down to love.”
“You know the little action figures in packages that people collect, like Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker? Don’t be like an action figure that’s still in the box. God has been giving you his grace your entire life in order to save you from lifelessness—so use it.”
“When he extends that particular cross to you and you embrace it and rejoice in your sufferings for the salvation of the world, that’s actually his grace to you.”
“Realize the power of looking like the Son. The Son came to give his life as a ransom. Imagine this week being saved from lifelessness because you and I decided to show up and to ask, “Where can I give?” That is another way to say, “How, in this situation, can I look like Jesus?””
“Why do we put up walls and turn away from the sacraments? Because this gift of love has been wasted on us. We see it as a burden.”
“Jesus has saved you from sin, fatherlessness, hopelessness, lifelessness, and lovelessness. Ask him to help you live in a way that reflects the freedom he has won for you!”
I hope those few quotes give you a feel for this volume. This book a really great tool for Catholics; especially for dialogue with other Christians and even non-Christians.
This is another wonderful 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. But to be honest any Christian would benefit from reading this book.
This is another great 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 highly recommend this volume and look forward to reading others in the set. It is another great resource from Father Mike and Ascension. And at the time of this review volumes 7 and 8 have been announced in this series, we there are even more great resources from father Mike to track down. An excellent book for any Catholic!
