Fr. Mike Schmitz Keynote | SEEK24 | Take One Step

a man had two sons and the younger son said to his father father give me the share of The Inheritance that should come to me so his father gave it to him after a few days he took his inheritance and departed to a distant country where he spent his inheritance on a life of dissipation when he had freely spent everything a severe famine struck that land and he was left in dire need he hired himself about to one of the local farmers to tend his swine and he longed to fill his stomach on the pods in which the swine fed but nobody gave him any coming to his senses he thought how many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food eat here I am dying of hunger he said to himself this is what I'll do I'll get up and I'll go to my father and I'll say to my father father I've sinned against Heaven against you I no longer deserve to be called your son treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers so he got up and went off while he was still a long way off his father caught sight of him and filled with compassion he ran to his son embraced him and kissed him his son said father I've sinned against heaven and against you I no longer deserve to be called your son but his father said quickly kep the finest robe and put it on him put a ring on his finger in sandals on his feet then Slaughter the fatten calf and we must have a feast because this son of mine was dead and now he's alive he was lost and he's been found then the celebration began meanwhile his older son was coming in from the field and when he heard the sounds of the celebration he inquired to one of his one of the servants what it meant and the servant said to him your brother has returned and so your father has slaughtered the fatten calf because he has him back safe and sound he became angry and when he refused to go inside his father came out to him and pleaded with him his son said to himl all these years I have slaved for you and never once did I disobey your orders yet when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes for him you Slaughter the fattened calf his father said to him my son you're with me always everything I have is yours but now we must celebrate and rejoice because your brother was dead and now he's alive he was lost and now he's found so the year after I graduated college which was like a thousand years ago um I was I was I was dating this girl we've been dating for like two two and a half years at this point and we're on this road trip we're were going to see my family and you know I I don't know if you have this happen in your life where where you go on a road trip and maybe you're dating somebody and then that's where all like the big questions come up the big topics come up the big conversations happen and one point this is like I don't know how many days into this road trip that we're on and she said she got really serious and she said is it can I ask us a big question and I was like sure yeah let's go and she's like no no no like this is like kind of a really serious question and I'm like yeah of course ask it and I'm getting nervous right now she's like I really want to ask you a serious question like no please just go I'm driving along she said okay ah she's all nervous she's like so how come you never talk about your dad's heart attack I looked at her I was like my dad had a heart attack she's like yeah I'm like when when do you she's like I don't know like you were he was like in his 30s so my I was my dad was 31 when I was born so at some point between me being zero and me being 9 years old my dad had a heart attack and nobody told me I was like are you they told my girlfriend but nobody told me like and it makes it makes my my dad was a physician and so it makes sense I I remember vaguely after she told me this I remember vaguely like I did visit him in the hospital but that's where he worked like I don't I didn't know the difference it was crazy I was like okay yeah D he got this heart attack in his 30s which is crazy because my dad is like super fit my dad is like doctor endurance like right so growing up he did so many marathons like all my siblings all the family have to do an Iron Man Triathlon in order to stay in the family um my my dad didn't more than all of us like I remember uh the way he lived his life too like he orthopedic surgeon so he he would work until like come home at like 8:00 eat some supper probably get called back into the hospital at 9 o'clock 10 o'clock go to the O be there until midnight sleep for 4 hours get up and run 9 miles like that was his life all of the time I remember asking him like you know why where's this drive to run all the time come from and I don't know if this is true but he once said that when he was 15 years old he had scarlet fever you know thing about scarlet fever is it's it's deadly especially how old he is and all back in the day it was like in the 1300s and uh he's actually he was he was in medical school with hres it was the whole thing but uh he has SC the fever and he he talked about how how um he had to sit in bed or on a couch for 6 months he couldn't hardly move at all and so his parents put this like couch out on their screened in front porch and he he talks about how as a 15-year-old boy as 15 guys imagine this as a 15-year-old boy all he could do all day is just sit on this couch and watch as kids bike by and played and ran by and he said he just he wanted everything in him he just wanted to run and so when he finally got better that's what he's that's what he did and that's what he's been doing in fact just the other day so I'm a little under the weather my niece is under the weather my dad is the one who probably is he's patient zero because all throughout Christmas he's just sniffling and coughing and whatever he texted me two days ago I said Dad how are you feeling he says great went for a run this morning he's 80 years old so this guy doesn't stop stop running even though when he was in his late 50s he had his second heart attack and that one I did know about because I remember they went to the hospital and and my mom and my sister who's a phys physician they went into the doctor with him and uh and the doctor said okay so you know Dr schmidtz uh do you have any history of heart problems my dad's like um nope my mom says Pete the heart attack you had in your 30s oh yeah yeah yeah I had a heart attack once okay he's like all right um do you have any family history of heart issues no none my mom my sister said dad your your mom died of a heart attack oh yeah yeah my mom she died of a heart attack my mom chips in and she's like and your father had heart failure oh yeah yeah had that too and the doctor's like how did you get to medical school like this crazy my dad like the thing is my dad he did all the things he did all of the