Fr. Mike Schmitz Addresses Ave Maria University Graduates

In his commencement address, podcaster and renowned speaker Fr. Mike Schmitz united even more deeply the trust we should have in God and God’s desire for us to be strong. Reflecting on his experiences in a wilderness survival program after his own graduation, Fr. Schmitz described taking a bus to the trailhead and then hiking increasingly more rugged and more narrow trails. He and the other hikers then broke off into smaller teams, left even the faded, rough tracks, and bushwhacked their way through the wilderness to a meeting point.  

“This is your bushwhacking moment,” Fr. Schmitz said to the graduates. “You got to this day, and the track runs out. This is the day you enter the wilderness. You might know the name of your vocation, but you don’t know where it will lead you.”

“God wants you to live in the wilderness, to find your way through it,” Fr. Schmitz continued. He referenced Paul in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 14:22), when Paul and Barnabas strengthened the souls of the disciples, by saying that it is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.  

Fr. Schmitz then talked about how young people can question the goodness of God when faced with grief, tragedy, and challenges. “How can God be a good Father if He leaves me in so much pain?”, Fr. Schmitz asked. “God doesn’t rescue us. God wants more for us than we want for ourselves. God wants you to become stronger. Your faith doesn’t grow in a place without opposition.”

Then Fr. Schmitz told the graduates that they are called to be “anti-fragile” and to follow the Lord in trust one step at a time. To be “anti-fragile” is to grow through adversity and opposition (rather than to just experience it), and to become stronger step by step, even when they may want the future planned out before them.

Fr. Schmitz emphasized a daily trust in God, saying, “God says: Trust me today. God only gives us enough light for one more step.”  

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