St. Anthony's Tongue

Catholic Zines: www.stanthonystongue.com/marginsPatreon: www.patreon.com/anthonystongue St. Philip Neri may be one of the most punk rock saints in Catholic history.Known as the Apostle of Rome and the Apostle of Joy, St. Philip Neri rebelled against religious gloom, spiritual ego, cold preaching, and closed-room Catholicism — not by rejecting the Church, but by making Catholic life joyful, human, embodied, and alive.In this episode of Punk Rock Saints, we look at how Philip Neri's devotion to the Holy Spirit set his heart on fire, how his humor and holy foolishness fought pride, and how the Oratory became a kind of sacred scene for the spiritually restless: prayer, music, confession, friendship, Scripture, saints, and laughter all in one room.Philip Neri reminds us that holiness does not have to be grim, polished, or impressive. Sometimes the most radical Catholic thing you can do is laugh, confess, open the doors, and let the Holy Spirit make your heart bigger.St. Philip Neri, pray for us.

In this casual Ascension Sunday reflection, we sit with one of the strangest and most beautiful moments in the Christian story: Jesus rises from the dead, appears to His disciples, speaks with them, promises the Holy Spirit… and then ascends into heaven.But the Ascension is not abandonment.The disciples still have questions when Christ ascends. Mary receives Gabriel before she understands the whole road. Joseph follows dreams one step at a time. Moses sees the burning bush before he understands the Exodus. Again and again, Scripture shows us that God gives Himself before He gives the full map.We'll also talk about spiritual dryness, prayer, the indwelling of God, the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, and why a changed form of God's presence is not the same as His absence.The Ascension reminds us: Jesus is not gone. Christ ascends with His wounds, brings our humanity into heaven, and prepares to send heaven into us at Pentecost.

What does God actually call you?Not the names your shame gives you. Not the names your anxiety gives you. Not the names your failures, wounds, scruples, or self-hatred have taught you to answer to.In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we linger with some of the strange and tender names God gives the soul throughout Scripture, especially in the Song of Songs: my dove, my darling, my sister, my perfect one, along with bride, friend, little flock, and temple.This is not about cute religious nicknames. It is about Catholic mysticism, identity, prayer, and the healing of the soul. God does not flatter the soul. He tells the truth about it. And sometimes the truth is more merciful, more intimate, and more beautiful than we are prepared to receive.We'll explore the Song of Songs, the Farewell Discourse, the words of Christ in John 15, “fear not little flock” in Luke 12, and what it means to stop answering to names God never gave you.God never called you failure.God never called you disgusting.God never called you a lost cause.God never called you too much or not enough.So what does He call you?Let's talk about the secret names God gives the soul.

Is Eastern Orthodoxy more mystical than Roman Catholicism? Or have Catholics simply forgotten the mystical heart of their own tradition?In this episode, we explore Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic mysticism without turning it into a competition. Both East and West seek union with God. Both have deep theology, contemplative prayer, asceticism, sacramental life, and saints who burned with divine love.But they often speak with different mystical accents.Eastern Orthodoxy often foregrounds theosis, watchfulness, hesychasm, the Jesus Prayer, icons, Tabor, and the healing of the eye of the heart to behold divine light. Roman Catholic mysticism often foregrounds Eucharistic union, bridal mysticism, the Sacred Heart, the wounds of Christ, the dark night, contemplation, and the heart being wounded open by love.This is not about choosing East or West. It is about recovering the mystical depth already present in the Catholic tradition.Catholic mysticism is not missing.It is Eucharistic.It is bridal.It is wounded.It is contemplative.It is incarnational.And it is still burning.

This week's Mass Prep reflects on John 14:15–21, where Jesus tells His disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” “I will not leave you orphans,” and “You are in me and I in you.”As we move closer to Ascension and Pentecost, this Gospel invites us to slow down and receive the promise of Christ's nearness. Jesus prepares His disciples for His visible departure, but He does not abandon them. He promises the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who will dwell within them.In this episode, we reflect on love, obedience, spiritual dryness, the ache of feeling abandoned, the indwelling of God, and the promise that Christ still comes to us, even when He feels hidden.For everyone who has ever prayed through silence, dryness, fear, or the feeling that God is far away: you are not orphaned. He comes.