things you should do to have a good heart he did all the things you should do he took all the steps the problem is he inherited a broken heart no matter how far he ran no matter get how many steps he took my had inherited a broken heart and so have I and so have you and the reality is no matter how much we run no matter how much we do no matter how many steps we take in this life none of those steps will hear your heal your broken heart at some point that heart is going to stop beating let's talk about that for a second at one point your heart is going to stop beating you're like why father talk about death because I don't know if you heard the LA latest statistic is that the human mortality rate can continues to hover roughly around 100% so this is going to happen imagine imagine that moment actually no like the moment imagine the moment after that moment imagine the moment that here you're dead now and you're standing before the Gates of Heaven and they ask you a question they just say why should we let you in like what's your answer a lot of us well I I'm I'm good I'm a good person I keep the Commandments I went to seek 24 like um I I I go to Sunday mass like I let a Bible study for crying out loud like I I talked to people they came to Jesus that's great um I didn't hurt too many people I didn't kill anyone okay that's congratulations the same time you realize this that none of those are the right answers even after all that work even after all those steps you and I will still have a broken heart scripture says that right scripture says all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and not only that but even if so many of us who say we're a good person are we really what if you're not what if I'm not I honestly what if I'm not a good person what if I am someone who's hurt someone what what if I'm not someone who shows up and praise regularly what if I actually what if I actually am someone what if I actually have killed someone here's the question then what what kind of steps can I take what if I'm not a good person what kind of steps can I take then you guys this is what we just heard Dr s talk about this is the good news what we heard monor Shay talk about last night this is the great news is that every one of us we've all sin and fallen short of the glory of God and yet he still wants you that's crazy I love what St Paul wrote to the Romans he said this he said he said you know for a good person for someone who's who's who's who's who is that kind of heroic person for some who is that kind of kind and nice person you might find someone who's courageous enough to die but then he says but God proves his love for us in that while we were still Sinners while our hearts were still just torn apart while we were still broken while we were still as enemies that's when Christ died for us that's the because that's the reality is that who's taken the steps you don't need to take the steps God has taken all the steps Jesus Christ has taken all the steps in fact he can't go any further he couldn't take any more steps even if he wanted to think about the think about the incredible immeasurable infinite number of steps that God took to leave heaven to be in the womb of Mary to be born in a cave you realize that when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River I don't know if you know this but geologically or geographically or somewhere metaphysically that is that's the lowest spot on the face of the Earth where the Jordan River enters Into the Dead Sea where Jesus was baptized he went as low as possible on the cross Jesus let he let them take everything from him they took his free by nailing his hands to the Cross they took his independence be nailing his feet to the Cross they took his dignity by stripping his clothes off of him they covered him with shame and he gladly accepted it because why because he will not limit the number of steps he's willing to take for you in fact we know this after he dies where does he go he goes literally all the way to sh all the way to hell why because there's not any number of steps that Jesus won't take for you he's taking all the steps cuz he's he's loved you when you're unlovable he wants you when you're unwanted he won't give up on you when you've even given up on yourself and this is I wasn't going to tell a story but I'll tell it now I don't know run out of time it's going to be fun fine oh there's a man I know I've known him ever since I was born he has four kids three girls and a boy I'm the Godfather of his third daughter he recently just retired uh his first career he's 40 50 years old just recently tired after serving our country for a bunch of bunch of years for a quarter of a century he served our country and now he's done a second second second uh career and someone asked him they said so what are you going to do what's next what's the next career step and he said my plan is to make as much money as I possibly can before I die my plan my intention is to scale whatever I can do to make as much money as I possibly can before I die before you think that that's him being selfish him being greedy him being kind of just hungry after money he says because my third daughter my goddaughter is developmentally disabled and she will never be able to provide for herself ever ever so this man said for the rest of my life my task my one task is to make as much money as I possibly can so that if she lives till she's 90 years old every day she'll be cared for he's done the math I will need to make this much money in the next how many years to make sure that my beloved daughter who will never contribute to this world anything more than her presence she will never produce she'll never change anyone's life All Shall ever be is someone who gets to receive and this is the crazy thing you guys this whole week this whole week for so many great things so many incredible things about what it is to be Catholic so many incredible things about what it is to follow Jesus and of often times it becomes really complicated I don't know if you caught that yet where it's like I started writing notes I no put it away like I can't I can't figure out all this Catholicism thing it's too complicated here's the reality we make it complicated it's not complicated everything we believe everything that Jesus has done for us everything God wants for you comes down to one question I want to say this really simply you guys I read the two books I know everything that it is to be Catholic comes down to one question and that one question is this does God have your permission to love you as you are see a lot of times we say well yeah of course God can love me I mean but he can love me later yeah God can love me he love me when I'm better he can love me when I'm fixed he love me when I'm when I'm whole he can love me when I don't have a broken heart