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The well-known Orthodox priest Fr. Josiah Trenham made waves on social media recently with a powerful message about what it means to live out one’s Christian faith in a broken world. Fr. Trenham is a father of 10 and the founder of Patristic Nectar, an outlet that aims to “bring the wealth of Sacred Tradition to a generation attuned to listening rather than reading.” 

Every person has a portion of the world given to them by Christ

to make beautiful.

For some, that portion might only be a cubicle, but that’s the cubicle where Jesus’ name must be glorified. And if you do that, you can change your world.

If people know that when they go by that cubicle, there’s a person there who loves them, who will stop what he’s doing to listen to them, and who will pray for them, the world around that cubicle can be radically changed. 

So, this is what I want my sons to do: I want them to be human beings … to be a human being means to live with God in everything. That’s what human beings were created to do.

Looking back, looking forward

I wish I had heard Fr. Trenham’s advice years ago when I worked in a cubicle. Back then, life often felt void of meaning. I’d like to think his wisdom would have inspired me to make my cubicle a warm, welcoming place with some cool artwork on the walls, perhaps a scented candle or two … maybe even a cozy chair in the corner. 

But most importantly, this ideal cubicle would have had me in it — fully present with a prayerful attitude, working hard, and welcoming my coworkers with a smile (and even a hug when appropriate). 

Sadly, I look back on my years in a cubicle as a time when I wasn’t in tune with all the beauty that was available to me. I shirked work and complained about my boss and coworkers. I also gossipped. A lot.

I look back on those years as a sad, wasted time when changing my ways and following Fr. Trenham’s advice would not only have had a positive impact on those around me, it would have made me happier and more fulfilled too. 

We live in an extroverted world, and as an introvert and a writer, I love the idea of shutting out the rest of the world for several hours each day to write about faith. I often find it beneficial to remember what the Prophet Elijah experienced in 1 Kings, 19:12 when he found God’s presence not in earthquake or fire but in “a light silent sound.” 

God speaks to us in those silences, which, in all the bustle and noise of modern life, can be hard to come by. As Catholics, our faith brings us to an experience of God through communal worship in the liturgy, as well as through parish life and the Works of Mercy. But for a Catholic introvert like me, it can be a challenge to find the balance between that active engagement with the world and the quiet contemplation I need to sustain me.

Fortunately, our faith connects us with the great Communion of Saints — all those holy souls who have gone before us and still offer us their wisdom and guidance in living a holy life. Whether or not any of them were true introverts is a question lost to history, but the saints can teach us valuable life lessons about how to be our best introverted, spiritual selves.

RELATED: How to Make Friends With a Saint

Saint Clare of Assisi

Clare lived an introverted expression of one of the more extroverted of religious orders, the Franciscans, who were actually among the first orders to reject the cloistered life. They begged in the streets, preached in the towns, and made themselves living examples of the Christ-centered life.

But Saint Clare and the sisters of her order (commonly known as the Poor Clares) lived in a cloister. This was more in keeping with the tradition of the day for all religious orders, men and women. Francis and his brothers were considered eccentric for the public nature of their lifestyle; for Clare and her sisters, it would have been scandalous. They were able to live out the Franciscan charism from within the cloister walls.

The Poor Clares, like their Franciscan brothers, were an order devoted to being public examples of a Gospel-centered life. And like Francis, Clare rejected the idea of the cloister as protection against the evils on the outside. It was a spiritual refuge – a place, as Jesus said, to withdraw to her inner sanctum, close the door, and pray to God in secret. For this Catholic introvert, my prayer time can be like that cloister — a place of quiet, solitary retreat when I need spiritual rejuvenation.

Saint John the Baptist

A fiery, outspoken prophet might seem like an odd example of an introverted saint.

Whether it’s your boyfriend, sister, or best friend, chances are you’ll disagree with someone about something sometime. What are some best practices for having fruitful conversations when you’re both firmly rooted on opposite sides of an issue? 

