St. Anthony's Tongue

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 yo...

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 refle...

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...

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 fro...

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 ho...

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 n...

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 tr...

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,...

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 G...

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...

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, a...

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 cha...

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...

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 sain...

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...

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 beyo...

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 medie...

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...

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...

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...

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...

👻 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 econom...

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 rad...

When tragedy strikes, the devil’s greatest victory isn’t the bullet or the blood—it’s when Christians start to look more like demons than disciples. In the aftermath of the Catholic school shooting and the murder of Charlie Kirk, the world has been flooded with rage, venom, and dehumanization. Some celebrated death. Others called for vengeance. Both responses mirror the serpent, not the Savior. Th...