Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #366
Inspiration for the week of May 11, 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.
Happy Easter! He is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
We are now entering into the Sixth Sunday of Easter, and the Church continues to lead us deeper into the reality of what it means to live as people of the Resurrection.
This week, we are invited into something both simple and deeply challenging:
To trust, to love and to begin again.
So, this week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands, and Feet will focus upon helping us move from simply knowing about God to actually living in relationship with Him as we continue our journey towards holiness…
Food for the Head
“Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.” — Saint Thomas Aquinas
We often try to figure everything out. We ask:
Why is this happening?
What should I do next?
Where is God in this?
But at some point, knowledge reaches its limit.
And that’s where love—and trust—must begin.
Because holiness is not about having all the answers.
It is about choosing to trust God even when you don’t.
I can speak to this only too well in the last few years as I accompanied my husband through his cancer journey and then dealing with the aftermath of his passing. I have asked those questions of Why is this happening? What should I do next? and Where is God in this? too many times to count.
And the one answer that I hear over and over again is “Trust.”
Trust that God knows why this is all happening.
Trust that whatever I am supposed to do next starts with doing whatever is right before me right now.
And trust that God is in all of it—because He is.
All that needs to happen is for me to surrender and trust.
And that’s the path for all of us.
This week, resolve to surrender one area where you are seeking answers—and choose to trust God instead.
Food for the Heart
“Faith is above all a personal, intimate encounter with Jesus.” — Pope Benedict XVI
The spiritual life is not a formula, it’s a relationship.
It’s a relationship because God is not distant or abstract, rather, He is personal, present, and passionately pursuing you.
The fact is that the more you encounter Him, the more everything begins to change in your life.
Not because your circumstances necessarily shift, but because your heart does.
This is the power of prayer.
Prayer helps us come to know the Lord intimately, especially if you spend time with His Word found in Sacred Scripture.
His Word never returns to Him void. Rather, His Word always brings about growth and fruitfulness. And when that growth and fruifulness happens in our minds and hearts, then everything in our life begins to shift as we begin to see and hear as God sees and hears.
But we need to create space in our day for that encounter to happen.
We need to be intentional about scheduling time and then being faithful to showing up each and every day. This is hard and difficult, but it is well worth the effort because your life will never be the same.
This week, resolve to create intentional space each and every day for a real encounter with Jesus in Scripture.
Food for the Hands
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice… always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.” — Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Holiness is not built in big moments.
It is built in small, hidden choices. Whenever we give a patient response, make a quiet sacrifice, or commit a simple act of love, we are opening ourselves to transformation.
Because it is in doing the smallest right for love where transformation happens.
Therefore, miss no single opportunity to make many, many small sacrifices throughout the day.
Accepting the things that you do not like, do not choose, cannot change and do not understand are all opportunities for small sacrifices, and each one of us has countless numbers of these opportunities throughout the day that we can embrace. And all of these small, hidden choices add up to living a life of holiness.
This week, resolve to choose one small act of love each day—especially when it costs you something.
Food for the Feet
“When uncertain about God’s will… live today to the full.” — Father Jacques Philippe
We often get stuck trying to figure out the future. Our anxieties and worries prompt us to want to know what God’s will is for our future.
But God’s will is not hidden in some distant moment.
It is present in today. God’s will reveals itself in your duties, and in your relationships, and in your opportunities to love.
Each time we are faithful to our duties, relationships and opportunities to love, we gain clarity. Not from thinking and figuring it all out, but from allowing God to slowly reveal what He is doing and how He is moving in our lives through the duties, relationships and opportunities that present themselves in our daily life.
This is why we must live today to the full. Not in a hedonistic, “Eat, drink and be merry” live to the full kind of way, but in a humble, quiet and obedient way—just like Mary did.
I have no doubt that Mary had some significant concerns and worries abotu how everything was going to work being the Mother of the Son of God.
But clarity for Mary came through faithfulness, not from her figuring things out.
The same applies to us.
We need to stop overthinking and be faithful to what the Lord is asking of us today, and trust He will show us the way.
This week, resolve to let go of future worries—and live today fully and faithfully.
Exhortation
”Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant, count as nothing.” — Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
At the end of the day, everything comes back to this:
Love.
Not success.
Not perfection.
Not recognition.
Love.
Because love is what transforms.
Love is what endures.
Love is what makes the Resurrection real in your life.
So, our mission this week is to trust God whenever we lack clarity; make space for a daily encounter with Him; choose to make small acts of love daily; and live fully in the present moment.
This Easter season, don’t just believe in the Resurrection…
Live like it’s true.
When we do WHATEVER IT TAKES to trust, to love, and to respond, then we will be able to tell the Master of Death, “NOT TODAY.”
