Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter
Inspiration for the week of October 27, 2025 (#338)
Welcome to the latest edition of the weekly Say Yes to Holiness newsletter—designed to help inspire, encourage and accompany you on the path towards holiness.
Yesterday’s Gospel had Jesus sharing the story of two men, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector, praying in the temple. Jesus tells us that in the end, one went home justified and the other did not.
He then provides an insight into why this happened by telling His disciples that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Sobering words indeed, eh?
Particularly in a world that prides itself and judges according to power, position and accomplishment.
To counter this, we will examine the virtue of humility in this week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet while striving to become the saint God created each of us to be…
Food for the Head
"If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”—Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Saint Teresa of Calcutta knew a little something about praise and disgrace.
She was praised because of her work with the poor in the slums of Calcutta, but her reputation was also being constantly attacked by those who wanted to disgrace her so as to try and discredit the work that she was doing.
She was often misrepresented and misunderstood, but she accepted all of it with no complaint. Instead, she simply continued her work.
She would tell people who would come to her with concerns about this or that person who was saying or doing something to try and tarnish her reputation, and she would simply say that it was not her place to judge and that if it was something that needed tending to, then God would take care of it.
Similarly, when she was given awards or commendations for her work, she rarely if ever paid attention to them as she knew that praise was fleeting and the only opinion that mattered was God’s.
How could she believe that nothing would touch her?
Because she knew what she was.
A beloved daughter of God.
We are each beloved children of the Father, and nothing can touch us either.
We just need to remain humble and remember that we are His beloved children.
This week, resolve to remain humble by allowing neither praise or criticism to touch you by remembering that you are a beloved chold of God.
Food for the Heart
"A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.”—Saint Faustina
Saint Faustina as responsible for giving us the Diary of Divine Mercy.
The Diary contains the conversations that Jesus had with Saint Faustina about His Divine Mercy and how He desires to share that mercy with every person on earth.
Saint Faustina was very humble as she initially did not trust that it was Jesus who was really talking to her, and thought she might be deceiving herself, or that Satan might be tricking her.
In fact, Faustina did not trust her own judgment to such a degree that she actually threw all of the notes of the conversations that she had had with Jesus into the fire and burned them!
Jesus appeared to her again, and placing all her confidence in Him, Faustina was humbly obedient to His request to rewrite all of what she had burned, as well as to continue writing all that He subsequently told her.
What an example of humility!
We, too, need to be like Faustina and place all our confidence in God and not trust ourselves, particularly our own judgment.
This is where the Pharisee erred.
The Pharisee thought he was doing all of what was required of him in order to be a righteous man and he judged the tax collector for not being like him.
This is not humility.
Humility is not about trusting that we know, but trusting that God knows.
We need to follow Saint Faustina’s example and place all our trust in God rather than ourselves.
When we do this, we will become humble like the tax collector.
This week, resolve to trust God’s judgment instead of your own in any situation where you think you know better.
Food for the Hands
"As patience leads to peace and study to science, so are humiliations the path that leads to humility.”—Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernard tells us the unwelcome truth—humiliations are the path that leads to humility.
I don’t know about you, but I really dislike humiliations, particularly ones that were not deserved or earned.
By deserved or earned, I mean those times when we mess up in public and everyone notices the mistake, so we end up feeling humiliated.
But when we haven’t done anything, yet it seems like we have, or someone says that we have, those are harder humiliations to deal with because they are unfair and unjust.
And unfairness and injustice just grate on me.
They probably bother you, too, but this is where Saint Bernard’s wisdom gives us insight into the beauty of humiliations—they are the path that leads to humility.
Wish it weren’t so, but it is.
So, the next time you are experience any kind of humiliation that doesn’t seem fair, or is downright unjust, remember you are walking the path to humility, and rejoice!
Why, rejoice?
Because you are walking the same path as Jesus.
Jesus was humiliated unjustly and unfairly, too.
And Jesus only permits those who He loves A LOT the chance to walk alongside Him on the path of humiliation.
So, rejoice and be glad that you are on the path to humility.
This week, resolve to rejoice any time that you are faced with an unjust or unfair humilation.
Food for the Feet
"Remember that true humility consists in being ready for what the Lord wants to do with you and happy that we should do it, and in considering yourselves unworthy to be called His servants.”—Saint Teresa of Avila, The Way of Perfection
Saint Teresa of Avila tells us the key to true humility is to be ready for what the Lord wants to do with us and to be happy that we should do it.
This is because we are unworthy to be called his servants.
Why are we unworthy?
Not because we are bad people.
No, we are unworthy because we are not God.
As Saint Catherine of Siena was told by God, “I am God, and you are not.”
However, we often think that we are God because we think that we know what the Lord wants. This is our pride!
So, how to combat it?
By readying ourselves to God’s will instead of our own, especially if is something that we do not like, did not choose, cannot change or do not understand.
Each time that we SAY YES to those moments of doing God’s will instead of our own, we are humbling ourselves like the tax collector and saying we are not worthy.
This is how we cultivate humility each and every day.
This week, resolve to be humble and accept whatever you do not like, did not choose, can not change or do not understand in your life.
Exhortation
"Humility, humility, and always humility. Satan fears and trembles before humble souls.”—Saint Padre Pio
Do we need any more than this exhortation by Padre Pio and its benefit to seek the lowest place at all times?
Satan trembles before humble souls.
If we do not need to be deterred by the one who is constantly prowling about the world seeking the ruin of souls, then rejoice in the thought of how much good will be possible in union with the Father, Son and Spirit!
When we set aside ourselves and take on poverty out of love for the Lord, then He will fill us with His many graces, and will use us to build His Kingdom.
This is what the humble soul longs for, to be of whatever use, little though it may be, to the One whom loves them and who they love in return.
Remember that you are a beloved child of God so that neither praise or disgrace touches you.
Strive to trust God’s judgment instead of your own.
Accept any humiliations with joy.
And be ready for what the Lord wants to do with you and be happy to do it—especially if it is something that you do not like, did not choose, cannot change or do not understand.
As we take each of these steps, we will be filled more with Christ and less of ourselves.
This is how humility grows in hearts and minds and souls.
Therefore, may we always do WHATEVER IT TAKES to grow in humility on the journey, so that together we can tell the Master of Death, "NOT TODAY!"
All the best,
Christina
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