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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Resurrection of the Body
So, Captain America is obviously the best out of all the superheroes. When he receives the soldier serum, he becomes more of himself. He doesn’t become less of himself. He becomes perfected. Before the serum, he was weak, but he was good. After the serum, he is still good and perfected. This is precisely what Jesus says in the gospel today: that we believe in the…
Glass Half-Empty or Overflowing
Okay, so maybe you are a glass-half-empty kind of person, or you are like me, and you are a glass overflowing. Everything is awesome all of the time, and nothing is ever wrong kind of person. But in the Gospel for this Sunday, St. Thomas the Apostle is a glass-half-empty kind of person. He is very skeptical. Something is intriguing happening here. Thomas, a man…
I Wrote A Book!
Exciting news! Fr. Tim Anastos wrote a book, and we want to give you a free copy! If you support Reel Homilies with a recurring donation of $10 per month or more, we will send you a copy of Jesus, Make Me Fully Alive. This book features 30 Holy Hour reflections to help you grow in your prayer life. Set up your donation, and we will send you a copy of the book!
Easter 2024
So, the greatest victory I have ever witnessed in my entire life happened at 11:47PM on November 2nd, 2016. That’s right, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Greatest victory ever! But the crazy thing is, that is nothing compared to what we celebrate today: victory over death. We celebrate today, Easter Sunday, the resurrection, where Jesus Christ is…
Holy Saturday 2024
This is a little dated, but the “Bourne” trilogy. Jason Bourne, an ex-assassin, runs away and hides from the government. He does everything in his power, training, and skill to hide from the government, and he succeeds. When it comes to being a Christian, we will never succeed at hiding from Jesus. Today, Holy Saturday, what does Jesus do? Before the…
Good Friday 2024
Okay, so this is a very solemn day, this is a very somber day. It’s Good Friday. If you have the opportunity to go to your Good Friday service at your parish, the first thing that you will see is the priest lying prostrate on the ground. It’s a sign of reverence, it’s a sign of adoration, but it’s also a sign of vulnerability. On Good Friday, Jesus becomes vulnerable…
Holy Thursday 2024
Okay, friends, we did it. It is the Triduum, and it is the holiest time of the whole year. And tonight, on Holy Thursday night, Jesus and the Eucharist are taken out of all the tabernacles in all churches and placed in a special place in the church. Tonight, Jesus goes from the Last Supper to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with His apostles. And He asks…
The Holy Name of Jesus
So, the coat of arms in my archdiocese is epic. It shows a phoenix, which is a symbol of resurrection. And on the chest of the phoenix is the IHS, which is the holy name of Jesus. And so, in the first reading for this Sunday, Saint Peter, our first pope, heals a man by the holy name of Jesus. He can heal because of his name because Jesus’ name is mighty. In the Old Testament…