Bible in a year

“The Bible in a Year” podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz is one of our favorite resources for a few reasons.

What we like:

First, it is free and portable. We have listened on the way to work, while driving the kids to soccer practice, at home, on vacation- anywhere!

Second, it is all-in-one. Fr. Mike reads the Scriptures first and then offers his reflections. This means there is no homework involved, because all of the content happens live on the podcast. His reflections are extremely practical and unfold the authentic relationships between Church teaching and the Scriptures. Fr. Mike also does not shy away from tough passages and the reality of brokenness throughout the history of God’s people.

Third, this podcast is beneficial at all stages of discipleship. It places Scripture passages into their larger context within the whole of the Bible. The commentary is conversational enough to be an introductory overview to the Bible, but also detailed enough to be intellectually stimulating for someone who is already a committed disciple of Jesus.

Who it serves:

This podcast is an excellent resource for individual reflection and small group reflection. As we mentioned, the content is accessible to individuals beginning their exploration of the Bible and Catholicism, and also meaty enough for someone who is already active in his/her faith. This is a daily podcast, so when using it for a small group, we listened to the podcasts independently and discussed seven of them once a week.

In all honestly, we took the “The Bible in Two Years” route, because we fell behind on our first attempt. But, do not let that discourage you! Committing to “The Bible in a Year” is a great way to find accountability in building daily prayer into your life. We still refer back to individual episodes and even include specific podcasts in our study tracks as suggested further reading. Check it out on Spotify, YouTube, Apple podcasts, or wherever you choose to listen!