Fr. Thomas Colyandro

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 always an...

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 monasticism. My...

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 light that blazed on...