St. Anthony's Tongue

This reflection began as Mass prep for Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 4:12–23), but it quickly became something more interior.In this episode, I linger with the moment Jesus interrupts ordinary lives by the Sea of Galilee—calling fishermen who move before they understand, leaving everything behind. We explore interruption and overwhelm not as problems to fix, but as signs of God’s nearness.Drawing from Scripture, the Psalms, and the lives of the saints—especially Mary—we reflect on how God often calls not through explanation, but through Presence. The fear of the Lord, awe, and holy overwhelm are not obstacles to faith, but often its beginning.This is both a Gospel reflection and a mystical meditation for anyone who feels interrupted, unsettled, or overtaken by God.

In this episode, we examine famous quotes commonly attributed to Catholic saints that they never actually said — and what we lose theologically when spiritual language is flattened, mistranslated, or weaponized.From Jacinta of Fatima and Our Lady, to the “Instrument of Peace” prayer attributed to St. Francis, to Catherine of Siena and the meaning of becoming who God meant you to be, we look at how misquotation, translation drift, devotional culture, and modern social media distort the saints’ actual teachings.This is not about debunking devotion, but about recovering the real spiritual depth of the tradition — and learning to read the saints more carefully.Patreon supporters receive a bonus episode on how saints get misquoted and how translation changes theology.Support my work via Patreon at: patreon.com/anthonystongue

What does it mean when John points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God”?In this episode, we enter the quiet mysticism of John 1 and the Baptism of Christ. “Behold” is not a command to analyze or define. It is an invitation to see, to receive, to stand before God rather than explain Him. At the Jordan, Christ is not made divine. He is revealed as the dwelling place of God. The Spirit does not merely appear. He remains. God does not visit. He dwells.This reflection explores how Christ’s baptism reveals the heart of the Incarnation, the removal of separation through self-giving love, the mystery of holy unknowing, and the promise that what dwells fully in Christ is what God longs to share with the human soul. Christianity is not only God with us. It is God within us.

In this episode, I talk about the mystic poets who didn’t just shape my theology—they taught me how to pray. Not the greatest-hits version of Catholic mysticism, but the voices that formed my interior life through poetry, longing, and encounter. We explore why poetry has always been the native language of mysticism, how prayer is shaped more by desire than by technique, and why some of the most transformative saints are remembered for their theology while their poetry is quietly forgotten. Along the way, I reflect on John of the Cross, Jacopone da Todi, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and St. Columba—mystics who wrote about God not as an idea, but as fire, wound, pursuit, exile, and love. This isn’t a how-to on prayer or a list of spiritual habits, rather it's an invitation into a deeper, more contemplative Catholic spirituality, where longing becomes language and love becomes the teacher. For three additional mystics, check out the bonus video on Patreon! patreon.com/anthonystongue

OOPS! This originally only included the final 30 minutes. Here is the full 1hr 45 min version. Yikes. To submit Qs for future Q&As (and get early access and other perks) consider joining our patreon here: www.patreon.com/anthonystongue In this episode, I sit down and respond to a wide range of questions from you all, touching on prayer, confession, Christian mysticism, saints, suffering, hope, conversion, symbolism, and what it actually looks like to live a contemplative life in the middle of ordinary, busy days.Some of these questions are deeply theological. Some are personal. Some are tender and unresolved. All of them are honest.

What does the Nativity reveal about masculinity?In this video, we reflect on St. Joseph and the quiet, contemplative masculinity revealed at the birth of Christ. Against modern ideas of power, dominance, and performance, the Nativity offers something radically different. Strength expressed through tenderness. Authority shown through obedience. Holiness revealed through proximity to a vulnerable God.St. Joseph never speaks in Scripture, yet he stands at the very center of the mystery of the Incarnation. He guards the Child. He listens in the night. He acts without spectacle. In doing so, he shows us a masculinity shaped not by control, but by intimacy with God.This reflection explores the masculine mysticism of Advent and the Nativity, the fear of tenderness in modern Catholic masculinity, and the deeper strength found in silence, vigilance, and mutual gaze with God. We also consider Joseph as an image of the bridal posture of the soul, showing how availability to God can take shape in a man’s life.

