Grafting Your Suffering to the Cross (May 16, 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.

Every day, we take the massive amount of spiritual content you love—from Fr. Mike Schmitz to the Daily Rosary, Mass readings, and Sunday homilies—and weave them into a single, witty, and insightful conversation.

Do you feel lost after listening to all these daily podcasts? Join our AI hosts as they find the "Golden Thread" that ties them all together. It’s the ultimate daily synthesis for the busy Catholic soul.

Today’s Sources:

• Daily Bible Reading - May 16, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Acts 18:23-28; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 8-9, 10; Gospel: John 16:23b-28)

• Day 136: Absalom Is Defeated — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (2 Samuel 18, 1 Chronicles 23, Psalm 37)

• Day 136: Questions of Resurrection — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 997–1004)

• Don't Ask Why God Allows Suffering (Fr. Chris Alar)

• May 16, 2026 - Saturday of the 6th Week of Easter (Fr. Burke Masters)

• Why Jesus didn’t always speak CLEARLY (Fr. Brad Doyle)

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 Saturday, May 16, 2026.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Yeah, and you know, today's menu is, well, it's pretty packed. We have the usual mass readings, Father Mike's Bible in a year and catechism in a year. And today's specials actually include daily mass reflections from Father Brad Doyle on Good Catholic, uh, Father Brick Masters on YouTube, and just an incredible homily from Father Chris Alar on suffering.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Yeah, that homily really hit home. And looking at all these sources together, they're all kind of circling this one really difficult thing: surrender.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Right. Which is, you know, totally opposite to what the world tells us. The world says, like, trust your own intellect, avoid pain at all costs, but let's look at the mass readings to see what actual surrender looks like.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Let's do it. So in the gospel today, from John chapter 16, verses from 3b to 28, Jesus makes this really profound promise. Uh-huh. He says he's gonna like stop speaking in figures of speech and finally speak clearly about the Father.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Yes, and I love how Father Brad Doyle and Father Burke Masters both point out that Jesus fulfills this promise uh specifically through the church.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Right, which we actually see playing out in the first reading from Acts chapter 18, verses 23 to 28.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Exactly. Bridged by Psalm 47, verses 2 to 3, 8 to 9, and 10. Father Burke actually points this guy Apollos. Apollos was, you know, this incredibly eloquent speaker, just deeply knowledgeable about the scriptures.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Aaron Powell But he didn't have the whole picture, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Right. He only knew the baptism of John. So he understood repentance, but he didn't uh he didn't yet have the full truth about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

Aaron Ross Powell He was missing like the biggest piece of the puzzle. I mean, I kind of look at Apollos like an elite athlete. Yeah. You can be the absolute most naturally gifted player on the field.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

But you still need a coach.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Exactly. You have to surrender your ego to a coach to actually learn the playbook. You had to be humble enough to just, you know, be pulled aside and instructed by a lay couple, Priscilla and Akilah.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Yeah. That takes real intellectual humility.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Aaron Powell It does. But you know, it raises a question for me. If we have to surrender our intellect like that, how does that prepare us for well, the much harder emotional surrenders?

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Aaron Powell Oh, that's a great point. I mean, the intellectual humility, it strips away your pride, right? And once your pride is gone, you're vulnerable enough to experience real love, which is sadly exactly what we see missing in today's Bible in a year. Oh man, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Day 136.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Right, day 136 covering 2 Samuel chapter 18, 1 Chronicles chapter 23, and Psalm 37. It is such a devastating contrast to the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Father Mike points out how King David acts like a totally absent father to Absalom during the rebellion.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Yeah, he coldly just calls him the young man.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Just completely distancing himself. And it's only after Absalom is, you know, tragically killed, hanging in that oak tree, that David finally breaks down.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

He finally weeps and claims him. He cries out, My son.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

It's so heavy. Like he waits until death to claim his boy. But God the Father, he claims you immediately at baptism.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Right away.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

You don't have to earn it, you know, to die first. You are claimed right now. And because God claims the whole person, that sonship involves our physical reality too.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Which is the perfect pivot to day 136 of Catechism in a year. Father Mike is talking about the resurrection of the body.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Yes. Our bodies aren't just like these temporary shells we're going to throw away. They actually matter for eternity.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

And knowing that completely changes how we view physical pain right now. This is where Father Chris Sollar's homily just threads everything together beautifully. He references Colossians chapter 1, verse 24.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Okay, remind me what that one says.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

That's where St. Paul talks about completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Wait, wait, let me pause you there. When Paul says we're completing what is lacking, that I mean, that almost sounds heretical, doesn't it? Isn't Jesus' sacrifice perfectly sufficient?

SPEAKER_00 4:10

Oh, it's absolutely perfect. The cross was completely sufficient for our salvation. But Father Aller points out that God's design, it purposely leaves room for our participation.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Okay, how so?

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Well, think of it like grafting a branch onto a tree. Your suffering just by itself is just a dying branch. But grafted onto the trunk of the cross, the life-giving sap actually flows through it. Wow. Because we are members of Christ's body, your pain becomes an active part of the tree's root system. It becomes redemptive. So we don't just, you know, passively endure pain. We offer it up to help save souls.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

That is just incredible. So we promised you a golden tread today, and I think it's pretty clear. It's complete surrender to the Father who claimed you. Yeah. Whether that means submitting your intellect to church teaching, like Apollos did, or offering up your physical burdens, you are called to trust. So here's a challenge for you today.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

What is one bodily hardship, or maybe an intellectual confusion, that you can consciously offer up to the Father today?

SPEAKER_01 5:12

And as you think about offering that up, you know, consider this. If Christ didn't technically need our suffering to save the world, but he chose to include our struggles in his plan anyway, what does that say about the profound dignity he places on your pain?

SPEAKER_00 5:27

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.