Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #352
Inspiration for the week of February 2, 2026
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.
This weekend, the Gospel was Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom through His sharing of the Beatitudes.
Many times, we will hear the Beatitudes, but then we set them aside by thinking that the Beatitudes are just ideals, or suggestions. But the reverse is true because the Beatitudes are actually the blueprint for us to live a life of Christian discipleship.
So, how do we go about doing that? How can we integrate these teachings into our daily life so that we can be more like Jesus?
This week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet is going to seek to inspire, encourage, and empower you to live out the Beatitudes more fully each and every day on your journey towards holiness…
Food for the Head
“Let us not accept violence as the way of peace.”—St. Pope John Paul II
Jesus tells us “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
More often than not, we think of peacemakers simply as someone a person who “makes peace” between people who are having an argument or some sort of issue with one another. But Saint Pope John Paul II tells us that being a peacemaker is far more.
A peacemaker is a person who refuses to accept violence as the way of peace.
In other words, a peacemaker refuses to allow violence of any sort to happen in the world around them. This applies not just to physical violence, but also to any sort of mental or emotional violence.
What might mental or emotional violence look like?
These are things like bullying, humiliating someone, ostracizing a neighbor, threats, constant criticism, or giving someone the silent treatment. All of these are examples of psychological violence and should not be tolerated by a peacemaker.
Why?
Because physical or psychological violence will fail to create true peace.
A peace in which each person’s dignity is honored.
A peace in which each person’s voice is heard and respected.
A peace in which every person is cherished as the unique and unrepeatable person they are.
As a peacemaker, you must live peacefully with each person you encounter and engage. You must respect them, listen attentively, and treat them as you would like to be treated.
So, are you doing that? Or are you falling prey to the temptation to be violent towards another?
We can be peacemakers. Jesus tells us it is possible. Now we need to live it.
This week, resolve to be a peacemaker wherever you go.
Food for the Heart
"The soul hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it. Therefore He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls.”—Saint John Vianney
In the beatitudes, Jesus speaks of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and that those who hunger will be filled. The righteousnes of which Jesus is speaking a thirst to be filled with nothing but God.
Saint John Vianney points out that the soul is hungering for God and that only God can satiate it. As our Creater, God knows this reality, so He came to dwell on earth and assumed a Body so that His Body might become our food.
Food for our souls.
The Eucharist is that food.
But are we thirsting for it?
Honestly, think about it. Are you truly thirsting for the Eucharist? If so, are you doing everything in your power to be able to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ as often as possible? Are you rearranging your schedule to get to daily Mass? Are you making sure that nothing is keeping you from the food that will satisfy?
If not, why not?
We probably can all be a bit more thirsty in our righteousness for the Lord, so perhaps you could go to daily Mass once or twice a week? Or maybe spend time with Jesus in Adoration? Or drop by a few minutes to sit before the Tabernacle?
All of these practices (and others) can help us become a bit more thirsty, but the Lord will ensure we are satisfied.
This week, resolve to become more thirsty for righteousness in your daily life.
Food for the Hands
"Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.” -St. Thomas Aquinas
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
To be poor in Spirit is to practice humility, while to be meek is to practice self-control. The two are intrinsically tied as meekness is only possible when restrained by humility.
Unfortunately, humility and meekness are difficult to come by in our world that is all about trumpeting our accomplishments, talents and capabilities.
And this is where friendship comes in.
Not only does friendship make the even tedious pursuits agreeable, but they are also the source of the greatest pleasures because of the intimacy that occurs with those who love you and who desire only what is best for you.
And sometimes, what is best for you is for you might be to experience some humiliation and learn self-control. Not a demeaning humiliation, but one in which we can see ourselves through the eyes of our friends who point out that we don’t necessarily know everything, or can do everything.
And as our friends do this, for us to learn self-control in our humble response.
This is how friends truly make all things agreeable, and no pursuits are ever tedious when in the company of friends.
To live the Beatitudes in their fullness, we need to cultivate a group of friends who can help us not only remain humble and self-possessed, but to also encourage us to stay faithful to the path of holiness—no matter what comes.
We need those kind of friends, but we need to be those kind of friends for others, too.
This week, resolve to be a good friend.
Food for the Feet
"The more you are afflicted, the more you ought to rejoice, because in the fire of tribulation the soul will become pure gold, worthy to be placed and to shine in the heavenly place.”—Padre Pio
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Each of these Beatitudes normally present themselves as afflictions in our lives, but Saint Padre Pio tells us that the more we are afflicted, the more we should rejoice because it is in the fire of tribulation that our soul will become pure gold, worthy to be placed and to shine in the heavenly place.
It is by living each of these Beatitudes as they come to us that we will gradually become pure gold.
Those times when we mourn the loss of a loved one or a friendship that is no longer.
Those times when we do nothing wrong, but are punished anyway.
Those times when people gossip about you or think badly of you based upon a misunderstanding.
Those times when people treat you badly and insult you and speak or act horribly towards you.
All of those times will make us worthy of a place to shine in heaven, so rejoice and be glad that you have been found worthy, and SAY YES.
This week, resolve to SAY YES to any affliction that you encounter with joy.
Exhortation
”Trials, tribulation, anguish, anxiety are permitted by the very One Who gives peace.”—Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen
Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen reminds us that trials, tribulation, anguish, and anxiety are all part and parcel of making the journey of holiness.
But Jesus has given us the blueprint in the Beatitudes for enduring and persevering in the midst of the trials, tribulations and anguish.
And by living the Beatitudes, we will receive the peace we need to deal with any anxiety that may arise on our journey.
So, be encouraged and inspired to live out the Beatitudes this week by being a peacemaker wherever you may go.
Strive to quench your thirst with the righteousness of God, be a good friend, and SAY YES to any affliction with joy.
These things will help you become more like Jesus, and witness to His love and mercy in the world.
Therefore, may each of you do WHATEVER IT TAKES this week to live the Beatitudes, 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!
The Lenten Online Retreat is COMING!!
This retreat will see us reading from the spiritual classic, Rooting Out Hidden Faults: How the Particular Examen Conquers Sin by Father James McElhone, CSC. This audio retreat will include a brief reflection and daily resolution that is designed to help you incorporate using a particular examen in your daily life. So, join with me now, as we take our next step on our pilgrimage towards holiness. If you are interested, send me a message by clicking below.
PS—The link above will take you to my Substack page, so simply sign up by entering your email, and then send me a message that you desire to be a part of the Lenten Online Retreat
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 #259—”Embracing the Cross”
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Episode #258—”Creating Sacred Spaces: The Mission of Grand Coteau—1:1 With Fr Patrick Hough, SJ, Executive Director Grand Coteau Retreats
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.