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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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…
What Is The First Thing You Think Of?
When I say these phrases, what is the first thing that you think of that comes to mind? The first, “You’re a wizard, Harry.” Hopefully you thought of Hagrid from Harry Potter. The second, “Do not be afraid.” St. John Paul the Great, obviously, and the third, “We don’t talk about Bruno.” Encanto. You know there are a lot of phrases in our lives…
Do You Realize Jesus’ Love For You?
One of my really good friends from college just got engaged, and she’s just filled with joy. But the crazy thing is literally moments after she was engaged, the whole world who knows her knew that she was engaged because she couldn’t help but share the love that she found with her fiancé. That is exactly what happens in the Gospel…
Reclaim Your Identity In Christ
Spoiler alert! If you have or haven’t seen Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new show on Disney+, here is Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is struggling with a lot of fear. Obi-Wan gets rid of his identity as a Jedi and buries his lightsaber in the sand. But what’s so amazing is one of his buddies, Senator Organa, comes to him and basically reminds him of his…
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…