Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #374
Inspiration for the week of July 6, 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.
Welcome to the Fourteenth week of Ordinary Time. I hope that you, your family and friends all had a wonderful 4th of July celebration this last weekend.
When you think about it, it is quite a milestone for our nation—250 years! Yet, to get to this milestone, a LOT of courage, ingenuity, sacrifice, and perseverance had to happen day after day, year after year by many, many people so that our nation could get here—not dissimilar to our own journey towards holiness.
Because it is in the ordinary times of our continuing to do what is right, pursue truth, love our neighbors, and surrender to the Lord’s will that success will be ultimately determined.
But have you ever noticed that our lives seem to become more complicated the harder we try to control them? And then the more we strive to solve every problem ourselves, the more exhausted we become, right? Because the more we depend upon our own strength, the heavier life’s burdens seem to grow.
Yet in this Sunday’s Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30), Jesus offers us a different way.
After thanking the Father for not revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to the wise and learned, but instead to little ones, Jesus then extends to us one of the most comforting invitations found anywhere in Sacred Scripture:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Now, Jesus does not promise to remove every burden. Rather, He invites us to carry them with Him because His yoke is easy and light, and we no longer have to carry life’s burdens alone.
Therefore, this week's Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet will seek to help us become more childlike as we learn from the Heart of Christ, embrace His yoke, and discover the peace that only He can give on our journey towards holiness…
Food for the Head
“The harm that comes to souls from the lack of reading holy books makes me shudder... What power spiritual reading has to lead to a change of course, and to make even worldly people enter into the way of perfection." — St. Padre Pio
In the Gospel yesterday, Jesus begins by praising the Father because divine truths are revealed to “little ones.” Although “little ones” can refer to children, Jesus is actually referring to anyone who is childlike. But being childlike does not mean being childish.
Rather, being childlike means to be teachable.
Now, adults often believe they already know enough, but children know they have much to learn.
So, how to remain childlike?
One of the surest ways is through faithful spiritual reading.
The saints constantly immersed themselves in Sacred Scripture as well as the wisdom of those who had gone before them captured in writing because they knew they could never exhaust the riches of God’s truth. And they knew that the more we learn from Christ, the more we discover that His wisdom brings peace rather than confusion.
And when we are at peace, we remain more childlike and open to His teachings, and this helps us become one of the “little ones” of whom Jesus speaks.
This week, resolve to spend fifteen minutes each day reading Sacred Scripture or another trusted spiritual book, allowing the Lord to teach you like one of His little ones.
Food for the Heart
“Know, dearest daughter, how, by humble, continual, and faithful prayer, the soul acquires, with time and perseverance, every virtue... She should endeavor to elevate her mind in My love, with the consideration of her own defects and of the Blood of My only-begotten Son, wherein she finds the breadth of My charity and the remission of her sins." — St. Catherine of Siena
When Jesus says, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart,” He is inviting us into a relationship that transforms us from the inside out.
But that transformation does not happen overnight.
As St. Catherine reminds us, it is through humble, continual, and faithful prayer that every virtue gradually takes root within the soul. We do not become gentle, humble, patient, or trusting by sheer willpower. We become like Christ by remaining with Christ in prayer.
Prayer is where we learn His Heart, and where our restless hearts become peaceful. It is also where we begin to exchange our heavy yoke for His gentle one.
The more faithfully we return to Him in prayer each day, the more we will discover that His Heart is forming our own, and this is how we learn from Him how to be meek and humble of heart ourselves.
This week, resolve to spend at least ten minutes each day in quiet prayer, asking Jesus to make your heart more like His—meek, humble, and filled with trust in the Father.
Food for the Hands
“Action relies upon contemplation for its fruitfulness; and contemplation, in its turn... pours out upon our active works some of its overflow." — Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard
Many people imagine that following Christ means doing more. More prayer, more acts of charity, more responsibility, more service, more, more, more.
But Jesus proposes something different.
He asks us first to remain with Him, and it is only then that He send us into the world.
Every fruitful Christian life follows this rhythm.
Contemplation. Then action.
Prayer. Then service.
Receiving. Then giving.
Because it is only by receiving that we are capable of giving.
And only through prayer that we receive the grace we need to serve.
And it is only through contemplation that we can discern the action that the Lord is calling for us to take.
For when our activity flows from our union with Christ, even difficult work becomes lighter because we are carrying His yoke rather than our own ambitions.
This week, before beginning your work each morning, pause for one minute and consciously invite Jesus to carry the day's burdens with you.
Food for the Feet
“When you are at Mass, don't just go through the motions... Bring your whole self to it... ask for the grace to be His disciple in all you do." — Dr. Gregory Popcak
The Christian life is not lived standing still.
Jesus says: “Take my yoke upon you.”
That requires movement.
Each day we either walk beside Christ or drift away from Him.
Now, one of the greatest places where we learn to walk with Him is at Holy Mass. It is there that Christ teaches us, and feeds us and strengthens us. And then sends us forth to live what we have received.
Because His yoke is not merely something we carry. Rather, it is Someone with whom we walk. And the place where we have the opportunity to walk
This week, resolve to attend one additional Mass or spend time in Eucharistic Adoration, asking Jesus to teach you how to walk beside Him each day.
Exhortation
"My daughter... Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own... Set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything." — Jesus to St. Faustina, Diary of Divine Mercy
Perhaps the greatest lesson in this Gospel is that Jesus does not ask us to become stronger. Rather, He asks us to become more trusting.
Jesus invites us to allow Him to help us carry our burdens with Him.
He does not expect us to know all the answers, but rather asks us to become more childlike by being like little children who trust their Father completely.
Jesus offers us lasting rest and peace while the world tells us to depend upon ourselves by saying to us, “Come to Me.”
In the week ahead, keep striving to be teachable so that you may be transformed through humble and faithful prayer, knowing that action flows from that time of contemplation and by walking with Christ in the Eucharist so that you may rest eternally with Him.
May you do WHATEVER IT TAKES this week to lay down your burdens, place your trust in Christ, and walk beside Him beneath His gentle yoke, so that together we can tell the Master of Death, “NOT TODAY!”
All the best,
Christina
PS—If you haven’t already, go check out 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!
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Latest Posts on the Women of the New Evangelization (WINE) blog:
Mercy, Peace and Exultation (April 12)
Harden Not Our Hearts (Mar 9)
Guest appearance on the Equipcast Podcast:
"When God Asks, How Do You Answer?: The Power of 'Yes' with Christina Semmens
Articles on the Catholic365.com Platform:
Recognizing the Path to Life
We Are All Eucharistic Missionaires!
Latest episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast...
Episode #263
“Freedom for Faith, Love and Service”
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The Say Yes to Holiness YouTube Channel
Episode #263—”Faith, Love and Service”—Say Yes to Holiness Podcast
In addition to podcasts, you can also find additional content like 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
Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, and One Leader at a Time is now available for purchase at 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
If you already have a book, please consider posting a review on Amazon as well.
To access the SPP book resources and find more CLP content, you can find it here at The Catholic Leadership Puzzle Substack