In this week’s Gospel reflection we sit with John the Baptist in the darkness of uncertainty and listen to Jesus’ strange response: look again. Instead of offering clarity, Christ invites us to see Him in the quiet places where healing and mercy are already breaking in.And we explore the line that holds the whole passage together: Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.Advent asks whether we can love a God who arrives differently than we expect.

In this Advent reflection we explore three Christian mystics who claimed to witness the Nativity through visionary experience. Saints across the centuries have described seeing Christ born in light, poverty, and humility, not as historical reportage but as a spiritual unveiling of the Incarnation.This video looks at the Nativity visions of St. Bridget of Sweden, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, and St. Francis of Assisi. Their accounts differ in imagery and detail, yet converge on the same mystery of divine nearness. These visions matter not because they correct the Gospel narratives, but because they reveal how the Incarnation is received by the soul.Why do mystical visions of Bethlehem vary? What do light, straw, silence, and tenderness teach us about God taking on flesh? And why does the Church continue to preserve and discern these visions centuries later?Advent is the season when heaven leans close. Through these mystics we are invited not only to remember the birth of Christ, but to contemplate what it means for God to choose proximity over power and humility over spectacle.For patrons, this reflection continues with additional mystics and longer readings from their writings, offering a deeper look into interior Nativity visions and the ongoing birth of Christ in the heart.Three more mystics can be found on patreon: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

Why did God choose a body?He could have remained distant. He could have spoken only from heaven. He could have arrived in power and fire. Instead, the infinite God became an infant.In this Advent episode, I explore incarnational mysticism and the heart of the Christian claim that God chose to enter human life fully. God did not come to change His mind about humanity. He came so that we might change our minds about God. The Incarnation reveals a God who draws near, who becomes knowable, touchable, and present within the ordinary realities of human life.This reflection looks at why Christ came as a poor child, why love always moves toward proximity, why mysticism happens in the body rather than outside of it, and why God chose hiddenness, smallness, and vulnerability as the way to reveal Himself. We also reflect on the womb as the first temple of the Incarnation and why Advent is a season of attention rather than spiritual performance.If God feels distant this Advent, this episode offers a different possibility. God may not be absent. God may simply be coming quietly, gently, and close.

Advent shouldn't be a time to "do more stuff" but rather, to go more deeply into the things we're already doing. Here are 5 ways to increase your prayerfulness this advent, in the lineage of the Catholic mystics. These are designed not to overwhelm you, but invigorate you!🔥Additional St. Anthony's Tongue Resources:Enter the Stable: Advent with the Mystics:A 90 Minute Online Retreat, here on YouTube!https://youtu.be/exFRYGPGNHs?si=1Hl3xMUtx0iAuLLzAdvent Devotional Guide (also available on ALL Patreon tiers): Weekly reflections, prayers and more! https://www.stanthonystongue.com/products/p/pdf-advent-devotional-guidePatreon: Over 400 pieces of bonus videos, articles, and for Advent - near daily content reflections and more! www.patreon.com/anthonystongue The Violence of Marian Joy - A reflection on the joyful mysteries, including the nativityhttps://youtu.be/POGPjUCux4c?si=sPtsvk5azRbbwRPq ----🔥 Lectio Divina ResourceLectio Divina Video Episode: https://youtu.be/ibLtCzBlXZs?si=KiSMFADQwCjCs7cF-----🔥 Liturgy of the Hours/Chant Resources: Chanting the Hours Resource: Sing the Hourshttps://www.youtube.com/c/SingtheHours Psalm Tones: Chants and RantsThis is Sing the Hours' "vlog" channel. He has about 70 of the psalms sung, but it has most of the major psalm tones listed. I highly recommend using this playlist as a basis when learning a tone.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTznj9fyCSlDWxCmrBpOfEkXwIeWIe3I0 The Mundelein Psalter (This is available on Amazon as well) https://ltp.org/products/details/HMPSAL/mundelein-psalterThe Universalis App (Highly Recommend!!) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/universalis/id284942719The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary (You can find many versions, but this one is highly recommended) https://www.baronius.com/little-office-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary.html