All the best,
Christina
PS—In case you missed it, my new book, Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, One Leader at a Time is now available for purchase on Amazon.
Below are the Latest Happenings In the Say Yes to Holiness Community!
My christinasemmens.com website is LIVE!
I will be traveling the next few weeks and plan to be blogging daily, so you can follow along by checking out the website. Would love to know what you think, AND if you would like to work with me, make sure to sign up for a FREE consultation. Looking forward to hearing from you!
The latest Say Yes to Holiness Online Retreat is still available!
This retreat saw us read the spiritual classic, Rooting Out Hidden Faults: How the Particular Examen Conquers Sin by Father James McElhone, CSC. If you are interested, simply go to the Say Yes to Holiness podcast (plus, you can find the podcast on Spotify and Apple) or watch the episodes on the Say Yes to Holiness YouTube channel.
Finally, if you would like to make a donation in support of the work associated with this endeavor, you can click the link below.
Latest Post on the Women of the New Evangelization (WINE) blog:
Mercy, Peace and Exultation (April 12)
Harden Not Our Hearts (Mar 9)
Do Not Be Terrified (Nov 16)
Gaining Wisdom of Heart (Sept 9)
Guest appearance on the Equipcast Podcast:
"When God Asks, How Do You Answer?: The Power of 'Yes' with Christina Semmens
Article on Catholic365.com Platform:
We Are All Eucharistic Missionaires!
Latest episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast...
Episode #261
“Finding Purpose and Joy in the Easter Season”
Subscribe to the Say Yes to Holiness podcast!
You can listen to the latest episodes of the podcast on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
You can also watch the podcast on the Say Yes to Holiness YouTube channel
Click Here to Check Out All the Podcast Episodes
The Say Yes to Holiness YouTube Channel
The latest offering is available—the Lenten Book Online Retreat—”Rooting Out Hidden Faults” by Father James McElhone on YouTube—Click here to be taken to the playlist
Update from The Catholic Leadership Puzzle
My new book, Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, One Leader at a Time is available for purchase on Amazon.
The book 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, and is a compilation of the work I have been sharing on The Catholic Leadership Puzzle Substack.
I encourage you to read the reviews below to help you determine if you should pick up a copy today…
“Christina's book is both thoughtful and practical. I appreciate the careful attention to crafting a solid plan for reinvigorating and reenergizing parish life from from the 'ground up' - in other words, she writes with wisdom and experience about starting small and engaging individuals and small groups who can then passionately spread this message like fire. Helpful resource for anyone seeking to help take their parish community to a place of deep spiritual, practical, and holy love for the Lord and for one another!”—Matthew Koscal
“This book is for anyone who wants to see their parish thrive. Whether you are a priest or lay person, read Solving the Parish Puzzle for clear guidance on taking an average parish to the next level of discipleship. What we have been doing is not working. It’s time for something new. Semmens lays the groundwork so we can put the pieces together.”—Carol Wiget
“From my perspective, the value of Solving the Parish Puzzle is that it brings much-needed clarity and integration to a space that is often fragmented. Parish leaders, ministry teams, and disciples are usually generous and committed, but not always aligned around a common mission or framework. This book provides a language and structure that helps unify efforts, ensuring that what we do is not simply activity, but intentional participation in forming missionary disciples and building communities that truly accompany people toward Christ.
As a leader, what stands out is how the book reinforces that healthy ministries do not emerge from isolated talent or charisma, but from a disciplined commitment to principles that can be learned, practiced, and replicated. By identifying the twelve “puzzle pieces,” it gives leaders a roadmap for sustainability. It shifts the focus from short-term success or programmatic growth to long-term fruitfulness rooted in evangelization, formation, relationships, and accountability. That is exactly what is needed to form leaders who can endure, multiply, and build environments where others can flourish.
What I find most compelling is the insistence on integration and the rejection of the “Christmas tree” mentality. That diagnosis is both honest and accurate. Too many of our parishes are doing a lot but not always moving in the same direction. The call to rediscover the “why,” to place everything at the service of mission, and to intentionally build communities where people are known, formed, and sent, is not only helpful but also, urgent. The Church does not need more activity. It needs greater coherence, deeper conviction, and leaders who can align people and purpose toward the work of making saints.”—Cristofer Pereyra, Chief Executive Officer, Tepeyac Leadership Initiative (TLI)
Again, I pray that you will consider purchasing a copy of the book. If you do purchase a copy, send me an email saying “I purchased your book” and I will make sure you are sent information so you can participate in a special “Zoom Q&A” about the book.
And if you already have a book, please consider posting a review on Amazon as well.
To learn more, click here: The Catholic Leadership Puzzle