First Encounter With God's Presence What first comes to mind when we think of the divine indwelling? When I was a teenager, I used to ask myself the same question. I had already known that God had a plan for me and that I had a Guardian Angel. These truths were part of the training I received as a young Catholic teenager growing up in a small Southwest Louisiana town called Lake Arthur, La. There were only 3000 people in my entire hometown and that seemed to be quite a few people to me then. I frequently would reflect upon the experience of having a Guardian Angel so near to me. Also, I devoutly prayed to Mary the Mother of God, from time to time. When my conscience bothered me for doing something bad at school or to my parents, I would go to confession. These seemed to be small steps along the way of discovering the presence of God within me. Though my Guardian Angel, Mary and the saints seemed close to me, yet they remained outside me. The closest thing I had to monitor how God was working in my life was my own sense of conscience as a teenager. I was supposed to do this and not do this. I wanted to do one thing, but my conscience would tell me that wasn't right. I battled with this and the war continued to grow as I grew older and was ready to leave home after high School. Then one day when I moved off to college at a local Louisiana university I happened to meet several Catholic friends at the Catholic Newman Center in Lafayette. I became more active in the goings on campus and attended an awakening retreat at the Newman Center. That was the beginning of something special in my life and I became much more aware of how grace was working in my life. Thru a friend I came to attend Mass at a local monastery. My friend and I would frequently be allowed to help the Sisters do yard work. While one day working within the monastery walls I asked one of the Sisters how God was able to be present within my soul. She pointed out a passage in St. John of the Cross, a Mystical Carmelite Doctor of the Church, which changed my life forever. This book is a reflection on the teaching of St. John of the Cross especially and his teaching on the divine indwelling; however, my quotes will be taken primarily from one of his disciples, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity who was a Carmelite Sister from Dijon, France. There have been numerous books written on the subject, but there is always room for one more book which treats of this gorgeous mystery we all share. My hope is that it will add to your already growing understanding of the divine indwelling.