anymore he can love me when I'm Holier he can love me after my New Year's eeve New Year's resolutions kick in like he can love me at some point in the future but the question is not that the question is not will you give God permission to love you at some point the question is will you give God permission to love you right now because it's only you right now that he wants to love it's only you right now that he can love he has taken every step that he possibly can to get to your heart except for one there's only one step left you know the younger son and the older son they're so different from each other but they're exactly like us I love this moment the younger son realizes he came to himself and he realized how many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat here's what I shall do that moment that's the moment here's what I'm going to do I'll get up and go to my father that step is so important now here's why it's important when the son comes the you I don't know if you realize this but in the parable of the prodical son when he asks his father for The Inheritance some people say that he's B saying Dad I can't wait for you to die give me the money now that's not wrong but there's even a worse insult that he gives to his father where he says after a few days he departed for a distant country what's he saying there what he's saying in that moment is I don't want anything to do with you I'm leaving the family land I'm leaving the family I don't want to be associated with you at all I'm going to a distant country where no one knows you and all they know is me in that moment when he gets up and he walks back to his father and he gives that speech I've sinned against heaven and against against you I no longer deserve to be called your son here's the big thing he's not being hard on himself he's telling the truth when he says I no longer deserve to be called your son he is telling the truth he has disqualified himself he has left his family he has left home and he regrets it what does the father do when he sees him what does the father do he runs he runs as fast as he can he runs as far as he can to his son because why because his son needs to be healed this is the reality for a lot of us tonight we need to be healed the father has he is in the son he has taken every step possible there's only one step left what we need is we need to be healed and what I'm praying for tonight is I'm praying for this that many of us experience this twofold Miracle the twofold miracle is this the twofold conviction the first conviction is I mean I need to be convicted of my sin I need to be convicted that I no longer deserve to be called his son anymore I need to be convicted that because of what I've done I'm guilty I'm praying that every one of us has that conviction that first miracle because that's a miracle it's a miracle of Grace I'm convicted that I don't actually deserve to be called his child anymore but I'm praying that every one of us experiences the second Miracle because we can't have the first one without the second one first one without the second one is really really horrible the second Miracle is to be convicted of his Mercy imagine to be convicted of no my sin I no longer deserve to be called your son but then convicted of his grace but you call me yours because this is what Mercy is that's what I want for every one of us tonight as we have the opportunity for reconciliation but here's the thing I don't want to go to reconciliation because like I don't know I don't have to admit that I'm broken you inherited a broken heart that's just the truth and you and I have done things that have hurt others and have hurt Our Father's Heart that's just the truth Mercy is the greatest form of love think about that Mercy is the biggest way God can love us if the question is does God have your permission to love you Mercy is the best way the biggest the deepest kind of love and here's the crazy thing in order to qualify ify for Mercy you have to first need Mercy Mercy is the love that we need the most but we deserve the least if you and I and I can I can I can tell you I can do this at any moment I can say gosh father I don't deserve this I don't deserve to be called your son but I also know my father's heart I know that he says but I want you to be healed Mercy for all of us tonight is the love that we need the most but we deserve the least so the question remains does God have your permission to do that tonight does he have your permission to heal you tonight because you have a broken heart will you let him do a miracle in your life tonight come before him and saying I need you you know the crazy thing is in this Parable the par whole Parable begins L Luke chapter 16 begins with Jesus saying he sees the Pharisees and he sees people resenting those people like us who have broken hearts and he says to them here's the parable because a lot of us here tonight are the older son a lot of us here tonight are the ones who I stayed home I didn't go out and do all the things I wanted to do that's what they did that's my roommate did that's what the person down the hallway did I didn't do any of those things like I was a good kid I was a church kid I lead a Bible study for crying out loud and now I'm mad about it I said yes to discipleship and now I resent it why cuz all these years I have slaved for you and I obeyed not one of your orders did they dis obey your orders but you didn't rejoice in me we have to look at our hearts right now the younger son he left home and regretted it the older son stayed home and resented it question we have to ask is am I one of the kids who stayed home now I'm mad about it pay attention to this when the father hears that the older son won't come in what does he do he takes steps he goes out to him and he begs him to come inside the younger son he regretted it and need to be needed to be healed the older son resented it and he needed to be held some of us here tonight that's what we need CU we're serving we're slaving we're working we're we're we're doing all the right things but we don't know what it is to be held by the father why because remember all of Catholicism all of Christianity comes down to one question does your father have your permission to love you as you are the father says son come in rejoice with us be part of the celebration I won't why because I do not give you permission to love me as I am again that leads us to this moment this moment is so important God has gone as far as he can one step remains your step your yes we get to the Gates of Heaven why should we let you in the only answer is because Jesus has died for me this is the only answer get to the Gates of Heaven why should we let you in because the son has died for me there's a second half to that because Jesus has died for me so now I live for him that's the answer