On a Tuesday night when downtown Milwaukee was buzzing with World Series excitement, approximately 2,500 people gathered for a different kind of celebration: an evening exploring the words of Jesus with one of the Church’s most recognizable voices.
Fr. Mike Schmitz brought his “Parables: A Time of Reflection” tour to the Miller High Life Theatre on Oct. 27, blending Scripture, humor and personal reflection.
Outside, Brewers fans anticipated Game 4 of the World Series. Inside, occasional score updates kept the audience connected to the excitement, but the focus remained on the Gospel.
Fr. Schmitz, known internationally for his “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts, has attracted millions of followers through his approachable, energetic style of evangelization.
He opened by asking audience members to introduce themselves to someone nearby and consider a question: If they could tell someone in their lives one thing they absolutely needed that person to know, what would it be?
The exercise provided the foundation for the evening. Just as people have things they want loved ones to understand, Jesus used parables to communicate essential truths about God and the relationship he desires with each person.
“Stories have the ability to get past our objections, past our arguments, past our prejudices,” Fr. Schmitz said. “Stories impact our brains. Jesus tells stories because they have the ability to change hearts.”
The presentation explored four principal teachings through the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin, the sower, the dishonest steward and the 10 virgins.
In the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin, found in Luke 15, Jesus describes a shepherd searching for a missing sheep and a woman searching for a lost coin. Both stories conclude with rejoicing when what was lost is found.
The message centers on God’s determination to seek those who have strayed and his joy when they return.
The parable of the sower, from Matthew 13, offered a different challenge.
Jesus describes seed scattered across various kinds of ground, representing the different ways people receive God’s word.
“In that, Jesus explains, you get to choose what soil you are,” Fr. Schmitz said. “You get to choose if you are the soil that rejects his word, or accepts his word but then gets caught up in the riches of life, or are you the soil that accepts his word, lets it grow inside, and in doing so, you bear abundant fruit?”
The parable challenges listeners to consider whether their hearts are receptive to God’s word or whether distractions prevent it from taking root.
The dishonest steward, from Luke 16, presented a more complicated lesson. Facing the loss of his position, the steward acts decisively to secure his future.
Jesus does not endorse his dishonesty, but the character’s urgency raises a question: If people devote extraordinary energy to securing their earthly futures, how much effort do they invest in their relationship with God?
The final parable, the 10 virgins from Matthew 25, provided some of the evening’s most memorable insights.
Five virgins bring sufficient oil for their lamps while awaiting the bridegroom. Five do not. When the bridegroom arrives, those unprepared discover they cannot borrow what they lack.
“Let’s be clear on this: This is not a parable about sharing,” Fr. Schmitz said, recalling that as a child, he thought his mother would have expected him to share his oil with his siblings.
“There are some things you cannot share; there are some things you have to acquire yourself.”
He offered an analogy:
“I can’t go to a marathon runner and say, ‘Share some of your fitness with me.’ It doesn’t work like that,” he said. “The purpose of life is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. No one else can do this for us.”
Throughout the evening, Fr. Schmitz’s animated storytelling and humor made challenging theological concepts accessible. The audience responded enthusiastically, participating in the presentation and engaging with his reflections.
During a VIP gathering before the program, Fr. Schmitz took time to listen and engage with attendees, displaying the same warmth that has helped make his online ministry so popular.
The tour also supports his ministry as chaplain at the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Proceeds benefit construction of a new Catholic church and student center.
The Milwaukee appearance was among the tour’s final stops, with presentations scheduled in Chicago, St. Paul and New York.
While the city outside remained captivated by baseball, Fr. Schmitz reminded his audience of another story — one in which God searches for the lost, challenges their priorities and calls them into a personal relationship with him.
And that, he suggested, is precisely what Jesus needs us to know.
