Why Silence Feels Like Purgatory (May 20, 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 Readings - May 20, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Acts 20:28-38; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab; Gospel: John 17:11b-19).

• Day 140: David's Prayer of Thanksgiving — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (2 Samuel 22, 1 Chronicles 27, Psalm 41).

• Day 140: Purgatory and Hell — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 1030–1037).

• Are YOU Lukewarm? This Is What Lukewarm Christianity Actually Looks Like. (AfterMass with Ana Munley).

• May 20, 2026 - Wednesday of the 7th Week of Easter (Fr. Burke Masters).

• May 20, 2026 | Catholic Daily Reflections | Formed (Catholic Daily Reflections with Tim Gray).

• What You Should Know About Purgatory (Ascension Presents).

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 Wednesday, May 20th, 2026.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Yeah, so uh looking at our menu today, we've got the usual Mass readings, Father Mike's Bible in a year, and Catechism in a year.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Right. And today's specials are um daily mass reflections from Dr. Tim Gray and Father Burkmasters, plus a really great new video from Anna Munley on you know Luke Kern Christianity.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

Oh, and don't forget, we're also pulling in a classic uh nine-year-old video from Father Mike on Purgatory.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yes, the one with over a million views on YouTube.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Which ties in perfectly because the catechism touches on purgatory today.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

Exactly. So, well, to start off with the mass readings, my mind honestly went straight to like external attacks.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Oh yeah, because in the first reading from Acts chapter 20, verses 28 to 38, Paul is warning the early church about these savage wolves coming to scatter the flock.

SPEAKER_01 1:12

Right. And then in the gospel today, from John chapter 17, verses 11b to 19, Jesus is actually praying to keep us from the evil one.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Which makes it so easy to just picture those wolves as, I don't know, cultural attacks or persecution out in the world.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

But uh Father Burke Masters actually points out in his reflection that the battle is usually way closer to home. He reminds us our primary enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Which honestly is just exhausting to think about. I mean, if the threat isn't just out there, but also right here in our own flesh, how are we supposed to survive that without just giving up?

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Well, that is where Dr. Tim Gray's reflection really helps. He looks at the responsorial psalm today from Psalm 68, specifically uh verses 29 to 30, 33 to 35A, and 35 BC to 36A.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

That's a lot of verses.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

It is, but it's this great reminder that God gives us power and strength through the Holy Spirit. We're not just like white knuckling our way to holiness.

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Oh, I see. It's relying on the spirit. But um, transitioning to that new video from Anna Munley, she makes this really challenging point about how we actually fall to those wolves.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Yeah, she says we usually don't just dramatically reject God overnight. We just kind of drift.

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Right. Into this really comfortable lukewarmness because we completely avoid the uncomfortable silence where God actually convicts us.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Aaron Powell Silence is where you actually have to face the flesh, you know. It made me think of this analogy like it's almost like a bad diet.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Oh, how so?

SPEAKER_01 2:41

Well, we we just consume endless Catholic content all day, like podcasts, videos, articles.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

But like spiritual junk food.

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Yes. And because junk food ruins your palate for actual nutrition, we trick our brains into feeling holy. We never do the hard work of actual obedience, so we lose our taste for the quiet voice of God.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Aaron Powell And uh dying in that state of comfortable numbness is exactly what Father Mike tackles on day 140 of Catechism in a Year.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Right, where he talks about hell and purgatory.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Exactly, which pairs so perfectly with his classic purgatory video. If you die in God's grace, but you're just stubbornly clinging to those comfortable attachments, that spiritual junk food, you require purgatory.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

He brings up that incredible C.S. Lewis analogy for it. Like if you showed up to this magnificent party in heaven wearing filthy rags, you wouldn't want to just walk right in.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

No, you'd be begging to be washed first.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Exactly. Purgatory is that merciful but obviously painful purification. It burns away the lukewarmness we just settled for.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Which is such a huge contrast to today's Bible reading, because on day 140 of Bible in a year, looking at Sioux Samuel chapter 22, 1 Chronicles chapter 27, and Psalm 41, we see King David at the end of his life.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah. And he did not drift.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Right. But I mean, he definitely had some massive sins, deniable, huge sins.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Oh massive sins for sure. Yeah. But the mechanism of his repentance is the key. David didn't just numb himself with distractions when he fell.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

He faced it.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

He did. He faced the devastating reality of his actions in the silence of his prayer, accepted the discomfort, and allow God to purify him here on earth. Because of that, he finishes his life praising God's gentle grace without ever becoming better.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

So to find the golden thread here for you listening right now, it's that we have to actively choose the discomfort of transformation today so we don't drift into that lukewarmness tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Right. The wolves Paul warns about might literally be hiding in your headphones, like the distraction of good Catholic media keeping you from actual silence.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

So your challenge for this week, taking Anna Munley's advice, is to pick just one uncomfortable spiritual discipline for the next seven days.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Yeah, try ten minutes of pure phone-free silence.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Just sit with God and face the discomfort.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

And before we wrap up, think about this. If silence feels agonizing right now, maybe that discomfort isn't a sign you're bad at praying. Maybe it's the exact temperature of purgatory starting its work on you here on Earth. 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.