Stop Keeping Score with God (March 14, 2026)

Welcome to The Daily Catholic Deep Dive, the daily show that connects the dots between the Bible, the Catechism, and the Catholic life.

Ever wonder what the hidden connection is between today's Old and New Testament readings? Or how the central theme of The Bible in a Year aligns with The Catechism in a Year? We even look at how the daily Rosary meditation and the Saint of the Day tie it all together.

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Today’s Sources:

• Daily Readings - March 14, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Hosea 6:1-6; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab; Gospel: Luke 18:9-14),,,

• Day 73: Inheritance of Land — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Numbers 26, Deuteronomy 27, Psalm 111),,

• Day 73: Christ’s Life Is Mystery — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 512–521),

• March 14, 2026 | Catholic Daily Reflections | Formed (with Tim Gray)

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Daily Catholic Deep Dive. We're here to connect the dots between the Bible, the Catechism, and your daily life. Every day we go over the daily mass readings, Father Mike Schmitz's Bible in a year, and Catechism in a year, plus other popular Catholic podcasts and videos released today we find interesting. If you feel a bit overwhelmed by all the daily Catholic listening, don't worry. We are here to find that one golden thread that ties it all together. Let's dive in. Today is March 14th, 2026.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Yeah, and uh we have a pretty amazing menu today, actually. We're looking at the book of Hosea, the Gospel of Luke, day 73 of both Bible in a year and catechism in a year, and you know, topped off with Dr. Tim Gray's Daily Reflection.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Right. So a lot of ground to cover, but there is this really uncomfortable tension running through all of it today.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Oh, for sure. It's this whole question of like why do we insist on keeping score with God?

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yes. Yeah. Like imagine walking up to the gates of heaven and just pulling out a, you know, a laminated resume of every good deed you've ever done.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

And just expecting God to be impressed.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Exactly. I mean, it sounds ridiculous, but it's totally our default setting.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Aaron Powell It really is. It's this ingrained human reflex, right? Yeah. We want a measurable metric for goodness. And we see God calling this out right away in the first reading today.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

From Hosea.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Right, from Hosea chapter six, verses one to six. God bluntly tells the Israelites that he desires knowledge of him rather than burnt offerings. Which is huge. Yeah, because the context there is crucial. He's looking at people who think they can essentially um buy him off, like they can manage him with external sacrifices while totally ignoring an actual relationship.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Aaron Powell And that transactional mindset is exactly what Jesus dismantles in today's gospel, which is from Luke chapter 18, verses 9 to 14.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Aaron Powell The Pharisee and the tax collector.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Yes. The famous parable. When you read it, the Pharisee is literally that guy with the laminated spiritual resume.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Oh, yeah, completely.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

He's standing there saying, you know, look at my bullet points. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes. I'm not like that criminal over there.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

While the tax collector is just he approaches God with the desperate humility of someone trying to repair a completely broken relationship.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

And Dr. Tim Gray pointed out something brilliant about that dynamic in his daily reflection today. If you listen closely to the Pharisee's prayer, he is actually just thanking God for his own accomplishments.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Wow. It's almost like self-worship.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

It borders on it, yeah. He thinks he's justifying himself just by, you know, counting up his deeds. But the tax collector relies entirely on what God does. He's asking for mercy, not a performance review.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Not a performance review. I like that. Okay, let's look at this whole idea of counting, because on day 73 of Bible in a year, we hit Numbers chapter 26.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

The big census.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Right. It is literally a massive census. They are counting up the fighting men of Israel to divide up the promised land.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

Now, I have to admit, this uh this confused me at first. I mean, if the Israelites get physical land based entirely on their sheer numbers, isn't that just a real estate version of the Pharisee counting his good deeds?

SPEAKER_00 3:02

That is a great point.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Like, where is the grace in a system that rewards you just for being a bigger tribe?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Yeah, it's a fair question. And I mean, it certainly looks purely transactional on the surface, but the grace is actually hidden in the tribe that isn't counted for land.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

The Levites.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Exactly, the Levites. They get absolutely no physical inheritance, like no borders of their own, because God is their inheritance.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Wait, so they basically drew the short straw. It sounds like they're the interns of the twelve tribes doing all the heavy lifting in the temple for free while everyone else gets beachfront property.

SPEAKER_00 3:37

I mean, it looks like a raw deal materially, sure, but spiritually, it's the ultimate privilege. They are forced to rely entirely on God for their survival.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

Just like the tax collector.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Exactly. Much like the tax collector. And this reliance of the Levites isn't just an old testament history lesson. It's actually a preview of what Jesus executes perfectly.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Which Father Mike breaks down on day 73 of Catechism in a Year.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

Right. And when he talks about the mystery of recapitulation.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Recapitulation, such a big word. But Father Mike explains it essentially means Jesus is redoing the human test that we failed.

SPEAKER_00 4:13

He is. But the mechanism of how that works is what's so powerful. Jesus isn't just taking the test in our place to, you know, fix a failing grade on some cosmic ledger.

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Right. It's not just a paperwork fix.

SPEAKER_00 4:26

No, by living a life of perfect reliance on the Father, where we historically relied on ourselves and rebelled, he is literally altering human nature.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

He creates a new blueprint for humanity that we can actually tap into.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

That ties right into that profound quote Father Mike shared from Dr. Michael Barber.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Oh, yeah, the one about salvation.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Yes. He said salvation isn't just about avoiding damnation, it's being, quote, saved from being unchrist-like.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

That's so good.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Right. The goal isn't just a change of address to heaven, it's a fundamental change of heart.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Which brings us back to Dr. Tim Gray's warning from Hosea today. Our piety can easily become like the morning mist.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

Here today, gone tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

Exactly. It looks beautiful at dawn, but just evaporates the second the heat of the day hits. So it challenges us to really look at how we approach our faith.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Are we striving to truly know him or just checking boxes to feel safe?

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Yeah. When you step into your prayer life today, are you going to present God with a census of your good deeds, or are you going to humbly ask him to make you more Christ-like?

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Think about that spiritual resume and maybe just throw it away.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

Yeah. Which leaves us with one final thought, actually. If your spiritual resume was suddenly erased tomorrow like, no record of your tithes, your fasts, or your good deeds, would you still trust that God loves you enough to let you in?

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Man. Something that you want.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Truly.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

That's our deep dive for today. We hope this helped you see the big picture. If you enjoyed this content, please remember to subscribe to the show or support our mission through the link in the description. God bless.