My Message For All Catholics (w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Mike Schmitz· Host0:00

Hallelujah. Easter, He is risen. Hi, my name's Father Mike Schmitz and this is Ascension Presents. So this last Easter, we had a, I don't wanna say unprecedented number of people coming into the Church, um, but we had a, an incredible number of people coming into the Church. It's just really remarkable. Not, not only here up in northern Minnesota, but across the country. There are so many people who have heard the call of Jesus Christ and, and found that no, Jesus, who truly is God, risen from the dead, hallelujah. Easter, He is risen, also established a church, and that Christ invites all of us to be part of His church, His, His Holy Catholic Church. And so, so many people said yes. Now, here's an interesting thing. I find this sometimes is the case. I will encounter a lot of our students, sometimes up here in Duluth, out on campus, a lot of our students who will have read their way into the Church. I would say this, there's maybe three routes, maybe four routes. Sometimes we have, uh, students up here who have read their way into the Church. They've studied everything, and we say, "Hey, come to OCIA." And they're like, "Listen, Father, I could actually teach your class for you. I've been ri- I've been studying this enough." And actually, they could, so next year we sh- probably should invite them to teach. Why would they still have to go through the process? Why would they still have to be invited into OCIA? Part of it is because of this. I can read my way into the Church, but then it's sanitary. Does that make sense? I can say, "No, this, these are the truths. The Catholic Church is true. It teaches truth. The Bible is true." But it can often be very, uh, sanitary in the sense of it is based off of this truth,