Late in the evening when the house is still, The quiet can feel like an absence. I have known that darkness and The prayer that comes with it. It makes the heart ache and The mind vacant. There's the Name too. It's hard to whisper in those moments Because the fear of His abandonment feels real And the desire for wisdom seems fake. I've been there. I'll bet you have, too. It makes you close your eyes and Hold your arms tightly across your waist. Eventually .... and There's alw

My last name was fashioned in Calabria... A crossroads of Greeks and Italians, Arabs and Ottomans, Egyptians and Normans, Jews, Muslims, and a few others. But what's most important, To me at least, are the Romans and Byzantines. My middle name was formed in a family... Over many centuries and Passed from generation to generation In Italy and now America. Worn by tribulation, Buffeted by triumph, and And most importantly, Inspired by saints... Specifically, the one who founded

Somewhere deep inside, Beneath my titles, My work, My relationships, My words, and If I'm being honest, My own noise ... There is a flame burning. I did not kindle it. It was given as a gift. It was fostered by saints, (and, oddly, some sinners too). I tended to it by Sacrament and Silence (not nearly enough ... yet!) And it has never once been extinguished ... Ever! This is the great, joyful secret of my life (it could be yours too, by the way). God is not far away. The ligh

Today, on Tabor, the Light that has no night, breaks forth. And just as the disciples fell on their faces in its presence (Matt. 17:6), our eyes are opened wide to the source and summit of our hope. You see, Tabor (Transfiguration) and the Upper Room (Pentecost) are ultimately two parts of one movement. On the mountain, the mystical Light shines on, and through, the Body. In the upper room, the Fire descends within it. Moses and Elijah reveal themselves as the confluence of f

Five weeks from today, on August 6, we celebrate the great Feast of the Transfiguration, when Christ ascended Mount Tabor and shone before Peter, James, and John with a light not of this world. I have stood on that mountain. Tabor rises alone from the Jezreel Valley. The road to its summit climbs in tight switchbacks that force you to slow, to turn, to ascend in earnest. At the top, looking out over the green hills of Galilee, I felt my own calling to the contemplative life q

Thomas Sunday brings great excitement because we have seen the true light in the Resurrection and are now awaiting the great and holy feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. In fact, today's gospel indicates to us that the apostles, disciples, and believers (even some non-believers) were gathering, waiting, and hoping (just like we do today) for all those things that Jesus promised would unfold ... and they did .... right in front of their eyes, and now, deep in our hearts. This S

Each week I send a short reflection to help you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Read: "At that time, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Symeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him . And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. "And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brou

Today, the people of God are enlightened by the knowledge that the Feast of Theophany/Epiphany is approaching and are awakened to the need for repentance through which we are all called to the Sacrament of Confession. As an extension of this, we are reminded in these first days of the new year to ask ourselves: what have I done and what have I failed to do? Do I bow down before God? Do I acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit inside me and outside me? Have I asked for the he

It is important to remember that, ultimately, we do not get to follow our own timelines or the timelines of others. Instead, we are called to listen to God, to discern what it is that we are called to do, and to wait for the appointed time for our calling to take root in our lives and in the world. Always remember that God is with you. And He will give you the peace, the place, the strength, and the timing to do what needs to be done. If you have a question or a prayer reques

Today, we hear of the magi - these kings, scholars, and spiritual seekers - who discover and bear witness to the fact that the universe changed at the birth of Jesus. Given what we, ourselves, have seen, heard, learned, and experienced, we too have to tell the world what we know to be the truth. Therefore, through prayer and sacrifice, sacrament and knowledge, each and every day of our lives we choose to serve God and one another. This is our witness. This is our joy. This is