Check out The Margins: ⁠stanthonystongue.com/margins⁠St. Francis de Sales might not look like the obvious choice for a “punk rock saint,” but his life was a quiet rebellion against fear, cruelty, spiritual elitism, and religious rage.In this episode of Punk Rock Saints, we look at why St. Francis de Sales was so radical: his mission to Geneva and the Chablais, his use of written pamphlets to reach people who would not hear him preach, his gentle but courageous evangelization, and his deeply accessible approach to Catholic mysticism.Francis de Sales reminds us that gentleness is not weakness. Holiness is not only for monks, nuns, or spiritual elites. And maybe one of the most punk rock things a Catholic can do today is refuse to become cruel.We also talk briefly about my Catholic zine, The Margins: A Catholic Paper, and the first issue on Lazarus.In this episode:Who was St. Francis de Sales?Why is St. Francis de Sales the patron saint of writers and journalists?What does Catholic “punk rock” mean?How did Francis de Sales make mysticism accessible?Why gentleness can be a radical actCatholic media, rage farming, and refusing cruelty

In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we ask a simple but deeply important question: Does God dwell within us?Many Catholics have heard Saint Paul's words that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, but we often reduce that teaching to a warning label about sin rather than a mystical truth about God's nearness. From Scripture, Catholic theology, and the lives of the mystics, we explore the indwelling of God, the Holy Spirit within the soul, and why prayer is not about summoning a distant God.This episode is especially for anyone struggling with scrupulosity, spiritual anxiety, dryness in prayer, or the fear that God is far away. Catholic mysticism does not teach that we are God, nor is it New Age spirituality or Gnosticism. It teaches something far more beautiful: by grace, the living God makes His home within us.We'll look at the temple language of Saint Paul, the promise of Christ in John 14, the indwelling Trinity, sanctifying grace, contemplative prayer, and the witness of saints and mystics like St. Teresa of Ávila, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Augustine.God is not far away. You do not have to summon Him. By grace, He is already nearer than you think.

Most people think mysticism is rare, strange, or reserved for a few saints.But what if it's actually the normal Christian life?In this episode, we break down what mysticism really is—not visions or extraordinary experiences, but a growing awareness of God's presence that transforms how you live, love, and move through your day.This is about finding God in the ordinary.In your work.In your distractions.In your actual life.We'll walk through Scripture, the lives of the saints, and a simple, practical way to begin living this out today.This isn't advanced spirituality.This is the life you've been invited into all along.

In this episode of Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart, we reflect on John 10:1–10 and the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. What does it mean to recognize His voice? How do we know we are truly being led by Christ and not by noise, fear, or confusion?Jesus tells us that His sheep hear His voice, that He calls them by name, and that He came so that we might have life in abundance. This Gospel invites us into a deeply personal relationship with God—not one rooted in anxiety or performance, but in recognition, intimacy, and trust.

In this episode, I explore why Catholicism might need something unexpected—a punk rock movement.Not rebellion. Not anarchy. But a return to something real.We're living in a time where the faith can feel overly polished, commercialized, and repetitive. Catholic content is everywhere, podcasts, reels, conferences, products, but somewhere along the way, something deeper can get lost. The fire. The encounter. The transformation.So what does “punk” mean in this context?It means authenticity. It means speaking from experience, not just repeating talking points. It means refusing to conform to a curated aesthetic of what a “good Catholic” looks like online. It means being willing to say something when it costs you something.In the 1970s, punk rock emerged as a response to music that had become too commercial, too polished, too disconnected from real life. And in many ways, we're seeing a similar pattern today in Catholic culture.This episode isn't about tearing anything down. It's about calling us back—to something honest, lived, and deeply rooted in encounter with Christ.

In this Mass Prep for Luke 24:13–35, we walk the Road to Emmaus and ask a powerful question: why didn't the disciples recognize Jesus?From Mary Magdalene hearing her name to the breaking of the bread, this Gospel reveals where we actually encounter Christ today—in personal prayer, in the Eucharist, and even in the quiet moments where our hearts begin to burn.If God feels distant or hidden, this reflection will help you see how He may already be closer than you think.

