Today is a very solemn day. It is a day of mourning. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he’ll be laid to rest. We pray for his soul. The thing that I remember most about him is how Pope John Paul II asked him when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, “What are you gonna do when you retire?” And Cardinal Ratzinger said, very simply, “I want to write a book about the Lord.” Cardinal Ratzinger, who goes on to follow Pope John Paul II, not to just write a book about the Lord but to witness the faith of Peter and to witness to all of us what it means to be close to Jesus.
He did so many things. He wrote so many books and he gave great orations and speeches. But the thing that everyone will remember about Pope Benedict the XVI is that he knew Jesus and he was a friend of Jesus. And so we are called to not worry about all of these crazy things that we could do in our lives but do we really care about knowing Jesus and being a friend of Jesus? Because that’s what lasts. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
Reel Homilies with Father Tim Anastos is free to watch, but it’s not free to produce! Generous donors make it possible for us to continue creating this content. If you enjoy Reel Homilies, please consider making a monthly tax-deductible gift. Spirit Juice Entertainment Group (SJEG) is the non-profit arm of Spirit Juice Studios. It is a 501(c)3 organization that relies on your support to continue creating original, authentically Catholic content that reaches thousands of people each week through our website and social media channels.
Start a new monthly donation and receive an array of Reel Homilies and Spirit Juice swag in gratitude for your generosity. For more information, please visit our Reel Homilies Support page.
To qualify, you must donate a minimum of $10 per month. All gifts in between will be rounded down to the nearest package amount. Please allow 6-8 weeks for your package to be shipped. Questions? Contact us at [email protected]. Your donation is tax-deductible within the United States, and we will provide a tax receipt for your records.
-
Adopted by God Through Baptism
I had the amazing honor of baptizing my friend’s newborn. Baptism is so awesome because no matter if you were baptized with just water gently poured on your head, or if you were fully immersed, or even if a fire hose was shot at you. When you are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you are adopted by God. Jesus, in the gospel for this Sunday, says…
-
The Lord Keeps Us Safe
So, have you ever seen those videos of police dogs that attack the guy wearing the crazy, weird-looking suit? Sometimes I feel like that’s my life. There are many times when I feel attacked, and I feel like I’m out of control, and I don’t feel safe. In the gospel for this Sunday, the apostles experienced the same thing. The storm is attacking them, and they are not safe. But what does Jesus do…
-
Stop Social Climbing
Stop social climbing. That should be the tagline for this Sunday’s gospel. Jesus is saying that, trying to gain social status, trying to reach the highest seat, which we will never truly satisfy. Jesus is saying, Your identity is in me. When we forget about our identity in Jesus, that’s when we try to gain status. That’s when we try to find love in all of the wrong places. And so Jesus says, “Stop doing that and see me….