Into the Stable: Advent With the Mystics is a 90-minute mystical retreat for the aching, the tired, the spiritually hungry, and anyone longing to experience Advent beyond sentimentality. This episode invites you into the stable of your own heart. The place where God chooses to draw near with tenderness, poverty, and quiet glory.Across this longform journey, we walk with the great mystics and saints: St. John of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Bernard, Thérèse of Lisieux, and more to explore the deeper meaning of Advent as a season of longing, divine hiddenness, and sacred poverty.This is not a countdown to Christmas. It is an invitation to encounter God in the very places you feel unprepared, unfinished, or overwhelmed.If you want to go deeper, I’ve created an Advent devotional guide that follows the same themes: longing, tenderness, hiddenness, and the stable of the heart. It offers daily Scripture, reflections, and practices designed to draw you into a more contemplative, interior Advent.Available Here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/products/p/pdf-advent-devotional-guideAlso available on Patreon with over 400 pieces of bonus content and more! http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

What did it actually feel like when the saints encountered God? For St. Philip Neri, it was a globe of fire bursting in his chest. For St. Teresa of Ávila, it was a burning spear of love that pierced her heart. For others, it was light, fragrance, peace, or the trembling stillness that fills the soul when heaven draws near. In this episode, we explore the sensory mystics of the Church, the saints who felt God in their bodies, and what their experiences reveal about prayer, love, and the incarnational way God reaches us.We’ll look at the Church’s teaching on consolations and mystical experience, and walk through vivid testimonies from saints like Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Philip Neri, Catherine of Siena, Columba Marmion, Gemma Galgani, and more. Their stories remind us that God is not distant; He moves through every sense, every ache, every silence.If you’ve ever wondered what it means to “feel God,” or whether that moment of warmth, ache, or peace in prayer was real, this episode is for you. Mentioned Videos My “Mystical” Reversion Experience:
https://youtu.be/LM8rudQFBukThe Transverberation of the Heart:
https://youtu.be/2U20bnJ7LN4 When God Veils:https://youtu.be/9_SaZRkhsA8 The Violence of Marian Joy: https://youtu.be/POGPjUCux4c My Other Channels/Support Patreon (400+ bonus articles, videos, prayer guides & more): 
https://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue Substack (weekly essays on Catholic mysticism): 
https://stanthonystongue.substack.com/Personal Substack: 
https://substack.com/@stanthonystongue Instagram (daily reels and reflections): 
http://www.instagram.com/stanthonystongue

Purgatory is not punishment. It’s purification. In this episode, we explore the mystical heart of the Church’s teaching on purgatory through the lens of love, unveiling, and divine transformation. Drawing on the Catechism, the early Fathers, and the voices of the mystics: St. Catherine of Genoa, St. John of the Cross, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Julian of Norwich, and others—this reflection looks beyond fire and fear to reveal purgatory as the soul’s unveiling before God.We’ll uncover what the Catholic Church actually teaches about purgatory, what belongs to private revelation and opinion, and how the saints understood purification as the fire of divine love rather than punishment. Through this lens, purgatory becomes the final movement of theosis, the soul’s slow adaptation to eternal light—the moment the veil begins to fall.

Why do we fear those who drink blood when our own faith commands us to do the same? In this final chapter of A Catholic’s Guide to Monsters, we turn our attention to the vampire: not merely a monster, but a mirror of our deepest spiritual longings.Join us as we trace the vampire’s roots from the blood-drinking spirits of antiquity (the Mesopotamian ekimmu, Greek lamia, Roman strigae) to the medieval saints of the The Golden Legend whose dead rose to confess rather than devour.Then we follow the chilling case of Arnold Paole (1722 Serbia), a village, an exhumation, and a corpse that would not lie still — and how this horror led the Benedictine scholar Dom Augustin Calmet to ask: what happens when truth becomes terror?

What happens when holiness meets horror?In this special Halloween episode, we draw horror villains from a pumpkin bowl, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, even Pennywise, and match them with Catholic saints who could spiritually defeat them.It’s part theology, part comedy, and completely Catholic horror fun.Discover how St. Thérèse disarms rage with humility, why St. Francis might call Leatherface “brother,” and what the Eucharist says to a vampire’s hunger.If you love saints, spooky season, and a little mysticism, this one’s for you.