Support My Work via Patreon at www.patreon.com/anthonystongue In this episode, we explore the side wound of Jesus Christ—one of the most overlooked but deeply meaningful wounds in Scripture and Catholic tradition. From John 19 to the mystics, the side wound reveals the open heart of God, the birth of the Church, and the place where we encounter Christ in our own wounds.What does it mean to “enter the wound”? How do figures like Thomas, Peter, and Mary Magdalene show us that transformation happens when we bring our doubt, failure, and grief to Jesus? And how does this lead us back out into the world, changed?This reflection dives into the mystical meaning of the side wound, contemplative prayer, and the rhythm of the Christian life: come close, stay, and go out.

In this Mass Prep for the Second Sunday of Easter, we reflect on John 20:19-31 and the story of Doubting Thomas. Jesus meets His disciples in their fear, shows them His wounds, and invites Thomas to come close and believe. This Gospel reminds us that God is not afraid of our doubt. He meets us in it. The wounds of Christ are not erased in the Resurrection but revealed as places of encounter, mercy, and deeper faith.

What if a Catholic Q&A… got weird?Welcome to the very first episode of The Holy Fool Hotline, a chaotic, joyful, slightly unhinged public access-style show where we answer your questions, play music, and occasionally do things like interview relics and pray for WWE legends.In this episode we talk about:• dryness in prayer• contemplative prayer (what does it actually look like?)• how to approach the liturgical calendar• “convertitis” and overly combative faith• joyful saints (are they actually joyful?)• encountering God in the ordinary…and a few things I did not plan.This is a different kind of Catholic show. Less outrage. More joy.Less performance. More presence.I love you. Jesus loves you.Don't let the bastards get you down.

What did Jesus say at the end?In this reflection, we walk slowly through the 7 Last Words of Jesus on the Cross—not as distant sayings, but as words spoken in love.These are not just final statements.They are words of forgiveness, closeness, longing, surrender.For the tired.For the searching.For the mystic heart.

In this episode we walk through the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary as a path of the spiritual life.From resurrection and new life, to being set free, filled with the Holy Spirit, transformed by grace, and sharing in God's life — these mysteries show what it means to become fully alive in God.With reflections inspired by St. Elizabeth of the Trinity and St. Seraphim of Sarov.

In this Palm Sunday Mass Prep, we reflect on the mysticism of Matthew 21 and the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem.Why do we welcome Jesus… and still struggle to recognize Him?Why does God come gently when we expect power?And what does it mean to lay something down before we understand where He is leading us?This reflection is an invitation to enter Holy Week not with performance, but with awareness — allowing our souls to walk with Christ through the movement of surrender, confusion, and ultimately, resurrection.Peace be with you and with your spirit.

I've always struggled a bit with the Luminous Mysteries, so this episode is more me working through them with you than teaching at you.We walk through how these mysteries form the soul — from being claimed by God, to learning trust, to living it out, to glimpses of glory, and finally union in the Eucharist.With insights from St. Francis de Sales and St. Faustina Kowalska.

In this episode we enter the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary through a mystical and psychological lens. The Passion of Christ is not only something that happened to Jesus — it also mirrors the transformation journey of the soul. We reflect on stages like dryness in prayer, purification, humiliation, perseverance, and total self-gift, with wisdom from St. Teresa of Ávila and St. Catherine of Siena. This reflection is meant to help you enter deeper meditation during the rosary and recognize how God is working in your own spiritual life.http://Patreon.com/AnthonysTongue https://stanthonystongue.substack.com/

In this episode we explore how to truly meditate on the Rosary through the lens of the Catholic mystics. Particularly, St. John of the Cross and St. Therese of Lisieux. The Joyful Mysteries are not just peaceful scenes — they reveal trust, perseverance, and small acts of faith that lead from darkness into joy.Please join my Patreon and Substack to get notified when the written portion of these are available:Patreon.com/AnthonysTonguestanthonystongue.substack.com

In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead — but Lazarus comes out of the tomb still wrapped in burial cloths. Still alive… but not yet free.In this Mass Prep reflection, we explore the mysticism of Lazarus, divine delay, spiritual resurrection, and the slow process of being “unbound” after grace touches our lives.

