Greetings Beloved Friends,

Special blessings today as Christians across the globe begin the journey through Holy Week when, among other things, we remember the hosannahs of Palm Sunday, the foot washing & last supper of Maundy Thursday, the shouts of "crucify him!" of Good Friday, the heart wrenching grief of Holy Saturday and the indescribable joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

As I was preparing this edition of Whale Spouts, I initially wrote my Spouting Off Blog with the intent of inviting folks to embrace the gift of sacred silence as we journey through Holy Week. However, sometimes it is in the sacred silence that we understand it is time to speak out.

While watching news of the most recent school shooting in Nashville, I realized that I can stay silent no more. I was horrified that my own initial reaction to yet another school shooting was simply a general feeling of numbness and resignation. Dear God, what has happened to me ... to all of us ... when 6 human beings are shot to death inside a school building and it barely registers as unusual??!!

In the United States, more children (ages 1-18) die from gun violence than any other single cause. And, in just the first 3 months of 2023, we have had over 130 mass shootings which is more than one mass shooting each and every day. This. Breaks. My. Heart.

The news cycle is all too familiar... No sooner are the body bags removed than the finger pointing begins. We resort to stereotypes and fall into well-worn ruts of defensiveness and fear that blind us to possible solutions. For example, it may come as a surprise to some that my husband was raised in a hunting family and that we are responsible gun owners - not your typical stereotype of "progressives." It is all too easy to make assumptions about each other and follow along with the crowd that shouts "crucify them!" to those with whom we disagree.

Instead, I pray that we can boldly break bread with one another, vulnerably wash each other's feet and graciously find ways to keep our children, our teachers (like my daughter & daughter-in-law) and all of us safer. I pray that we will live into the miracle of the resurrection and open our hearts to new life, new love and new action that can bring healing to our hurting world.

I still believe deeply in the importance of creating space for sacred silence, to re-center ourselves in God's presence. So I have chosen to include my original blog post in this newsletter along with information about our silent retreat this summer. However, sometimes in the sacred silence, we gain clarity about the words we are called to speak. And as we do so, may we resist the temptation to fall into the all-too familiar Good Friday words of "crucify him" and instead embrace the life-giving Easter words of love and reassurance - "Fear not! Christ is risen!"

I am deeply grateful to share this journey of faith together with you and appreciate your willingness to hear my words and know that we are all sacred children of God... Each. And. Every. One. Of. Us.

Alleluia! Thanks be to God!

With strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Sharon

Sharon Seyfarth Garner, Director

Belly of the Whale Ministries

sharon@bellyofthewhaleministries.net

P.S. If you want to see an incredibly powerful depiction of footwashing, I highly recommend this clip from The Chosen as Jesus' mother Mary tenderly washes his feet after a long day of ministry. I can't watch it without tears in my eyes. May we all treat each other with such vulnerability, love and tenderness... Click here to watch.

SPOUTING OFF BLOG

Sacred Silence

Hanging on the wall of our family room is a large map of the United States labeled with all of the National Parks. Once we visit a park, we put a pin on the map to mark our progress toward the goal of one day (we are in no rush!) seeing them all. Last week we visited four absolutely gorgeous National Parks in Utah - Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon (see the above photo). I love going off-season when the crowds are smaller and the views are different than what is usually shown on the post cards and calendars.

On our last morning in Utah, my husband and I rose early to see the sunrise. It was snowing when we woke up, so I doubted there would be much to see. But, we decided to drive on into the park anyway since, sunrise or not, the scenery would still be stunning!

There were only a few tire tracks in the snow as we drove past the first few viewpoints. Then, as we drove on toward Bryce Point, there were no tire tracks in the snow at all. Just us. We drove slowly and carefully on up the hill and into the parking lot where we were the only ones there - a truly unexpected gift in a typically busy National Park!

It was a feast for the senses. The clouds parted just enough for the orange-yellow sun to peak through and highlight the brilliant orange rock formations (called hoodoos) that were beautifully accented by the bright, white snow.

And the silence ... well ... the silence was absolutely, spectacularly stunning! There was no human noise at all except for the crunch of our boots in the snow and the sound of our own breath. We stood still. Reverent. Grateful.

Soaking it all in, I became increasingly aware of how much I long for moments of true, deep silence. As life has begun returning to more of the "normal" rhythms of busyness and full calendars, it has also gotten more noisy. Some of that noise is a beautiful return to our life in community. And yet, I miss the silence.

How might I - how might we - find more space for silence; to remember that God is the sacred center of all we do? As lovely as it is to find that silence in a spectacular landscape, how might I find it right in the middle of my every day life? Maybe I could slow down and breathe more deeply ... light a candle ... gaze at a beautiful photo ... walk in the woods ... try a cell phone Sabbath ... color, read or even take a nap.

What might a moment of sacred silence look like for you? Start small. Savor the silence. Show up. And maybe you will catch a glimpse of the Sonrise even when you least expect it.

This spiritual renewal retreat is one of the highlights of my year - abundant sacred silence guided by lessons and spiritual practices inspired by my buddy, the prophet Jonah!! If you are longing for some much-needed spiritual rest and renewal, won't you join me?!

Each morning and afternoon we gather for a short lesson and in the evenings we worship together. Between these gatherings, you are free to pray, sleep, read, walk, color, meet with a spiritual director or embrace the silence in whatever way feels most life giving to you.

Because there is time for both gathering in community and individual sacred silence, this retreat is perfect for those who are new to the experience of extended silence as well as for those who are already familiar with its blessings.

We will gather on the sacred ground of the Jesuit Retreat Center - a peace-filled, spiritual oasis just outside of Cleveland, Ohio - located less than 8 miles from the airport so it is easily accessible from anywhere in the world!

Listen prayerfully to discern if the Spirit is nudging you to join us this year. It would be a joy to share this sacred time and space together with you! Space is limited so you will want to register early.

Check out the testimonies below from several Belly of the Whale alumni...

"This retreat was exactly what I needed.

Sharon's words, thoughts and teaching about Jonah really opened my eyes to this little book."

"My 2nd time on this retreat and the material still felt fresh and needed in new ways."

"Love, love, love all the many creative prayer resources and books that I could choose from."

"I looked forward to seeing the beautiful altar set ups that were different for each session.

All of Sharon's advance preparation made it easy for me to relax, listen, learn and pray."

"The candlelight labyrinth was deeply moving!"

"I believe this is the best retreat I've attended - content, pacing, spiritual elements.

Who knew that what I needed was a 3 day/3 night journey into the belly of the whale - but it was!"