St. Anthony's Tongue

This Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 22:15–21) gives us the famous command to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But what if the most important part of this passage isn't about Caesar at all?

Jesus asks whose image is stamped upon a coin. But we, too, bear an image: the image of God.

In this week's Mystical Mass Prep, we're exploring what it means to belong to God, why our dignity goes deeper than anything the world can tell us, and how holiness transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts.Can the dead really return to the living? And what does the Catholic Church teach about ghosts?In this episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we explore the strange Catholic theology of ghosts, drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Jerome, and St. Gregory the Great to understand why God might permit souls from heaven, hell, and purgatory to appear.Along the way, I'll share three ghost stories from the latest issue of *The Margins: A Catholic's Guide to Ghosts*, featuring St. Thomas Aquinas, Bl. Richard of St. Ann, and Padre Pio.We'll also explore what Catholics should do if they encounter a ghost.👻 Get Issue VII of The Margins: A Catholic's Guide to Ghosts: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vii-a-catholics-guide-to-ghosts

💀Resources:💀

Grab a Copy of The Margins Here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/ 

Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 

Join my Patreon here: 

http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue  

Episode on Relics:

https://youtu.be/CLdhj6b-AtM

Episode on Theosis: https://youtu.be/TRbknjxcA5U 

What happens when a saint's body refuses to decay?

In this special October episode of St. Anthony's Tongue, we're returning to some old-school strange Catholic storytelling to explore the eerie mystery of incorruptible saints.

From the mysterious lights surrounding St. Charbel's tomb to the strange apparition of St. Andrew Bobola and the remarkably preserved body of St. Bernadette, we'll explore these extraordinary stories, separate fact from myth, and discover what incorruptibility reveals about theosis, the holiness of the human body, and the promise of resurrection.

Inspired by my new book, A Catechism of the Strange.

In this week's Mass Prep, we reflect on Matthew 22:1–14, where Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding feast.

Why a wedding? Because God desires more than our obedience. He desires union with us.

We'll explore the bridal mystery of Christianity, the danger of becoming too busy for God, the meaning of the wedding garment, and how the Eucharist offers us a foretaste of the heavenly wedding feast.

🐺 FROM THE CRYPT: I'm resurrecting a few of my favorite spooky episodes this October. Starting with werewolves.

Werewolves have haunted folklore for centuries, but they also have a surprisingly strange history within Christianity. So what happens when Catholicism, saints, theology, and the legend of the werewolf collide?

Welcome back to A Catholic's Guide to Werewolves.

And stay tuned, here's plenty of brand-new strange and spooky Catholicism coming this October.

Resources:

Grab a Copy of Issue 6 - Strange Catholicism here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism 

Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 

Join my Patreon here: 

http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue  

In Matthew 21, the tenants reject servant after servant—and somehow, the owner keeps sending more.

In this Mass Prep, we look at the strange persistence of God, the Bridegroom who keeps coming closer, and what it means that divine love ultimately takes on flesh.

Grab a Copy of Issue 6 - Strange Catholicism here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism 

Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange, here: 

https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 

Join my Patreon here: 

http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue  

Episode on the Mysticism of the Stigmata:

https://youtu.be/Apc3Ifl1n5o 

Irving Houle was a husband, father, grandfather—and a reported stigmatist who experienced the wounds and Passion of Christ nightly for nearly sixteen years.

In this episode, we explore Irving’s strange story, the mysticism behind the stigmata, his reported healing ministry, and what these wounds might reveal about becoming more like Christ.

Featured in The Margins: Strange Catholicism and explored alongside the strange phenomena of the saints in A Catechism of the Strange.

Check out Issue 6 here: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-vi-strange-catholicism

A grandpa with the stigmata. A mystic who healed a future Catholic icon. Glowing saints, strange relics, visions, miracles, and more.

Welcome to Strange Catholicism, Issue 6 of The Margins — an exploration of the strange, beautiful, and sometimes downright weird corners of the Catholic faith.

Jesus tells a story about two sons: one says yes and never moves, the other says no — then gets up and goes.

In Matthew 21:28–32, we look at a faith that has to become physical: feet in the vineyard, hands in the dirt, sweat on the body.

Because God doesn’t just want the yes on your lips.

He wants your body where your yes is.

🕊️Resources 🕊️

Episode on Theosis: https://youtu.be/TRbknjxcA5U

My Catholic Zine, The Margins: ⁠www.stanthonystongue.com/margins⁠ 

My Book, A Catechism of the Strange: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683⁠ 

My Patreon: ⁠http://www.patreon.com/anthonystongue⁠ 

Why do Catholics keep bones?

In this episode, we look at relics, the Bible, theosis, resurrection, and what all of this says about the human body. Relics aren’t just strange Catholic objects—they’re a reminder that grace reaches deeper than we think.

Based on the relics chapter of A Catechism of the Strange.