April 4, 2026 - Holy Saturday


40 Minutes of Sacred Silence

Lectio, Visio and Audio Divina

in celebration of your journey!

Beloved Friends,


On this Holy Saturday - a sacred threshold between the agony of the cross and the ecstasy of the empty tomb - I want to pause and celebrate our journey together for these 40 days of Lengthening Silence. It has been an honor to share this retreat with you!


I hope that you have allowed yourself abundant grace along the way and know that any time you have spent in sacred silence is a celebration! However these 40 days unfolded for you is precisely how they were meant to be. God's Spirit of grace, healing and wholeness has washed over it all.


Life happens and I venture a guess that it was not a smooth, uninterrupted journey for any of us. I certainly know that I missed several days along the way for sure. And yet, here we are, anticipating tomorrow's empty tomb, but lingering for a moment in this liminal space of Holy Saturday. If you are able to spend 40 minutes in sacred silence today or whether you are able to spend 40 seconds in sacred silence today, embrace it. Feel God's presence and know that you are beloved.


On this final day of Lengthening Silence I offer you a bit of lectio, visio and audio divina to celebrate the culmination of this sacred journey deeper into the gift of silence...

Lectio divina - what words catch your breath as you read them today?

(Hymn of Promise - Words by Natalie Sleeth)

In the bulb there is a flower;

in the seed, an apple tree;

in cocoons, a hidden promise:

butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter

there's a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.


There's a song in every silence,

seeking word and melody;

there's a dawn in every darkness

bringing hope to you and me.

From the past will come the future;

what it holds, a mystery,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.


In our end is our beginning;

in our time, infinity;

in our doubt there is believing;

in our life, eternity.

In our death, a resurrection;

at the last, a victory,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

Visio divina - what shimmers for you in this image today?

(The image is of a Lenten Rose taken in my backyard last year.)

Audio divina - as you reflect on the lectio and visio divina offerings for today, begin by letting this music wash over you. You can listen just once and then enter into silence, or repeat it as you feel so moved.

What a blessing it has been to share in this broad and beloved community of faithful folks who also sought to nurture silence and a deeper quiet this Lenten season. Let us continue to lift one another in prayer as we carry the gifts of this season forward into the days and weeks to come.


Thank you for the gift of your companionship and shared silence.


Your Companion in Silence,

Sharon


Sharon Seyfarth Garner

Director, Belly of the Whale Ministries

216-224-7452

sharon@bellyofthewhaleministries.net

www.bellyofthewhaleministries.net


Audio Clip Credit: Tired, composed and performed by Timothy Garner.

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