St. Ignatius has some tips for discernment that work well for resolving disagreements And these hold true whether you’re discussing climate change, where to send the kids to school, or what to do for dinner tonight.  

Before you’re able to discern properly, however, you need to make sure your head is in the right space. 

Father Warren Sazama attributes to St. Ignatius seven attitudes for authentic discernment: openness, generosity, courage, interior freedom, prayerful reflection and examination, having your priorities straight, and not confusing the means with the ends. If you don’t have these attitudes, it will not be possible to discern well. 

So how do these apply to disagreements? 

Openness means coming into a decision without preconceived ideas. This is especially important when you are arguing with someone because if you can’t listen to what he or she is saying, your conversation will be fruitless. If you enter the discussion assuming you know their position, you won’t listen and be able to truly discuss your differences. 

Generosity means that you have to be ready and willing to change, or at least to understand the other side. Often it is easier to argue the crazy opinion you think someone holds than to understand what they actually think and why they have come to believe that.  

Courage is important because what you are discerning (or in this case disagreeing about) may be emotionally charged and sharing your side may be unpopular. You’ll need to have courage to say what needs to be said. 

Interior freedom is necessary for discernment. You can’t be free if you dance around what God is calling you to and never fully commit. Or if you talk around the subject so much that you don’t ever focus on what needs to be done, you aren’t free either. Similarly, when you are disagreeing with someone, you have to get to the point and not fill the conversation with detours. And you aren’t doing either of you a service if you keep intentionally starting and stopping the conversation so that nothing real can be said. 

The fifth attitude is one of prayerful reflection — if you aren’t in the habit of reflecting on your life and praying regularly, you won’t be able to discern well. Prayer and reflection help form your thoughts and opinions, and thus directly affect your views on everything from political stances to questions of morality in daily life. Forming your own conscience well by examining it and by trying to listen to God better every day can only help you grow in wisdom.

Sarah-Anne was living on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside when she met Mildred Moy. Surviving off sex work, she found herself pregnant and saw no way forward when Moy’s team offered her a help card during their outreach.

Sarah-Anne gave them a call.

That was 20 years ago. Today, Sarah-Anne’s life looks completely different. Her son, whom she had been pregnant with on the street, has graduated from high school and has two younger siblings. She founded a nonprofit to help Indigenous fathers find healing and community, seeking to extend the support that is traditionally offered to mothers.

“Sometimes we think we’ve done so little,” said Moy. “So many people, and you only help one. But [Sarah-Anne]’s baby was born, and two more kids. And then she started a nonprofit to help others. You can have one [person], and then that one can help a lot.”

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is known as the “poorest postal code in Canada.” High rates of severe poverty, homelessness, substance dependency, sex work, and mental and physical health concerns contribute to the vulnerability of its residents.

Programs abound that provide for the material needs of those in precarious housing situations, including free meals and clothing programs, shelters and recovery homes, and advocacy organizations.

While services that meet the material needs of the poor are a necessary baseline, said Moy, that doesn’t mean their spiritual and emotional needs get neglected.

Moy founded Catholic Street Missionaries (CSM) to fill that gap.

The core mission of CSM is to put young adults on the streets of downtown Vancouver to accompany the homeless emotionally and spiritually.

Moy was inspired by the work of an American ministry, Christ in the City, centred on building relationships with people living on the street. “We are all children of God,” said Moy. “We share the same dignity, and we try to restore a sense of dignity. Some of them have lost it because of how they’re being viewed by the world and ignored by the world.”

In previous years, CSM has hosted Street Missionary Weekends, and in 2024 it hosted a successful two-and-a-half-week program called Hope on the Horizon.

The program trains participants to engage compassionately in genuine conversations with those living on the street. In addition to the practical skills of communication, throughout the week the missionaries also hear from speakers who share their knowledge and testimonies about evangelization, faith, and missionary work.

In 2025, CSM attempted to extend the program to six weeks but encountered some challenges.

“I underestimated the power of the Jubilee Year,” said Moy with a smile. “So many young adults went to Rome, which conflicted with the six weeks.”