What does it mean to “keep watch” with Christ?In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks His closest friends a question that still reaches into our lives today: “Could you not watch with me one hour?”Many Christians today are not losing faith, rather, they are losing rest. Exhausted by performance, overwhelmed by noise, and unsure how to simply remain present with God.In this episode, we explore watchfulness as a contemplative practice: learning to sit with God in silence, to become aware of His closeness, and to rediscover a quieter path into the mystical life. Drawing from Scripture, the witness of Brother Lawrence, and the wisdom of the desert tradition, this reflection offers gentle, practical ways to begin praying with greater awareness and peace this Lent.⁠Support my work via Patreon!⁠

In this Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart reflection, we explore the powerful symbolism of John 9, where Jesus heals the man born blind using mud from the earth. What does this strange moment reveal about creation, healing, and spiritual sight?This short mystical reflection looks at how Christ remakes us from the dust, how true vision grows in faith, and why the greatest blindness may be thinking we already see.

Angels appear throughout Christ's journey in Lent: ministering in the desert, strengthening Him in the garden, and announcing the resurrection at the tomb. What do these mysterious encounters teach us about our own spiritual life during Lent?Let's discuss!

In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue we explore three spiritual faces of the Virgin Mary: Mother, Mystic, and Bride.Mary is often spoken about with titles like Queen of Heaven or Mother of God, but the Gospel reveals something deeper. Mary shows us the entire path of the Christian life. First we receive Christ like a mother. Then we carry Him within us like a mystic. And finally we remain faithful to Him like a bride, even when the road leads to the Cross.During Lent the Church walks with Christ toward Calvary. Mary walks that road with Him, and she teaches us how to follow. In this reflection we look at Mary's humanity as a mother, her contemplative heart that “kept all these things and pondered them,” and the bridal fidelity that remained with Christ even at the Cross.Mother. Mystic. Bride.These are not just titles of Mary. They are the movements of the spiritual life that every Christian is invited to enter.If this reflection helps you see Mary or the spiritual life differently, consider subscribing for more episodes exploring Catholic mysticism, the saints, and the strange beauty of the Catholic tradition.Support via Patreon: ⁠www.patreon.com/anthonystongue⁠

In this episode I respond to a criticism I've received lately: that my reflections on Catholic mysticism are starting to sound like “social justice.”But this raises an important question. What if the two were never separate to begin with?In the Catholic tradition, mysticism is not just visions, ecstasies, or extraordinary experiences. The true mark of union with God is transformation. When the saints grow closer to Christ, they begin to love like Him, serve like Him, and reveal Him to the world.From Scripture to the lives of the saints, the mystical life has always been deeply incarnational. To become united to Christ is to mirror His mercy, His courage, and His love for the least among us.In this video we explore how Catholic mysticism naturally flows into charity, justice, and the transformation of the world — not as politics, but as the fruit of becoming like Christ.

In this episode of Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart, we reflect on the Gospel of John 4:5–42, the powerful encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.In Scripture, wells are often places where love stories begin. Isaac's servant meets Rebekah at a well. Jacob meets Rachel at a well. Moses meets Zipporah at a well. When Jesus stops at Jacob's well and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink, something deeper is unfolding. The Bridegroom has come to meet the human soul.Jesus begins the conversation with a surprising request. “Give me a drink.” The God of the universe approaches the soul with thirst. He does not begin with correction or accusation. He begins with desire.As the conversation unfolds, Jesus reveals the deeper thirst beneath the woman's life and offers her something greater than the water in the well. Living water. A spring that becomes eternal life within the soul.By the end of the encounter, the woman leaves her water jar behind and runs back to her town to tell others about the man who knew everything about her and still invited her closer.This Gospel reveals something profound about the heart of Christ. The Bridegroom is searching for the thirsty. The same God who asked for water at the well would later cry out from the cross, “I thirst.”Mass Prep for the Mystic Heart is a weekly reflection on the Sunday Gospel, helping you approach the liturgy with deeper spiritual insight and contemplative attention.

