Spirit Juice is proud to present Reel Homilies from Father Tim Anastos, associate chaplain of the St. John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago. In these minute-long reflections, Father Tim will unpack the Sunday Gospel readings through the lenses of Church tradition, pop culture, and self-improvement. We hope these reflections serve to inspire your own thoughts on the Gospel and bring you closer to Christ…as well as bring a smile to your face.
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Have You Experienced Hopelessness?
We live in a culture of life hacks. We can make anything more effortless and more efficient. There are life hacks for finding flights online, cooking eggs, and dating relationships. And when it comes to your dating relationship, please do not use any hacks. We can make things so easy and comfortable. Do we need the Lord? There will be a moment in our lives…
Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
There is a problem. And that problem is distracted walking. In 2022, thousands of people were injured, texting and walking simultaneously, more than a grizzly bear, shark, and alligator attacks all wrapped into one. In the gospel today, St. Peter himself is distracted by the storm. And when he is distracted by the storm and takes his eyes away from Jesus…
The Transfiguration
In “Thor: Ragnarok,” Bruce Banner and the Hulk, they are fighting against each other. They’re the same person, but they need to be integrated better. But then you see in the movie, “Endgame,” Bruce Banner and the Hulk are truly one. They are no longer fighting against each other. They are integrated well. Bruce Banner is the Hulk, and the Hulk is…
The Pearl of Great Price
Please don’t judge me, but I have been into AI lately, especially image-based AI. Image-based AI, you can type in a prompt, and then the artificial intelligence will create an image. And so, I gave AI two prompts. The first was Captain America praying a rosary. And the second was Pope Francis as a Chicago Cubs fan. As you can see, AI is incredible…
Reject the Squidward Within
There is this guy. You may know him, you may not. His name is Squidward Tentacles. Squidward Tentacles is incredibly negative. He is constantly judging, and he is always finding fault in others. He is not a fun person to be around. The thing is, we can do that as well. We are so attracted to negativity. We’re drawn to crazy comments on social media…
Guard Your Time Well
So in the gospel today, a sower goes out to sow, and the sower throws seed down on the thorny ground, and the thorns choke the seeds so the seeds do not flourish. We are often thrown onto the thorny ground, and busyness is one of the big things that really chokes us. Busyness in our lives chokes our relationship with Jesus, and we do not…
What Makes Us Fully Alive
If it has been less than a week since you’ve binge-watched movies or TV shows, raise your hand. Now raise your hand if, afterward, you felt absolutely alive. When we binge-watch TV and movies, we feel less alive. In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, “and I will give you rest.” We’re called to go to the Lord…
Keys to the Kingdom
We live in a culture of life hacks. We can make anything more effortless and more efficient. There are life hacks for finding flights online, cooking eggs, and dating relationships. And when it comes to your dating relationship, please do not use any hacks. We can make things so easy and comfortable. Do we need the Lord? There will be a moment in our lives…
Bible study mode activate. The first reading for this Sunday from Isaiah is fire. God is speaking to the people of Israel, saying, “I will place the keys of the House of David on the shoulder of Eliakim. When he shuts it, no one will open it. And when he opens, no one shall shut. When the king is away, Eliakim, you are in charge.” We see this again in the Gospel. Jesus says…