Episode

02/22/26 Autobiography: Co-Author

Podcast: Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz
Published: Feb 21, 2026
Duration seconds: 1456
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Summary

Your life is an unfolding autobiography shaped by every choice you make. This reflection explores how to stop writing your story in rebellion and start writing it with God as your co-author.

Topics

Lent
Identity
Free Will
Parable of the Prodigal Son
Spiritual Formation
Christianity
The Fall
Discipleship

Highlights

Main idea: Every sin is fundamentally an attempt to find happiness apart from God
Failure mode: Attempting to write your own life story without a co-author leads to identity crises and spiritual instability
Practical takeaway: Even when you lose your sense of self, you can find your way back by remembering God's character
Main idea: True agency involves taking decisive steps while remaining anchored in the Father's love
Practical takeaway: Use the season of Lent to intentionally re-establish God as the primary author of your next chapter

Chapters

1:00 The Temptation in the Wilderness: A reflection on Jesus' encounter with the devil and the power of God's word.
3:00 The Desire to Write: Exploring the universal human impulse to create and tell stories.
5:00 The Weight of Our Choices: How the way we live today determines the person we become in the future.
8:00 The Risk of Agency: Analyzing the moment of decision where we step into the unknown.
10:00 The Error of Independence: How the Fall represents the attempt to write a life story without God.
12:00 The Prodigal Son's Departure: Examining the desire to seek happiness and autonomy away from the Father.
22:00 Writing with a Co-Author: Learning from Jesus to embrace a mission that is aligned with the Father's will.