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.
Enter your information below to get Reel Homilies delivered straight to your inbox each weekend. Please note that all fields are required.
Don’t Say Whatever, Say Amen
I’ve been to many weddings recently. Love is in the air. At one wedding, a man came into the church wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. The best man approached him and said, “Dude, you can’t be here like this.” And the friend responded, “Whatever, man.” In the Gospel, for this Sunday, a wedding guest is not wearing his wedding garment. He’s saying to the whole wedding party…
Anything Good Leads to Jesus
In the 1600s in Europe, European Christians saw coffee coming from the Middle East and immediately labeled coffee as “the devil’s drink.” But the Pope at the time, Pope Clement VII, wanted to try this drink, so a barista made him a delicious cup of coffee, and the Pope said, “This devil’s drink is delicious. Let’s baptize it and make it our own.” And the rest is history. Europe is known for…
Do Nothing Out of Vainglory
What do all of these characters have in common? Gaston, Mr. Darcy, Regina George, Gilderoy Lockhart. These characters do precisely the opposite of what St. Paul asks of us. Do nothing out of selfishness and vainglory. St. Thomas Aquinas says that vainglory is the excessive need for the approval of others. All of these characters are vainglorious. They don’t have pride…
Only Jesus Can Satisfy
Either you know this person, or you are this person who goes through Netflix, scrolls through all of the TV shows and all of the movies, and can never find the perfect show to watch. And those people are so annoying. But the spiritual reality of a moment like that is Jesus knocking out our hearts, reminding us that he’s the only one who can satisfy us. That’s why…
A Problem with YOLO
Here’s the problem with YOLO. The more and more our culture embraces YOLO, the more and more marriage becomes radical. Marriage is saying that I no longer live for myself; I live for another. That selfless love bears fruit. But with YOLO, you are living for yourself. You can do what you want whenever you want, but it’s sterile. The second reading today from…
Desire and Act to Heal
In the gospel for the Sunday, Jesus shares with us, “If a brother sins against you, go to that brother and share his fault with him alone.” This message is so powerful for us, and we can take this teaching and completely ignore it. What do we do when someone sins against us when someone hurts us? We tell every single person in the universe except for…
Reject Isolation
At the end of Marvel’s “Infinity War,” Thanos sits alone on a planet alone. And you may think that it’s paradise, but it’s hell. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus says clearly, “What does it profit one if he gains the whole world “but loses his life? “Loses his soul?” Thanos gets everything he wants. He receives the Gauntlet. He gets the Infinity Stones. He wins the war…
The Imprint on Your Hearts
Let’s talk about money. In ancient Rome, Caesar’s face was imprinted on coins so that people would know who the emperor was. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus asks the Pharisees to take out a coin and tells them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” Jesus is telling the Pharisees to give him his coins, be good citizens, pay their taxes, and not jaywalk. But everyone…