The first hermits: a way of life -- Change and tension -- Elijah and Mary: search for identity -- The tradition at risk -- The mystic way -- Overwhelmed by God's loving presence: John of St. Samson and Lawrence of the Resurrection -- Love in the heart of the Church: Thérèse of Lisieux -- Truth and prophecy: Edith Stein and Titus Bramdsma -- Symbols and focus: Elijah and Mary -- Epilogue: Carmelite spirituality and the post-modern.