Watching the men’s final of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships recently brought a smile to my face not only because the talent on display was incredible, but also because of the Catholic connection between the two combatants. 

The eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz, a devout Catholic, had received a special blessing from a priest at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York just before the tournament began. In 2023, he also visited Guadalupe, where he brought a rose to Our Lady. Alcaraz, the current world No. 1, speaks proudly on social media about his Catholic faith.

The world No. 2, Italian finalist Jannik Sinner, also professes his Catholic upbringing. He recently met with Pope Leo XIV, who loves tennis, and presented him with a racquet. Truly, it is rare to see two practising Catholics at the very top of the sport. Alcaraz and Sinner have been excellent examples for young tennis players, showing the path to success with both their skill and their sportsmanlike behaviour.

And while they inspire on the courts, two other young Catholics — St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati — have become inspirations for young (and old) Catholics to live holy, pure lives. Both were canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Sept. 7, 2025, with memorials set for Oct. 12 (St. Carlo) and July 4 (St. Pier Giorgio).

St. Carlo and St. Pier Giorgio both enjoyed soccer, skiing, and swimming. Pier Giorgio especially immersed himself in mountain climbing and hiking. Both used their sports experiences to evangelize and share the Gospel. They were known for their apostolate, though they evangelized in different forms.

St. Carlo was especially well known for his love of “gaming” on Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. Through these and other social media platforms, he brought many to the faith and to love of the Eucharist. St. Pier Giorgio used the written word as a tool for evangelization, and he was also a gifted orator. Both knew how to use the gifts God had given them in their short lives to reach souls.

We too are called to be saints and to help our family, friends, and co-workers know Jesus Christ through our actions, and at times, through our words. These two left a legacy for future generations, seen in organizations founded in their names. One such group is Frassati Sports and Adventure, which began at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Denver, Colo., in 2016. Its mission: “To form strong male disciples of Jesus Christ. Through sports and adventure, we seek to foster authentic masculine spirituality, servant leadership, vocation discernment, and joyful Catholic witness. To Jesus through sports.”

A few decades ago it was time to purchase a dining-room set for the Vogel household — a big purchase, not easily returnable. Would it fit? Would it look right for the house? How could I minimize the chance of a bad purchase?

This was in pre-cellphone times and, for most, pre-computer times — and of course pre-AI times. My solution was to take several photographs of the store’s setup for a table and chairs I thought might work. A photographic print wasn’t going to be much use. I was, however, experienced with shooting slides, and I owned a slide projector.

This was going to be an early attempt at virtual reality, if not artificial intelligence — in slow motion, of course, because that roll of slide film in the camera would have to be sent off for development and mounting into small cardboard sleeves, ready for use in a projector.

A few weeks later the slides were back, and those featuring the dining-room set were ready to be projected into the area where the furniture might be placed. Awkwardly holding and aiming the projector in various directions, and adjusting the zoom according to the sizes of the pieces, I eventually determined the set would be a good fit.

Fast forward all those decades, and we now look back and chuckle. We can do all this — and a lot more — with the latest artificial-intelligence applications being bandied about.

Not that there is much in the way of “artificial intelligence” to these services. In essence, they are dependent on stolen or purloined content and used in what service providers call “training.”

Much of this concern, however, doesn’t trouble the general public. These services have a magical feel; for many, they feel like artificial general intelligence has arrived. Current AI services embody the third of science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke’s famous laws: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

For almost three years I’ve made it a mission to demonstrate AI services to nearly everyone I meet, starting, of course, with the now-famous ChatGPT, quietly unveiled in late November 2022. I’ve written columns on that service, from publishing a novel written over a weekend to introducing its art component, DALL·E, to Metro Vancouver artist and religious iconographer John Souter.

In recent weeks a cavalcade of new tools has been released into the AI-sphere, mostly for graphical and writing tasks. Just when it looked like ChatGPT had the market locked up, Google/Alphabet stepped back into the fray with souped-up versions of its Gemini engine (gemini.google.com). In particular, there was a stampede to try out the new graphical tools built into Gemini.

