Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #356
Inspiration for the week of March 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.
We are now beginning the second full week of Lent, and it can seem like this journey has already been going on forever, and the end is nowhere in sight. But the Lord knows this, so through His Church He ensures we are given the account of the Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration is given to us as a vision of why we have embarked upon this journey of Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving—to become more like Jesus, transfigured and beloved by the Father. Although Peter, James and John are given the privilege of this vision, they fail to understand it at the time.
We can be like them though, can’t we? We fail to see that if we remain faithful to our Lenten journey and the promises we have made, then it will bear fruit in our lives by serving as another step closer to a more intimate relationship with the Lord so we may eventually come home to God on His holy mountain.
But our Lord understands and provides the food we need this Lent by reminding us of our destination—transforming holiness with Him for all eternity.
So, this week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet will seek to inspire, encourage and accompany you to persevere on your Lenten journey so you may come to experience the fullness of God’s love and grace and be transfigured like Him…
Food for the Head
“And during this sacred season [Lent], let us look upon ourselves as on the Mount with Him... learning to repent, learning to confess and to amend—learning His love and His fear—unlearning ourselves, and growing up unto Him who is our Head.”—Saint John Henry Newman
Saint John Henry Newman beautifully describes how we might approach the Transfiguration—by placing ourselves on the Mount with the Lord.
When we do, we can learn how to confess and to amend, and as we do, to unlearn who we are and instead, grow more like Christ who is our Head.
This idea of placing ourselves in a Gospel scene is not a new one, but has long been done by the faithful for centuries. Many would call this practice “imaginative prayer,” or “Ignatian meditation” as this is practice is most commonly associated with Saint Ignatius of Loyola, yet regardless of what you call it, the intent is the same—to draw closer to Christ and allow Him to mold you into an image of Himself.
But we must be willing to allow that to happen. We must be willing to “unlearn” ourselves as Saint John Henry Newman describes and to grow to be more like Jesus.
In our busy lives, we say we desire to become like Jesus, but then we allow other things to distract us, or life “gets in the way.” The reality is that if this is happening, then it means we are holding back and not given our full YES to His invitation to draw near.
Lent is the perfect time to confess and amend our ways, and the Transfiguration gives us our roadmap in the words of the Father who says, “This is my beloved Sin, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” (emphases mine)
So, let us place ourselves on the Mount with Jesus and listen to Him.
This week, resolve to spend time reflecting upon the Transfiguration and how you might better listen to Jesus in your life each day.
Food for the Heart
"By His loving foresight, He allowed them to taste for a short time, the contemplation of eternal joy, so that they might bear persecution bravely.”—Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Pseudo-Dionysius was an anonymous Christian sixth century writer who wrote and shared mystical and theological insights. (Pope Benedict actually gave an entire talk
Pseudo-Dionysisus, among other things, wrote the “The Mystical Theology,” which emphasized the ineffability of God; introduced the concept of the “via negativa,” or negative theology, which describes God by what He is not; influenced medieval scholasticism and mysticism, notably in the works of Thomas Aquinas; is often associated with the Neoplatonic tradition, merging Greek philosophy with Christian theology; and his ideas on hierarchy and celestial orders shaped the Catholic understanding of angels and the divine order.
Pretty impressive.
But here, Pseudo-Dionysius is explaining the value of the Transfiguration for the disciples. The fact that Jesus allowed them to contemplate eternal joy so they would be given the strength to bear persecution bravely. But the Transfiguration wasn’t only for Peter, James and John. It is also for us.
When we contemplate the Transfiguration, we should be encouraged and inspired to continue on our journey—regardless of the challenges and difficulties, and sometimes, outright persecution for being a Christian.
You might already have failed in your Lenten promises, or are thinking about setting them aside because they are too difficult. If so, take heart, and look to the Transfiguration and the promise of eternal joy for all who persevere.
You and I can persevere. We just need to keep our eyes on Jesus.
This week, resolve to keep your eyes on Jesus by meditating on the Transfiguration.
Food for the Hands
"Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.”—St Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas spells out the value of fasting for us. It cleanses the soul, raising the mind, brings one’s appetities under control, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches lust, and kindled the true light of chastity.
Wow.
Who thought giving up chocolate could do so much, eh?
But seriously, whatever it is that we are fasting from this Lent, be it chocolate or judgment of others or alcohol or criticism or coffee or shopping or streaming your favorite series, fasting will have an impact.
We just need to persevere. To use a phrase from several years ago, keep calm and carry on.
This week, resolve to continue fasting in whatever manner you have promised to do this Lent.
Food for the Feet
"At His Transfiguration, Christ showed His disciples the splendour of His beauty, to which He will shape and colour those who are His.”—St Bede
Saint Bede reminds us that the Transfiguration is how Christ revealed the fullness of His beauty to us, and is how he will shape and colour those of us who are His disciples.
What is Saint Bede saying here?
To use a poor analogy, it’s like a paint by numbers project. Remember those from being a kid, or from taking an art class? You begin the process of becoming an artist by following a model—the paint by numbers picture. Then we follow the numbers and paint the colors assigned to each number, and in the end, we have a piece of art.
Now, we might not call it “art,” but it sure can look like the real thing, can’t it?
Jesus does the same with us in using the Transfiguration as the model. He gives us the picture of what we are to become, and then He goes about shaping and colouring us so that we eventually look like Him. We simply need to trust and allow Him to do His work—even if it doesn’t seem like “art.”
This week, resolve to be Jesus’ work of “art” this Lent by allowing Him to do His work in you.
Exhortation
”Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.”—St Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine of Siena states it plainly.
If we desire greatness, we must endure much.
Lent is one of those times we need to endure, but it doesn’t have to be a horrible time in our lives.
Rather, we can endure and keep the vision of why before us.
We can endure by meditating upon the Transfiguration and remembering the glory of what is possible with God.
We can endure by remaining faithful to our fasting.
We can endure by allowing Jesus the opportunity to work in our hearts. minds and souls and crete the work of art that each of us is.
But most importantly, we can endure by listening to Jesus with a patient trust that is rooted in faith, hope and love.
May you continue to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to endure so you may be transformed with, in and through the Lord, so 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 underway!!
This retreat has us reading from the spiritual classic, Rooting Out Hidden Faults: How the Particular Examen Conquers Sin by Father James McElhone, CSC.
This online retreat will include a brief reflection and daily resolution that is designed to help you incorporate the use of a particular examen in your daily life to help you take the next step on our pilgrimage towards holiness. If you are interested, send me a message by clicking below.
The link above will take you to my Substack page where you can find all the laterst podcast posts for the Lenten Online Retreat. If you are not subscribed yet, I invite you to do for free—or you can make a donation in support of the work associated with this endeavor.
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)
Article on Catholic365.com Platform:
We Are All Eucharistic Missionaires!
Latest episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast...
Episode #260—”Helping Your Marriage Flourish—1:1 with Katie Zulanas, Executive Director, Couple to Couple League”
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The Say Yes to Holiness YouTube Channel
Watch the Lenten Book Online Retreat—”Rooting Out Hidden Faults” by Father James McElhone on YouTube—Click here to be taken to the playlist
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.