This Sunday’s Gospel isn’t just about miracles, rather, it’s about union. Nine walked away cleansed, but one turned back, fell to the ground, and met God.That’s the difference between healing and salvation, between proximity and intimacy.Gratitude isn’t manners — it’s mysticism.To thank Him is to recognize Him. To return is to love Him.And maybe the real miracle isn’t the skin made clean, but the soul that finally sees who touched it.In this week’s Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart, we walk the road between Galilee and Samaria, where grace still passes quietly by, waiting for one soul to turn back.

What does the Catholic Church have to do with werewolves?In this eerie episode, we explore the forgotten Catholic werewolf legends — from the cursed monks of Ossory and Gerald of Wales’ Eucharistic wolves, to St. Francis of Assisi and the Wolf of Gubbio, and even St. Christopher the dog-headed saint.These haunting tales aren’t about silver bullets — they’re about mercy. They show how the Church saw wolves not only as monsters, but as symbols of sin, hunger, and exile… and how grace dares to feed the beast.We’ll talk about:The Irish werewolves who received Communion in the woodsHow St. Francis tamed a killer wolf through compassionThe dog-headed St. Christopher, sanctified rather than destroyedJohn 10 and Matthew 7, wolves in Scripture, and the theology of demonic hungerWhy the Eucharist is the true cure for the curseSink your teeth into this one — folklore meets theology, and the result is strangely beautiful.

This Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 17:5–10) is not about more faith — it’s about less self. The apostles beg Jesus: “Increase our faith.” But He points to a mustard seed. Small. Hidden. Explosive.In this Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart, we dive into:-Why the Bride of Christ always begins with ache and longing.-The mystics’ path of littleness and nada — St. Thérèse, John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila.-What Jesus means when He calls us “unprofitable servants” — love doesn’t send invoices.-St. Francis of Assisi as the fool who emptied himself until only Christ remained.-The reversal: the Master who stoops to serve His servants, the Bridegroom who kneels before the Bride.This is mustard seed mysticism: God doesn’t need your performance, your devotions tallied up like receipts. He wants your presence. He wants your emptiness. He wants the tiny seed of faith that, surrendered, can move mountains.Prepare your heart for Sunday’s Mass with this reflection on faith, littleness, and the love that stoops.

👻 Yes… Catholics believe in ghosts.For over 2,000 years, the Church has spoken of things visible and invisible. In this long-form episode, we dive deep into what the Catholic tradition really teaches about ghosts, hauntings, and the paranormal.From St. Thomas Aquinas on souls visiting the living, to saints encountering spirits in purgatory, to gothic stories of hauntings, relics, and the economy of grace — this episode unpacks the mystery of what walks among us.We’ll explore:Do Catholics really believe in ghosts?The difference between heavenly apparitions, purgatorial souls, and the damned.Saints who saw spirits — Padre Pio, St. Gregory, and others.Why holy places feel different (the “relics of prayer”).What the Church says about hauntings, demons, and residual energy.How all this ties back to Christ, the Bridegroom, and the communion of saints.If you’ve ever wondered how Catholicism understands the paranormal, or why ghost stories have haunted the faithful for centuries, this is your guide.Peace be with you — and with your spirit.

Francis of Assisi is often remembered as a gentle lover of animals or a simple garden statue with birds perched on his shoulders. But the real Francis was far more radical. He was a mystic whose entire life mirrored Jesus Christ. His spirituality was not just about prayer or visions but about recognizing God in creation, in poverty, in the Eucharist, and in people.In this video, I explore the radical mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi: his union with Christ crucified, his vision of creation as cosmic praise, his embrace of Lady Poverty, his burning devotion to the Eucharist, and his recognition of Christ in the poor and the leper. This is not the birdbath Francis of popular imagination — this is Francis the mystic, Francis the mirror of Christ.To go deeper, I have created a nine-day novena and prayer guide leading up to the Feast of St. Francis on October 4th. You can purchase the PDF guide on its own, or join me on Patreon to receive the guide along with daily video reflections as we pray the novena together, plus additional Franciscan content leading into his feast day.PDF Guide: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/products/p/pdf-st-francis-of-assisi-novena-prayer-guidePatreon: http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue