Podcast Summary: The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast

Episode: If You’re Too Busy, You’re in Danger of This Grave Mistake
Host: Ascension
Guest: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Date: January 15, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mike Schmitz explores the idea that being overly busy—even with good things—can prevent us from fulfilling the true Christian calling: to love God and neighbor above all else. Using the parable of the great feast from Luke’s Gospel, he challenges listeners to examine their own life priorities, especially the vital spiritual trait of “interruptibility.” Fr. Mike asks whether our hearts and schedules are open to the demands of love or so full that we shut out God and others, even unintentionally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Ultimate Metric: Love

• Judged on Love Alone (00:09)
  Fr. Mike highlights his favorite quote from St. John of the Cross:

  “In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone.”
  He connects this to Jesus’ teaching on the two greatest commandments—to love God fully and to love one’s neighbor as oneself—emphasizing that love is the ultimate standard for Christian life.

The Challenge of Being Too Busy

• Good Things Crowd Out the Best Things (01:16)
  Fr. Mike notes that, although many of us want to love God and neighbor, our lives become so busy—even with worthwhile responsibilities—that it becomes difficult to prioritize love:

  “My life is so full, I just—it’s really hard... And it doesn’t even have to be full of bad things. It might be actually full of really, really good things.” (02:27)

The Parable of the Great Feast

• Scriptural Reflection (01:49 – 03:15)
  Fr. Mike retells the parable where guests decline an invitation to a feast for legitimate reasons (new field, new oxen, new marriage), paralleling our own everyday “good” reasons for turning down God’s invitations:

  “Those are all good reasons, and they're reasons that you and I would give, too.” (02:28)

The Metric of Love: Interruptibility

• Are We Interruptible by God? (03:45) Fr. Mike proposes a practical metric for evaluating love: our willingness to be “interruptible”:

  “They all have their plans... But when they get invited to the great banquet... they’re not interruptible.” (04:02)
  He questions whether our full schedules allow room for God or others to break in.

• Measuring Interruptibility and True Priority (05:20) Interruptibility isn’t about every interruption, but being open to the most important interruptions:

  “A willingness to be interruptible by the most important is going to be key when it comes to love.” (05:56)

Real-Life Application

• The Parenting Example (06:16) Fr. Mike illustrates the point with the universal experience of parents being too busy for a child’s request, only to regret missing a significant moment of love:

  “You probably have had that experience of ‘No, I can’t, I’m busy, we gotta do this thing.’ And then that night you go to bed and you think, ‘Wait a second, why did I do that?’” (06:34)

• Our Own Schedules (07:05)
  He candidly admits personal struggle with keeping rigid plans and missing the greater call:

  “I find myself doing that all of the time. So I gotta keep the schedule...” (07:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Being Judged by Our Love:

  “In the twilight of our lives, we will be judged on love alone.”
  — Fr. Mike, quoting St. John of the Cross (00:09)

• On the Dangers of Good Things Crowding Out God:

  “It doesn’t even have to be full of bad things. It might be actually full of really, really good things. But… have I loved God with everything I’ve got?”
  — Fr. Mike (02:27)

• On Life’s True Priorities:

  “But when God comes knocking, he is the most important.”
  — Fr. Mike (07:16)

• On the Heart of the Episode:

  “Maybe today we’ll be judged on how interruptible are we. Does God or do people who need us have our permission to interrupt us?”
  — Fr. Mike (07:45)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:09 | Introduction & St. John of the Cross quote on being judged on love | | 01:49 | Parable of the great feast and the excuses given | | 04:02 | Reflection on being “interruptible” as a metric of love | | 05:56 | Explanation of prioritizing “the most important” interruptions | | 06:16 | Parenting metaphor about missed moments of love | | 07:07 | Personal admission about being too tied to one’s schedule | | 07:45 | Concluding challenge: “Does God have our permission to interrupt us?” |

Conclusion & Reflection

Fr. Mike closes by urging listeners to reflect on their own openness to God’s interruptions—especially when life feels over-full. He challenges each of us to discern what’s truly most important and suggests that our capacity to be “interruptible” for God, and for those in need, is perhaps the greatest measure of our love.

For more episodes and resources, visit Ascension Presents.