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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Life or Death
Let’s talk about fire and water, and I’m not talking about the Pokemon types. In the gospel for this Sunday, Saint John the Baptist says that he will baptize with water, but Christ will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. Fire represents life, but it also represents death. Same with water. When the Israelites went through the Red Sea, water was life-giving. The Egyptians went through the same Red Sea, and…
Glory To God
So, the first reading for this Sunday is from the Prophet Baruch, and yes, that is an excellent name for your new puppy. So, the Prophet Baruch gives us incredible things to pray about this advent, specifically glory. The Prophet Baruch uses glory six times in the reading. The dictionary doesn’t do the word glory justice as Catholics. That as Catholics, what is glory? Glory is extraordinary beauty. It is holy beauty…
Consider Making A Gift | Giving Tuesday 2024
If Reel Homilies has been a blessing to you, please consider making a Giving Tuesday gift so we can continue producing this series and launch a new series with Father Tim called “Ask A Priest.” Please consider making a tax-deductible donation, and a group of generous donors will match it dollar for dollar up to $5,000. God bless you for your support…
Jesus In The Present
So it is finally Advent, which means it is a new church year. So happy New Year, Mother Church. Happy New Year, Bing Crosby. Happy New Year to you all. What I love about Advent is that the church teaches us that we experience three Advents and three comings of Christ. He comes in the past. Jesus is also coming in the future. But the third Advent is that Jesus always desires to come into our hearts…
Living in Unreality
Okay, so I just spent three hours playing Fortnite with another priest. And yes, we got some dubs. But afterward, I felt horrible after three hours of living in unreality that weighed on me. Whenever we are living away from the truth, that is further away from Jesus. And in the gospel for this Sunday, Pilate is also living in unreality. He knows that Jesus is innocent, yet he decides to live and act not in reality…
Jesus’ Second Coming
Okay, so it is time to build those fallout shelters. It is time to build those panic rooms. It is time to hoard that toilet paper because the world’s end is coming. In all of the readings, this is what Jesus is talking about. He’s talking about the world’s end for Jesus’s second coming. And the fantastic thing is we don’t have to be afraid. Jesus first came in humility, poverty, and weakness, coming in a manger…
Sacrifice For Jesus
Okay, so in the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is not trying to be an economist. He’s not concerned about what happens to the S&P 500. He is not worried about how much Bitcoin to give to the poor. Jesus is talking about our sacrificial hearts. In the gospel, the rich provide some of their money, and the poor widow gives all she has. Jesus is not concerned with numbers. He’s concerned with our…
The Visitation
Christmas is getting close, and I want to give you the gift of having your mind blown and your face melted. In the Old Testament, King David travels to the Hill Country of Judah for three months. Mary travels for three months in our gospel for this Sunday to the Hill Country of Judah. King David dances before the Lord in the Ark. The baby, John the Baptist, leaps into Elizabeth’s womb in the presence of…