Sabbath Salsa

June 22, 2025

Only in the soil of Sabbath tranquillity can we seed the possibility of a new day, a new week —even a new life —again and again, each time with fresh eyes, rested and refreshed, born within the completely gratuitous sanctuary of time.

-Wayne Muller, Sabbath

As I sit in the serenity of this Sabbath day, equally aware of the news of the day, I ask myself what I can say and share in this moment. For me, these are the questions: What do I see? What do I know? What can I learn? How do I show up in the world? How can I be fully present and alive?

It is easy to be overwhelmed by all that is happening at once, and the bombardment of information coming across our screens. How do we process and make sense of what is senseless? What can we do? Call, write, march. Call, write, march. Pause, recharge, reflect.

Where is our power and hope? It is in connection and community. Everything feels so broken, backwards, and upside-down, that we must find a way to restore our wholeness and maintain our perspective. In community, we remember and experience our shared humanity. We realize we can stand on common ground, hold each other up, and find a path forward that is true, purposeful, and empowering.

When the world is spinning and the truth becomes distorted, poisoned, and corrupted, we must hold our ground, standing firm in what we know to be true at our core. This takes courage and persistence. My urge is to escape the madness, pull off the highway into a rest stop, and breathe. That is the purpose of Sabbath: Rest. Grace. Renewal. Relief. Wholeness. Joy. For me, it is Sunday, but it can be any day that allows us the time and space.

We all need this respite from the chaos, the overwhelm, the demands of our work and the world. Without it, we lose our minds. We lose our effectiveness. We lose our way.

Sabbath is more than the absence of work; it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands. It is the presence of something that arises when we consecrate a period of time to listen to what is more beautiful, nourishing, or true. It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness, honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit that sustain and heal us. -Wayne Muller, Sabbath

The above book by Wayne Muller has been with me for decades. It has deepened my understanding and appreciation for the true meaning of Sabbath as a sacred time to connect to our Source, our joy, our essence.

We need to be fully awake and alive at this moment, and that means taking time and space to rest, refuel, and reflect. Sabbath is for soul salsa – nourishment, flavor, and spice for our spirits, souls, and bodies. It is a time to savor, to find delight, to give thanks. In learning to be present and feel everything, we come alive. We are buoyed up, energized, resilient.

Sabbath is not only for ourselves; rested and refreshed, we more generously serve all those who need our care. The human spirit is naturally generous; the instant we are filled, our first impulse is to be useful, to be kind, to give something away. -Wayne Muller, Sabbath

Isn’t this what the world needs from us now? Generosity, compassion, usefulness, kindness. “Remember the Sabbath” is a principle and practice in most of the world’s spiritual traditions. It is a time to remember to celebrate what is beautiful and sacred. “Within this sanctuary, we become available to the insights and blessings of deep mindfulness that arise only in stillness and time” (Wayne Muller, Sabbath).

The gifts and graces of Sabbath are treasures that cannot be destroyed by anyone or anything outside us. Remember, cherish, and celebrate.

ej

Elisa J. Juarez