Say Yes to Holiness Newsletter #379
Inspiration for the week of August 10, 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.
Storms.
We all experience them—just like the disciples did in the Gospel this weekend.
Now, sometimes storms arrive suddenly. Like a diagnosis, a death, a financial difficulty, the loss of a job, a broken relationship, or something else that we can’t quite control.
Right now, I am in the midst of a minor storm myself as I am still helping my son move and settle into his new apartment, so have had the challenges of trying to get access to the internet, and figuring out a place to and time to write the newsletter. :)
At other times, storms develop slowly in the midst of circumstances we thought we could control, but gradually become unmanageable. Regardless of whatever form they take, storms have an uncanny ability to reveal where we have placed our trust.
In the Gospel this Sunday from Matthew 14:22–33, the disciples find themselves in a boat being tossed about by a storm while Jesus is away praying. Later, in the middle of the night, Jesus comes walking toward them across the water, and when the disciples see Him, they become frightened. Yet Jesus reassures them that it is He. Then, Peter responds in a way that should inspire all of us.
He asks the Lord to command Him to come to Him, and when the Lord does, Peter gets out of the boat. But even more amazingly, Peter walks on water!
Until he notices the wind.
Then Peter becomes frightened and begins to sink.
Can you identify? I know I can.
We hear Jesus’ invitation. We step out in faith. But then we look around at the circumstances surrounding us, become afraid, and begin to sink.
But the most important part of this Gospel is what happens next.
Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!”
And immediately, Jesus reaches out His hand.
So, this week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet will seek to inspire, encourage and accompany you in keeping your eyes fixed upon Jesus so you can trust Him amid life’s storms, and have the courage to step out of the boat while we continue on the way towards holiness…
Food for the Head
"The life of faith is nothing less than the continued pursuit of God through all that disguises, disfigures, destroys and, so to say, annihilates Him.... God hides beneath veils of darkness and illusive appearances which make His will difficult to recognize; but in spite of every obstacle these souls follow Him and love Him even to the death of the Cross." — Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence
The disciples could not recognize Jesus at first. Rather, they saw someone walking across the water and cried out in fear, believing they were seeing a ghost.
Why?
Because they were trying to interpret what was happening through the storm surrounding them with their own understanding.
But we do exactly the same thing, don’t we?
We try to interpret things without God’s input. This is especially true when life becomes difficult, and God’s presence becomes harder to recognize. In fact, many times, we even interpret His apparent absence as evidence that He has abandoned us.
Yet, as Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade reminds us, the life of faith requires pursuing God even when circumstances seem to disguise His presence.
Jesus was present in the storm. He was walking toward His disciples even before they recognized Him.
And Jesus is doing the same for us right now.
So, keep your eyes on Him, and trust He is already there to help you get through.
This week, resolve to look for God's presence in one difficult circumstance rather than focusing solely upon the storm surrounding it.
Food for the Heart
“My daughter... Entrust everything to Me and do nothing on your own, and you will always have great freedom of spirit. No circumstances or events will ever be able to upset you.... And so, set free from everything, rest close to My Heart, not allowing your peace to be disturbed by anything." — Jesus to Saint Faustina, Diary of Divine Mercy
Peter was doing the impossible by walking on water. But then Matthew tells us that Peter “saw how strong the wind was and became afraid.”
In that moment, nothing about Jesus had changed. Rather, the only thing that changed was where Peter placed his attention.
How often is this true for us?
We begin by trusting Jesus, but then we start focusing upon our problems, don’t we?
We replay conversations. Or we imagine everything that could go wrong. Or we attempt to solve situations beyond our control.
And as we do, fear slowly replaces peace.
But Jesus’ words to St. Faustina offer the remedy: “Entrust everything to Me.”
Because peace does not come when the storm disappears, rather, peace comes when we turn our attention back upon Christ, and entrust everything to Him.
This week, whenever anxiety or fear begins to overwhelm you, resolve to stop and pray, "Jesus, I trust in You," while intentionally placing the situation into His hands.
