Contemplative sitting alone or with others—silence and the breath–invite us to rest in that very reality, sinking deeply into it until we come out on the other side of it.  “Where is that?” you might be asking.  A state of mind and heart which, believe it or not, rests, or even glories, in the reality of being simply human, knowing that each of us and all of us–the Universe itself–are held in the benevolent embrace of Divine Love. This love, actually experienced in deep contemplative silence, releases in the unconscious what is held in bondage, little by little, making new freedom possible.  We come to see what we thought was un-seeable.  We welcome that which we never knew.  It’s called transformation and it is the kiss of the Divine.

Nancy Sylvester, IHM Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue. June 6, 2019