Happy Easter! In fact, we are celebrating the Easter Octave all week–leading right up to Divine Mercy Sunday! So may the peace, joy and hope of the the Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you today and always. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Now that Lent is over though, you might be wondering, what’s next? How do I maintain the spiritual momentum I developed during Lent?
Most days, we seem to live life in what seem to be “grey” areas, and it’s difficult to know if you’re doing well as a spouse, parent, friend, or a person. But if you are able to gain clarity about how you’re doing, and then you combine this clarity with gradual improvement, your sense of self–worth will skyrocket. You will know better who you are, and you will be proving to yourself (and others) that you can become better than you were before.
Same thing applies to our spiritual life. Lent has been a time for us to see where we are spiritually, and we have been able to use the Lenten disciplines to move forward from there. Some of us may have moved forward dramatically in our spiritual lives, while others made some progress, while others may have made little to no apparent progress, or actually slipped backwards.
However, the reality of Easter, is that through Christ’s Passion, death and Resurrection, there IS new life within us. Not of our own doing, but His, and we are called during the Easter season to celebrate this new life within us.
So are you a person of possibility or impossibility? Do you believe holiness is possible or impossible?
The reality is that God has promised us that we have the possibility of eternal life with Him, and then Jesus showed us who to be and how to live, so holiness IS possible.
And because we know holiness is possible, I’d like to suggest 6 practical tips for your consideration to continue your spiritual journey this Easter season.
First, be sure to visit my website, www.sayyestoholiness.com where you can access my blog posts, download numerous tools and resources for mentorship and evangelization, find links to my online courses, and also information about my writing, including the upcoming publication of my Say Yes book.
Second, you could follow me on social media. Check out the @SayYestoHoliness Facebook page, find me on Twitter @semcsem, or on Instagram: https://instagram.com/christinasemmens/
Each week on social media, I share new blog posts and also any suggested resources that I come across that can help strengthen and deepen your faith, inspire you to embrace your personal vocation, equip you to evangelize in the midst of your daily life, and help mentor others on the path to holiness.
Third, if you like the resources I share and my blog posts, then be intentional about signing up for my “Say Yes to Holiness” weekly newsletter where I share more information about the spiritual life as well as practical tips for continuing to persevere and grow on the spiritual journey.
Fourth, please sign up to receive one of my FREE download–either my 4 Steps to Holiness checklist, or my article, Seven Practices of the Saints That You Can Do Too. Both of these resources will give you insight into the spiritual habits you should be attempting to cultivate in your life in order to grow in holiness.
Fifth, for those of you who want to get some guidance and assistance in how to jumpstart those spiritual habits immediately, I encourage you to sign up for my First Things First online course, as it takes you step by step through cultivating the 4 Steps in your spiritual life.
Or, if you simply are looking for some quick motivation and brief overview, check out my 3 Keys to Deepening Your Relationship with God mini-course.
Lastly, I cannot encourage you enough to SAY YES to grounding your life more concretely in the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.
You can do this by preparing for Mass by reading and meditating upon Sunday’s Gospel, and also by participate regularly in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Or consider committing to attending one extra Mass each week; or cultivating a deeper appreciation and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament by setting aside time for Eucharistic Adoration, or just stop by the Church for a visit to the Blessed Sacrament at some point during the week.
Whichever (or all!) of these suggestions you choose to do, I pray that you SAY YES to them wholeheartedly, and that you find encouragement in knowing of my prayers being offered for you that these suggestions help to bring about much grace in your life this Easter season and throughout your journey to holiness!