The Creed says that Christ descended into hell. In 1942, hell had barbed wire.This episode tells the story of St. Titus Brandsma , Carmelite priest, journalist, mystic, and martyr, who was imprisoned in Dachau for refusing to cooperate with Nazi propaganda. In the middle of a death camp, he smuggled the Eucharist, heard confessions, consoled the dying, and showed radical kindness to the very guards who beat him.This is not just a historical account. It is a reflection on redemptive suffering, the Eucharist in darkness, martyrdom, and what it means to carry Christ into places that seem beyond redemption.St. Titus did not simply die in Dachau. He lived there as a priest. And in doing so, he mirrored Christ's descent into the depths.May his witness teach us how to love in the darkest places.St. Titus Brandsma, pray for us.

A Lenten PlaylistSupport My Work via PatreonLent isn't primarily intellectual.It isn't self-improvement month.It isn't a productivity cleanse.Lent is descent.In this episode of Mixtape Mysticism, I read six modern songs through the desert, the Cross, and the mercy seat, not as a playlist, but as spiritual exegesis.Leonard Cohen.My Chemical Romance.Radiohead.The Smashing Pumpkins.Nick Cave.Burial. Shaking. Dread. Shame. Judgment. Entrustment.What does Lent actually feel like?What does the wilderness sound like?What happens when modern anguish is read through the crucifix?This isn't about combining culture and Catholicism. It's about listening closely enough to hear where the ache points.Songs discussed:• “Avalanche” — Leonard Cohen• “The Foundations of Decay” — My Chemical Romance• “How to Disappear Completely” — Radiohead• “To Forgive” — The Smashing Pumpkins• “The Mercy Seat” — Nick Cave• “Into My Arms” — Nick CaveIf this stirred something in you, subscribe and walk Lent with me.

This Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 17:1–9) gives us the Transfiguration, one of the most mysterious and beautiful moments in the life of Christ. But this passage is not only about proving that Jesus is God. It reveals what humanity looks like when it is fully united to God.In this episode, we explore theosis, sanctification, the imago Dei, and what it means to be transformed “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In this first episode of our Lenten series, we look at Mary Magdalene through the lens of the Song of Songs.The Bride in the Song rises at night and searches for the one her soul loves. Mary Magdalene walks toward the tomb while it is still dark. The Church has long seen the connection. The poetry of longing becomes a body in a garden.This episode is about the holy ache, the kind of love that remains when consolation fades. It is about fidelity in emotional drought, desire purified of substitutes, and staying when God feels hidden.Lent is not first about discipline. It is about what kind of love remains when clarity is gone.If you are praying and not feeling much, seeking and not finding, still showing up even when it feels quiet, you are not failing. You may be learning how to stay.Support the podcast via Patreon: www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

What happens when the devil quotes Scripture?On the First Sunday of Lent, we enter the wilderness with Christ in Matthew 4:1–11. This Gospel is not only about resisting temptation. It is about identity. It is about discernment. It is about how evil often disguises itself in holy language.The Spirit leads Jesus into the desert. Not for performance. Not for self improvement. For formation. In the wilderness the enemy does something unsettling. He quotes Psalm 91.This episode of Mass Prep explores why Lent begins with the question “If you are the Son of God.” It reflects on how Scripture can be misused when severed from trust. It considers why temptation often sounds spiritual, reasonable, even biblical. And it looks at how ordered worship drives confusion away and why consolation comes after obedience.Let's prepare our hearts for Mass.

This one is different.On the eve of Ash Wednesday, I wanted to offer something slower. More embodied. More strange.We talk about ashes every year.We post the crosses.We quote “Remember you are dust.”But what if we've forgotten what dirt actually means?Tonight we descend.From the dirt of Genesisto the dirt of Bethlehemto the dirt beneath Christ's fingernailsto the dirt of the tombto the ash pressed into our foreheads.This is not a “tips for Lent” video.It's a meditation.A letter.A theological descent into dust.If you listen carefully, you might find that dirt is not humiliation.It's incarnation.–––If this video feels heavier or stranger than usual, that's intentional.Let it ache.