why should we let you in because Jesus has taken all the steps and and I let him I just took one you know so often people when it comes to tonight we have a chancef for confession where we just get to say Jesus I'm going to let you heal me in adoration where we get to say Jesus I'm going to let you hold me that's it tonight we have these are two choices It's that or regret it's that a resentment it's either tonight Jesus heal me or Jesus hold me so often people say religion is a crutch that religion is a uh it's a straight jacket the religion is this thing that binds us actually you know it's interesting cuz the word religare religion actually means to bind I if you knew that so when someone says religion is a is is a straight jacket religion just binds us they're not wrong we're legare to bind here's the great great news though I need that you know the word sin comes from the German word Sund which means sunder when I sin I'm fractured when I sin I'm split when I sin I have a broken heart and so what do I need I need to be bound I need to be held I need to be healed tonight tonight there's only one step left unstepped will you let yourself be healed will you let yourself be held will you let yourself be loved Jesus has taken all the steps except this last step this one step this last step is all it takes and this last step is yours to take so I want you to pray with me if you don't mind if you're at the place right now you know so often again I don't know if I can live this life I don't know if I can follow after Jesus I don't know if I can I can do all this it's not impossible it's just one step it's just will you give God permission to love you as you are right now but there's these lies that come against us things to hold on to our heart and so I'm I'm ask you to pray with me right now prepare our heart Hearts to be healed or to prepare our hearts to be held in the Eucharist if you want mine to pray with me we're going to we're going to address some of the lies and just renounce them in the name of Jesus so I just invite you to repeat after me I'm I'm going to say something like in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unwanted I just want you to repeat that after me in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unwanted in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I am unwanted so often we have this this feeling this this this lie that's comeing against us that we're unloved in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unloved in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unloved we feel like we're not chosen everyone else has a friend everyone else wants to be wanted everyone else is has been selected but I'm not chosen in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I am not chosen or we can hear all this good news about how God is the father and the father loves you but we experience the spirit of fatherlessness and in our hearts the spirit of fatherlessness is that no I didn't run away from my father he wasn't there or he didn't care or I'm at my father's house and he doesn't care he doesn't see me I'm fatherless in the name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of fatherlessness or I feel like I'm disqualified I think that my sins are bigger than God's mercy in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I am disqualified or we believe that he doesn't see us he doesn't know us that he doesn't love us in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unseen Jesus I renounce the lie that I am unseen or unknown in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unknown or unloved in the name of Jesus I renounce the lie that I'm unloved know in this moment in the spirit of prayer I know that there's there's lies that come against your heart right now and in the quiet of your of your heart you can even whisper it out you can even say it out loud maybe there's a spirit of greed that you just like in the name of Jesus I anounce a spirit of greed maybe there's anger in your heart and just like in the name of Jesus I rounce a spirit of anger maybe there's a spirit of lust and you're like in the name of Jesus I rounce a spirit of lust maybe there's a sense of defeatism and like in the name of Jesus I anounced the spirit of defeatism whatever that is right now you know what's come against your heart you know the lies that have held you back from The Father's Love they hold you back from thinking that one step name that in your prayer right now just have it a moment of prayer the name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of anger name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of Doubt name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of cowardice name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of of of of suffering and pain of being meaningless in the name of Jesus right now it's a spirit of meaninglessness guys keep praying I'm just praying out loud for myself you guys pray for you in the name of Jesus Jesus I renounce that Spirit disappointment name of Jesus I now it's a spirit of loneliness name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of performance in the name of Jesus I renounce the spirit of accusation just pray those prayers now the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus name of Jesus now we pray we know that there's a father who's run to us we know that the son has gone as far as possible he's taken every step and now it's us up for us to take one step just one step of claiming in the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I'm wanted in the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I'm wanted that you are chosen in the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I am chosen in the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I am chosen that you are loved in the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I am loved the name of Jesus I claim the truth that I am loved in the name of Jesus I claim a spirit of power name of Jesus I claim the spirit of power in the name of Jesus I claim the Spirit of Courage name of Jesus I claim Spirit of Courage courage of self-control in the name of Jesus I claim the spirit of self-control and lastly all of us who have run away from the father or have stayed in the father's house we regret it or resent it take that one step and realize that I have a father I have a father I have a father in the name of Jesus I claim the spirit of adoption in the name of Jesus I claim that God is my father in the name of Jesus I claim that God is my father now and forever and always the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit [Music] amen

Channel: FOCUS Catholic

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Id: DY9cIf_c0eg

Length: 32min 49sec (1969 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 22 2024