Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #346
Inspiration for the week of December 22, 2025
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.
Happy Monday before Christmas!
We have now entered the final days before Christmas.
These final days are almost more important than the entirety of Advent as they have the capacity to set the stage for a truly wondrous celebration of Christmas—if we are intentional about using these final days well.
Now, depending upon your plans, you might be scurrying to finish preparations for guests who will soon arrive at your door, or packing for your own travel to spend time with family and friends, or doing a myriad of last minute errands or tasks to be “ready” for Christmas.
Today, however, I want to suggest a different set of tasks for you to be attentive.
Tasks that will help you not only be ready for the Christmas celebration, but Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet that will help you experience all the hope, peace, joy and love of the season as we continue our journey towards holiness…
Food for the Head
"The world might have expected the Son of God to be born—if He was to be born at all—in an inn. A stable would be the last place in the world where one would have looked for Him. Divinity is always where one least expects to find it.”--Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen reminds us that where we are going to find Jesus is always the place we least expect to find it.
In other words, we won’t find it in all of the things that we think we need to have in order to be “ready” for Christmas.
Jesus is always going to be found in the unexpected.
The unexpected visitor. The unexpected crisis. The unexpected activity. The unexpected gift.
So, in these last few days, instead of resisting and fighting against the unexpected, welcome it.
Welcome all of the things, people and activities that seem to be keeping you from getting ready for Christmas.
Rather than becoming discouraged, irritated, anxious or upset, welcome them with hope and peace and joy and love instead.
And then keep your eyes and ears open for signs of Christ’s presence so you are able to find Him in all the unexpected—just like the shepherds and wise men found Him in the stable long ago.
This week, resolve to welcome the unexpected with hope, peace, joy and love.
Food for the Heart
"We desire to be able to welcome Jesus at Christmas-time, not in a cold manger of our heart, but in a heart full of love and humility, a heart so pure, so immaculate, so warm with love for one another.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta
Saint Teresa gives us our marching ourders for how to prepare our hearts in these last few days leading up to Christmas.
We are to seek to be filled with love and humility.
This is so our hearts can become pure, immaculate, and warm with love for one another.
The best way to be filled with love and humility is by allowing yourself to be filled with God’s Presence.
Go spend time with Him in Adoration, or before the Tabernacle, or receive Him in the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.
Clear the path of anything that may prevent the many gifts the Lord desires to give you so that you can welcome Jesus at Christmas time with a manger of warmth, humility and love.
This week, resolve to spend time with the Lord so as to receive His love and humility and be prepared for His coming at Christmas.
Food for the Hands
"In our seeking for the lost child, our contemplation of Our Lady becomes active… where must we seek? everywhere and in every one. How must we seek? With faith, courage and limitless love.” -Sr Miriam James Heidland
Sister Miriam James Heidland reminds us of what we must be about these last days.
We must be seeking the Lord everywhere and in every one, just like our Lady did when she lost Jesus when He was twelve years old.
Eventually our Lady and Saint Joseph found Jesus in the Temple, but during those three days of searching everywhere and asking everyone, Mary and Joseph had remained faithful, as they courageously and with limitless love sought out Jesus.
We need to be doing the same during these days before Christmas.
Regardless of whether our Advent has been great or not so great, we need to remain faithful, and with courage and limitless love, need seek out Jesus everywhere and in everyone by being the spirit of Christmas.
We need to bring hope, peace, joy and love to whatever and whereever we are, and whoever we are with.
Share words that comfort. Be a presence of peace. Share the joy of a gift. Be a loving reminder of all that is good, true and beautiful in the world.
In other words, become the good by being the good that people are longing for in the darkness of the world.
Christ is the light of the world, so let’s shine that light everywhere and for everyone.
This week, resolve to bring hope, peace, joy and love everywhere and to everyone you meet.
Food for the Feet
"Without solitude it becomes virtually impossible to live a spiritual life…we do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside time to be with God and listen to Him.”—Hallow Advent 25 Challenge
The Hallow Advent 25 Challenge has been a beautiful one this year—-for me at least.
Why?
Because it reminded me every day that I need to be attentive to my spiritual life instead of being attentive to the other 1,001 things that the world told me I needed to be attentive.
And the starting place for being attentive to my spiritual life (and yours) is solitude.
Solitude is not necessarily about being alone, but it’s about being alone with God.
Adam was in solitude when he took walks with God in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the evening.
Elijah was in solitude in the desert when he waited for the Lord to pass by and heard him in the quiet whisper rather than the raging thunder or howling wind.
When we are spend time in solitude with the Lord, then we are being serious about our spritual lives.
So, in the days before Christmas, make sure that you take time for the Lord and spend time in solitude with Him.
This week, resolve to spend time with God in solitude.
Exhortation
"Rejoice, you who are just. It is the birthday of Him who justifies.
Rejoice, you who are weak and sick. It is the birthday of Him who makes well.
Rejoice, you who are in captivity. It is the birthday of the Redeemer.
Rejoice, you who are slaves. It is the birthday of the Master.
Rejoice, you who are free. It is the birthday of Him who makes free.
Rejoice, you Christians all. It is Christ’s birthday! Amen.”
— St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 184, 2
In the final days before we celebrate Christmas, I encourage you to be attentive to the things that really matter in helping make Christmas blessed.
Welcome the unexpected.
Strive to be filled with humility and love by receiving the Lord, especially in the sacraments.
Try to be the spirit of Christmas for others by bringing hope, peace, joy and love everywhere and to everyone.
Seek to spend time in solitude with God as Adam and Elijah did.
And when Christmas arrives later this week, may the words of Saint Augustine inspire, encourage and accompany you to begin living out the fullness of the beauty of the Incarnation.
Know of my prayers for you and your loved ones, and may “God bless us, everyone!”
May each of you do WHATEVER IT TAKES to live with joy, so that together we can tell the Master of Death, "NOT TODAY!"
All the best,
Christina
Below are the Latest Happenings In the Say Yes to Holiness Community!
Guest appearances on the Religion to Reality podcast:
Catholic Podcasting with Paul Fahey, Christina Semmens, and Jose Manuel de Urquidi
Living the Works of Mercy: Bridging Faith and Action
(My comments can be found around the 24 minute mark.)
Guest appearance on the Equipcast Podcast:
"When God Asks, How Do You Answer?: The Power of 'Yes' with Christina Semmens
Posts on the Women of the New Evangelization (WINE) blog in 2025:
Do Not Be Terrified (Nov 16)
Gaining Wisdom of Heart (Sept 9)
The Passion of the Passion (Apr 13)
Bearing Fruit in a Pruning Season (March 23)
Putting Out Into the Deep (Feb 9)
Article on Catholic365.com Platform:
We Are All Eucharistic Missionaires!
Latest episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast...
Episode #256—”Don’t Let Anxiety Define You”—1:1 Conversation with Dr Rachael Popcak Isaac, Mental Performace Specialist
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The Say Yes to Holiness YouTube Channel
Episode #255—Embracing Your Advent Journey
The Catholic Leadership Puzzle content continues! Here is the latest...
The Catholic Leadership Puzzle is a initiative that shares and discusses content from my upcoming book (also to be named The Catholic Leadership Puzzle) that focuses upon how we each can help to create life-giving communities where we can become the holy men and women that God created us to be.