My first real struggle with doubts in my faith happened in the dark depths of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with the hardships of the world, the political moment we were in, the frailty of human life, and my own struggles, it was very difficult for me to see the goodness of God. 

Naturally, as my experience of faith shifted from pure joy and delight to frustration and confusion, I wasn’t really sure about God or the convictions of my Catholic community.

Had I gotten something wrong about the character of God? Was my community really interested in a deep life with an active and personal relationship with Jesus, or were they just interested in His moral and social teachings? And were those teachings really good or were they just arbitrary commands made centuries ago by religious leaders who wanted control?

These were hard questions and they led me into a “deconstruction” of sorts. I found myself turning over every aspect of my faith and asking if it was true and if it was good. Those months and years of struggling were immensely painful; it felt as though I was living out of alignment with my identity as a Catholic and with my community of fellow believers. I also wondered how God felt about it all – was He hurt, as though I was betraying Him or rejecting Him by having doubts? 

Still, I am so grateful for the person God has shaped me into on the other side.

We can sometimes be tempted to run away from doubt. We hear nicknames like “Doubting Thomas” and assume that to ask questions or to be uncertain is a bad thing. We’re warned by well meaning people not to ask certain kinds of questions or explore certain sources because they could lead us astray. There is a kind of doubt and a form of deconstruction that leads to the ending of faith – and that is a tragedy. But when our doubts come from a true place of curiosity (even if that curiosity is spurred on by pain) rather than cynicism, it is possible  that God is working in us to bring about a greater spiritual maturity.

The ultimate goal in our spiritual journey is to be united with God. Our call is to be transformed day by day by His love and to love Him so deeply that we experience “union.” Just like in a marriage, two people become “one flesh,”; God desires for us to become one with Him, restored in full relationship.

Saint John of the Cross used an analogy, comparing us to a cold, wet log and God to a blazing fire.

Taking a position on Israel, Palestinian statehood, and the two-state solution is largely a no-win scenario. Few people are undecided. Fewer still are willing to consider opposing views. Yet that’s what’s needed on the issue, and it’s highlighted by Canada’s recent decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Those who oppose the current Mark Carney Liberal government will be tempted to reflexively condemn the announcement. Carney supporters will cheer it on, especially as Palestinian rights in Gaza and political opposition to Israel become the cri de cœur of many progressive voices.

Both the Conservatives and U.S. President Donald Trump see a two-state solution with Palestinian statehood as rewarding acts of terrorism by Hamas, but the history is more complex than much of the commentary suggests. For decades, Canadian governments have supported a negotiated two-state solution but stopped short of recognition. The new policy ties recognition to Palestinian political reform and the exclusion of Hamas.

It may not be well known, but Canada’s new position closely aligns with that of the Holy See, so it’s worth looking at what the Vatican has had to say on the issue, in the past and now.

After a recent meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the Holy See stated that the two-state solution is “the only way out of the ongoing war.”

Asked this week about recognition of Palestine as a state, Pope Leo reminded journalists, “The Holy See recognized the two-state solution some time ago. That is clear: we must seek a path that respects all peoples.”

It was exactly 10 years ago that the Vatican formally recognized the State of Palestine. Palestine’s new Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian recently told Vatican News that the 2015 agreement offers a vision of hope for the Holy Land and allows for the continued presence of Christians in their homeland.

The 2015 agreement did more than recognize the State of Palestine. It enshrined rights of freedom of religion and conscience, guaranteed access to Christian holy sites, and affirmed the Catholic Church’s ability to carry out social, charitable, and educational work.

The agreement envisions a solution “in which two states, Israel and Palestine, coexist peacefully side by side with equal dignity,” writes Vatican News’ Roberto Cetera.

The 2015 agreement was signed under Pope Francis, but it had its origin under Pope John Paul II. In 2000, John Paul II and the Palestine Liberation Organization reached an agreement recognizing religious freedom and the equal dignity of the three monotheistic religions present in Jerusalem.

