Mass Prep | The Jesus We Try to Edit (Matthew 16:21–27)

🕊️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.

🕊️Resources 🕊️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 Absolutely — keep it simple, searchable, and not stuffed:Description:On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we sit with Mary as the wounded Bride: the woman whose heart was pierced, who stayed near the wounds of Christ, and whose love became something bodily, tangible, and costly.This episode explores Our Lady of Sorrows, the wound of love, bridal mysticism, compassion, the Crucifixion, and what it means to remain open to love in the presence of suffering.

In this episode, we look at Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, the Greek phrase splagchnistheis—to be moved in the guts—and the way Scripture repeatedly connects holiness with a heart that can still be affected by suffering.Compassion is not the enemy of truth. The question is whether the mercy we receive from Christ actually makes us more merciful.

Some saints were said to literally glow.In this episode, we look at the strange stories of luminous saints, the Transfiguration, theosis, and what it might mean for a human life to become radiant with Christ.---🕊️Resources 🕊️Mysticism, Word By Word -- Theosis: https://youtu.be/TRbknjxcA5U?si=BzlYg2gZhzG9V8xz 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 

What if heaven is closer than we think?In this Mass Prep, we explore Matthew 18:15–20, communal prayer, the Bride of Christ, and Jesus’ strange promise to be in the midst of us.

What happens when Silicon Valley’s values start shaping the Catholic imagination?In this episode, I’m talking about optimization, branding, algorithms, prayer streaks, Catholic AI, “frictionless faith,” and the danger of treating holiness like something that can be measured on a dashboard.This isn’t an anti-tech rant. It’s a plea for a messier, more embodied, more human Church — one where people still have faces, names, wounds, and time for one another.I just want to see her face.🤖Resources 🕊️Essay - Against Silicon Valley Catholicism: https://stanthonystongue.substack.com/p/against-silicon-valley-catholicism Issue V - Beware of Catholic Robots: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/margins/p/issue-v-beware-of-catholic-robots 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 

Join my PatreonCheck Out my ZineOrder my BookIn this week’s Mass Prep, we look at Matthew 16:21–27: Peter trying to correct Jesus, what it means to actually follow Christ, and the strange call to lose your life in order to find it.

What if the spiritual life is less about finding God, and more about realizing that God has been chasing you the whole time?In this episode, we look at Francis Thompson’s The Hound of Heaven, the conversion of Jacques Fesch, Jonah, the lost sheep, and the strange, relentless mercy of a God who refuses to stop coming after us.God Chases You Like a Dog (Essay)The Margins: A Catholic Zine Buy My Book, A Catechism of the Strange

Order my book here.Buy a zine here. In Matthew 16:13–20, Jesus asks Peter one of the most important questions in the Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?”This week, we’re reflecting on faith becoming personal, learning to recognize Christ, and the beautiful moment when Peter names Jesus—and Jesus names Peter.

Order my book, A Catechism of the Strange here: https://www.amazon.com/Catechism-Strange-Stigmata-Relics-Miracles/dp/0829460683 In this episode of Mysticism, Word by Word, we explore the Christian idea of becoming more like God through grace, where it appears in Scripture, how the mystics understood it, and what it looks like in everyday spiritual life.