Every year, Catholics prepare for Lent by adding more: more devotions, more fasting plans, more spiritual intensity. But Scripture suggests something deeper. In this episode, we explore five key biblical passages that reveal the true posture of the desert. Lent is not about religious performance or self-improvement. It is about interior conversion, surrender, and allowing God to strip away what keeps us from Him.From Joel's call to “rend your heart,” to Hosea's wilderness of divine courtship, to Mary and Martha, Psalm 51, and Christ entering the desert as the Beloved—this is Scripture to recenter your Lent.

Lent Devotional Guide: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/products/p/pdf-a-lenten-devotional-guide Lent is not a performance review. It is not a spiritual productivity challenge. It is the Church leading exhausted people back into the desert, not to crush them, but to strip away the false god of competence and return them to love.In this video, I offer a Lenten guide inspired by the Catholic mystics for those who are tired, burned out, scrupulous, or spiritually numb. We talk about how Lent becomes distorted into proof, how devotion becomes consumption, why rest feels irresponsible to the anxious soul, and how the mystics practiced penance without turning God into an HR manager.This is a Lent for people who still want God, but are tired of trying to earn Him. A Lent for those who want repentance without self-hatred, silence without shame, and prayer without spiritual grinding. We look at practical ways to enter Lent with a mystical posture, rooted in Scripture, the tradition, and the lives of the saints.

Lent is coming. It's not too close. Not too far. I didn't want to do a lent prep video. It's too early. I also didn't want to do a filler episode. Y'all don't deserve that.So here is an episode where we linger. No script. No outline. Just seeing where lent takes us. We discuss medieval history, the real meaning of devotion, Christian mysticism and end with a guided meditation on a psalm.Thank you for lingering with me.To support my work please consider joining my Patreon: www.patreon.com/anthonystongue

Matthew 5 calls Christians to be salt and light, not in theory, but in visible mercy. This episode reflects on what happens when Catholics choose silence, excuse inaction, or hide behind “nuance” while suffering remains visible. It's about sanctification, demonization, and the slow deformation that comes when mercy becomes optional.

In this Gospel reflection for Sunday's reading from Matthew 5, we linger with the opening line of the Beatitudes. Instead of rushing through the list, we slow down and sit with the atmosphere of the mountain and the first words Jesus speaks.What does it mean to be blessed. What does it mean to be poor in spirit. And what is the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus says already belongs to them.This reflection is not about achieving holiness or spiritual performance, but about making room. About openness, surrender, and the interior posture that allows God to dwell within us.Sometimes Scripture asks us not to move forward, but to stay. To linger long enough for the Word to work.Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many Catholics feel spiritually dry or burned out, even while praying often, attending Mass, and practicing multiple devotions.In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we explore what I call spiritual gluttony. This is the subtle habit of consuming prayers, devotions, and spiritual practices in a way that exhausts us instead of transforming us.This is not a rejection of Catholic devotion. It is an invitation to stop performing and start receiving.We talk about why so many Catholics feel they need to earn the love of God, how prayer can quietly become transactional, and why silence and stillness are essential to the Christian life. We also reflect on the difference between spiritual dryness and spiritual exhaustion, and why many people are not distant from God but simply tired.This episode gently introduces the movement of prayer from vocal prayer to meditation and contemplation, and why devotion is meant to lead to union with God rather than accumulation.You are not broken.You may simply be exhausted.And God is not disappointed in you.Peace be with you.

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.

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, 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.We talk about things like:Whether God can forgive sins outside the sacrament of confessionHow to discern God's will in painful, long-held prayersLay mystics and contemplation in ordinary lifeAnointing with oil, candles, and embodied spiritualityLetting go of past spiritual frameworks after conversionSaints, books, music, and the works that shaped me this yearAnd much moreThis is not meant to be consumed all at once.Feel free to pause, skip around, or come back later.Grab a drink. Sit with it. Let it unfold.Thank you for being here, and for trusting me with such thoughtful questions. I'm really grateful for this community.In Him, W.

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!

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