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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SpongeBob or Patrick?
SpongeBob versus Patrick. We all know SpongeBob. We all know he actually has a lot of drive. He actually has a lot of vision. He wants to do something, and he gets after it. Patrick, on the other hand, he has no vision. He lives under a rock. He doesn’t really do anything. That is how we can so often live as Catholics. We live as Patrick…
The Lowest Seat
This Sunday’s gospel is all about partying. I think Pope Francis should write an encyclical about how to party like a Catholic. This gospel is so good because Jesus talks about parties. We are called, not just in parties, but in life, to take the lowest seat so that we can be raised up. When you enter into a church, what is the lowest seat…
The Narrow Gate
I just got back from an incredible camping trip in Montana. One thing that was so amazing about this trip is that in order to go to this camping site, we had to go into this narrow valley. And in this narrow valley, we couldn’t use our phones at all and we knew that. We were willing to give up our phones, our social media, everything…
Set Them On Fire
This Sunday’s gospel is incredible. It is Jesus Christ who is absolutely getting after it, saying to us that He has come to set the world on fire and how He wishes it was already blazing. I think a lot of the times we are not set on fire, or we forget that we have been given His love and given His Holy Spirit, that we walk around like zombies…
Just like Mary, Always Be Vigilant
There is an amazing, awesome place called Castel Gandolfo. It has nothing to do with the Lord of the Rings, or the White Wizard. Castel Gandolfo is the Pope’s summer home. The Pope usually goes to this beautiful villa when it’s crazy, crazy, hot in Rome. When you are walking up to this beautiful villa, you will see an amazing image of our…
Don’t Hoard Your Gifts
This Sunday’s Gospel is about the rich man who accumulates all of this wealth. But he hoards them; he doesn’t give anything away. We are called as Christians to do the opposite. We have accumulated so many skills. The question is, do we hoard it or do we give it away in love? I think a great example of this is Eleven from Stranger Things…
Let’s Share Our Desires with Jesus
One of my students here at the Newman Center, he is crushing hard on a girl. He can barely sleep. He can barely eat. Sharing all of this with me, I just asked him simply, “Have you seen any reciprocation on her part? Do you think she likes you?” And he responded very honestly, “Uh, I haven’t even hung out with her yet.” Okay, so here we go. This is…
On Imaginative Prayer
Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He is a rockstar saint. He popularized something that is called imaginative prayer. We use our imagination to pray because God created our imagination to speak to us. That’s incredible! This Sunday’s Gospel is absolutely beautiful. It’s the Prodigal Son. Prodigal Son leaves the Father’s house, but he’s…