Food for the Hands
“My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings." — Saint Isaac Jogues
Peter deserves more credit than we usually give him. Eleven disciples remained in the boat, but Peter got out.
Yes, he eventually sank. But before he sank, remember that Peter walked on water!
But to do that, Peter had to be willing to leave behind what was safe.
We, too, need to be willing to leave what is safe so that we can follow Jesus—even if we may not know exactly how things will work out. Or we may not feel prepared. Or we may be frightened.
But when Jesus says, “Come,” then our task is to go.
Saint Isaac Jogues reminds us that God’s plans do not depend upon our strength. Instead, our responsibility is to give ourselves faithfully to the work He places before us—even when He tells us to get out of the boat.
Trusting that Jesus will take care of the water. :)
This week, resolve to identify one thing you believe God has been asking you to do and courageously take the next step.
Food for the Feet
“The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily, must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane." — Saint John of the Cross
Getting out of the boat is only the beginning.
We then have to keep walking.
Peter discovered how difficult that can be, especially when there are storms raging about.
But the Christian journey does not promise calm seas. In fact, following Christ often takes us directly through circumstances we probably would rather avoid.
Yet, Jesus never asks us to walk anywhere that He has not already gone.
He walks before us, and whenever we stumble—or even if we begin to sink—He remains close enough to reach out His hand and save us.
So, the key is not to never fall. Rather, the key is to know where to turn when we do.
Peter knew where to turn, and he did. And when he did, he simply asked, “Lord, save me!”
Three simple words, and Jesus immediately reached out His hand.
The question is whether we will do the same.
This week, resolve that whenever you stumble, fail, become discouraged, or begin to sink, immediately turn back to Jesus and ask Him to take your hand.
One of my favorite ways to learn how to keep our eyes upon Jesus is by praying the Rosary. Mary continually directs our attention toward her Son, and each of the mysteries allows us to walk beside Him throughout His life. A favorite rosary podcast of mine is the Daily Rosary podcast by the School of Faith.
Exhortation
“Do not let the past disturb you, just leave everything in the Sacred Heart and begin again with joy." — Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Peter sank. But Jesus still chose Peter.
Peter later misunderstood Jesus, argued with Him, fell asleep when Jesus asked him to pray, and even denied knowing Jesus three times.
Yet Jesus still chose Peter.
Peter’s holiness was not found in his never failing. His holiness was found in repeatedly turning back to Christ.
The same is true for us.
There will be storms. There will be fear. There will be moments when we take our eyes off Jesus. There will even be times when we begin to sink.
But Jesus remains before us saying: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
So, listen for His voice, and keep your eyes fixed upon Him.
SAY YES and get out of the boat when He calls. Walk toward Him. And when you inevitably sink (like we all do!), cry out: “Lord, save me!”
And then take His hand and begin again.
This week, may each of us do WHATEVER IT TAKES to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus and courageously step out of the boat whenever He calls, 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!
Both the Say yes to Holiness and The Catholic Leadership Puzzle podcasts are now available on Fio!
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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 #265
“America’s Saint--Venerable Fulton Sheen”—1:1 Converation with Dr. Peter Howard, President of Fulton Sheen Institute
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Episode #265
“America’s Saint-Venerable Fulton Sheen”—1:1 Conversation with Dr. Peter Howard, President, Fulton Sheen Institute
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
Now that Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, and One Leader at a Time has been released (and is available for purchase at Amazon), I have just started a NEW PODCAST SERIES that highlights different topics covered in the book by having conversations with a variety of guests.
The next in the series was just released, and the topic this time around was HOSPITALITY. My guest on the Catholic Leadership Podcast was Richard McCorry, Author of Company's Coming: A Spiritual Process for Creating More Welcoming Parishes.
The Power of Hospitality: Insights from Richard McCorry
If you have yet to pick up a copy of Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, One Leader at a Time, I encourage you to do so, especially in light of all the wonderful reviews it has received. And if you do already have a book, please consider posting a review on Amazon—every review matters!
And if you are looking for more SPP book resources and content, you can find it at The Catholic Leadership Puzzle Substack.