Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friend,

Last weekend my family went up to enjoy the beginning of autumn on Mt Lemmon. An Oktoberfest celebration was in full swing so the ski slopes were open for walking in a way that they typically are not. After a lovely little walk in the crisp thin air we turned back and a small sign, a very small sign really, that said “trails merge.” It seems rather obvious in the fall when you can see the grassy slopes and you’re on your own two feet, not on skis or a snowboard. What was obvious on that clear day might have been an important warning on another. In today’s office Gospel from Matthew we have a series of healing miracles performed by Jesus - two blind men are given sight, and one who had both a demon and had been unable to speak, can live again free of the demon and with a new ability to speak. These are not the only healing miracles in the Gospels that are part of the fulfillment of the prophecies foretelling Jesus, and they are not the only ones that tell a story of individual restoration or new abilities that lead to new life and community in individual’s lives. In some ways healing miracles were not enough proof in Jesus’ day that he was different than other holy men. It is unique, however, that in the very next chapter Jesus summons the twelve disciples and gives them “authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” The disciples are then named and Jesus gives them further instruction - some of which will make little sense until his Resurrection. Throughout the Gospel we hear a theme of watchfulness, wakefulness, and themes of sight and hearing that perceives Jesus’ power and identity. This theme of perception points to the way that Jesus seems to nearly always be speaking of the spiritual and physical together. He teaches the Disciples to look for the coming of the Kingdom while proclaiming it through their lives. He teaches the Disciples to continue his work in the power of the Spirit which includes both prayer and action. In that way he teaches us too - to perceive, and when things aren’t quite so obvious to look out for a sign - “trails merge,” and to point toward those signs for one another when we need help to see.

In Christ,

Mtr Taylor