Stop Stealing Credit from God (May 4, 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 - May 4, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Acts 14:5-18; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 115:1-2, 3-4, 15-16; Gospel: John 14:21-26)

• Day 124: King David Rules — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (2 Samuel 5, 1 Chronicles 7–8, Psalm 27)

• Day 124: Teaching, Sanctifying, and Governing — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 888–896)

• May 4, 2026 | Catholic Daily Reflections | Formed

• Stop making it about you | Good Catholic

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 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 May 4th, 2026.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Yeah, so today's menu is well, it's really all about one incredibly dangerous temptation, which is basically stealing God's credit.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Oh wow, that's a big one.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

It is. And we are tracking that golden thread through the usual daily mass readings, plus day 124 of both Bible in a year and catechism in a year. Right. And for today's specials, we're pulling insights from Dr. Tim Gray, Father Brad from Good Catholic, and a deep dive into St. Athanasius from the Augustine Institute, since today is actually his memorial.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Awesome. So let's start with the tension in the first reading, which is from Acts chapter 14, verses 5 to 18. So Paul and Barnabas, they miraculously heal this crippled man in Lystra.

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

And the crowd, they are operating completely out of their local pagan mindset, right? So they just assume these two must be the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes walking among them.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Which is wild.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

I mean, they literally try to offer sacrifices to them.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Right. And Paul and Barnabas just absolutely panic. I mean, they tear their clothes because, you know, for a a faithful Jewish believer, accepting that kind of worship is pure blasphemy. They are actively living out today's responsorial psalm, which is Psalm 115, verses 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 15 to 16. It famously declares, not to us, O Lord, but to your name, give the glory.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

They just utterly refuse to absorb that glory for themselves.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Which really sets up the gospel beautifully. So in John chapter 14, verses 21 to 26, Jesus promises that if you keep his word, he and the Father will make their dwelling within you. Right. Exactly. And Dr. Tim Gray's reflection zeroed right in on this. He was saying we are meant to be a spiritual household where God's glory lives, not our own personal shrine.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Yeah. And Father Brad gave us a really great visual for this today. So he compared the Christian life to being a clear window pane instead of a solid brick wall.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Okay, I like that.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Aaron Ross Powell The logic there is that a wall stops the light, right? It forces you to look at the wall itself, but a window pane just lets the light pass directly through.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Aaron Powell So you only focus on what's shining from the other side.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Well, okay, let's unpack this a bit because I actually want to push back on the idea of being perfectly clear glass. Oh, really? How so? Well, a completely invisible window kind of implies you're supposed to just erase yourself, right? Like your personality is a barrier. But God created you with unique traits.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

That is very true.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

So what if instead of plain clear glass, we are stained glass windows?

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Aaron Ross Powell Oh, I see the distinction there. Yeah. Yeah. Father Brad's point is purely about not blocking the light, but I like that the stained glass analogy adds this um vital layer to it.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Aaron Ross Powell Right, because the bright blues and reds, you know, your intellect, your sense of humor, your specific quirks, those aren't obstacles to God's light.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

No, they are the medium. Those colors only truly glow and make sense when the sun shines through them from behind.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Exactly. And we see exactly what happens when the glass tries to generate its own light in Bible in a year today.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Right, on day 124.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Yes. Covering 2 Samuel chapter 5 and 1 Chronicles chapters 7 to 8. King David starts out as a perfect stained glass window.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

He really does.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

Like when the Philistines attack, he humbly relies on God's direction. The light is just shining right through him. But almost immediately he starts building a wall.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Yeah, he takes multiple wives and concubines from Jerusalem, which defies God's original design.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

The mechanism here is subtle but so destructive. David shifts from relying on divine providence to securing his own earthly power through these like political alliances. He starts absorbing the glory. Exactly. And it is a stark contrast to what the church demands of its leaders on day 124 of catechism in a year.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Oh, right, because Father Mike covers paragraphs 888 to 896 today, detailing the specific roles of bishops.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Yeah, and the catechism is emphatic that bishops must exercise their teaching, sanctifying and governing offices as humble servants.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Which, just to demystify those terms a bit for everyone, teaching is passing on the faith, sanctifying is making the community holy through the sacraments, and governing is guiding the flock.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Exactly. They cannot act as domineering princes. The authority just isn't theirs to keep, it's theirs to transmit.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Which brings us perfectly to the Augustine Institute's reflection on Saint Athanasius, because he was a bishop who actually lived this balance.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

He really did. You know, during the Arian heresy, when people were denying the true divinity of Christ, Athanasius stood like an absolute brick wall against the false teaching.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Right.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yet personally, he remained a completely transparent window for Christ.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

That is such a good way to put it.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

He didn't defend the faith to build his own ego or his own political power. He defended it just to let God's actual nature shine clearly to the people.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

So what does this all mean for you listening right now? The central challenge today is looking at your own life.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yeah, are you acting as a stained glass window or a solid wall?

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Exactly. Like when praise or success or influence comes your way, do you absorb it to build your own little kingdom? Or do you let it shine through you back to the Father?

SPEAKER_01 5:29

It completely flips how we view success, doesn't it? I mean, your unique talents are completely necessary, but they really exist to reflect a greater light.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Absolutely. And before we wrap up, consider this. Maybe the parts of your life where you feel broken, you know, the actual cracks in your stained glass, those are actually the exact spots where God's light can shine through the absolute brightest.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Oh wow, totally unobstructed by your own pride. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

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.