In 2014, a meeting at the Vatican brought together Pope Francis, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli President Shimon Peres, who planted an olive tree as a symbol of peace.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
First Reading: Hab 1:2–3, 2:2–4
Second Reading: 2 Tm 1:6–8, 13–14
Gospel Reading: Lk 17:5–10

All three readings this Sunday stress trustful waiting.

“Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love, and peace,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The present time, as we know, is marked by “distress” and the trial of evil, which encompasses even the Church and ushers in “the struggles of the last days.” It is a time of “waiting and watching.”

Since the Ascension, Christ’s coming in glory has been “imminent,” even though we do not know the time “that God the Father has fixed by his own authority.” In fact, it “is suspended at every moment of history until his recognition by all Israel, for a hardening has come upon part of Israel in their unbelief” toward Jesus.

After Pentecost, St. Peter told the Jews in Jerusalem to “repent” until the time came “for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.”

“The full inclusion of the Jews in the Messiah’s salvation, in the wake of the full number of the Gentiles, will enable the People of God to achieve the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, in which God may be all in all,” says the Catechism.

It is more accurate to say God is waiting for us than to say we are waiting for God, the Catechism implies. God has done his part through Christ. Accordingly, Christ could say to his disciples, the night before he died, “Take courage! I have overcome the world.”

Therefore, while “we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ,” we must “rekindle” our faith, maintaining “the standard of sound teaching” without being “ashamed.”

St. Paul defines faith as “confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” However, it is not God’s plan to hide spiritual realities from us. Our inability to see them except “indistinctly, as in a mirror,” is a handicap we inherit from Adam and Eve.

“Original sin deprived not only our first parents of God’s special friendship, but all their descendants as well,” said Pope St. John Paul II. “The whole human race has inherited both physical death of the body, and sin, which is the spiritual death of the soul. The sin of Adam is transmitted to each human person by generation.”

On June 11, 1899, Pope Leo XIII consecrated the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus thanks to the efforts of Blessed Maria Droste zu Vischering (1863–1899).

Blessed Maria began her novitiate with the Congregation of the Good Shepherd in 1899 and received the name Sister Maria of the Divine Heart. She said, “When you are appealing to His Divine Heart for a soul, He will never refuse you, although sometimes He demands much prayer, sacrifice, and suffering.”

In 1894, with a spirit of sacrifice and obedience, Sister Maria left her beloved Germany for a new assignment in Portugal. She wrote, “Lord, I have left all, yes all, that I might love You until the last moment of my life, and that with all my energy I might spread devotion to Your Sacred Heart.”

Our Lord gave Sister Maria private revelations regarding the consecration of the world to His Sacred Heart. Jesus said that the exterior devotion to the Sacred Heart had spread far and wide through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and now He wanted to see the interior devotion more firmly established. Jesus wished souls to get into the habit of uniting themselves more and more interiorly with Him and of offering Him their hearts as His abode.

Jesus also made known to Sister Maria His desire for the consecration of the world to His Sacred Heart. She petitioned Pope Leo XIII in June 1898, but the Pope did not respond to her request. In January 1899, she petitioned the Pope again and referred to his recent illness. She told the Holy Father that Jesus had prolonged his days on earth in order to grant him the grace to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart.

The Pope was touched by her letter and eventually consecrated the whole human race to the Sacred Heart on June 11, 1899. The mission of Sister Maria had thus been accomplished, and she died on June 8, a few days before the consecration.

Before the consecration, Leo XIII issued an encyclical letter on the Sacred Heart on May 25, 1899. In the letter he wrote, “God, the author of every good, not long ago preserved Our life by curing Us of a dangerous disease. We now wish, by this increase of the honour paid to the Sacred Heart, that the memory of this great mercy should be brought prominently forward, and Our gratitude be publicly acknowledged.”

Pope Leo XIII pointed out that Christ reigns over the whole human race by both natural right and acquired right.

Regarding Christ’s natural right, Leo XIII wrote, “On what foundation this sovereign power rests is made sufficiently plain by the words, ‘Thou art My Son.’