Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friends,

It takes a little while to feel the seasons changing in Tucson. Cooler evenings by mid-September, cooler all day around this time, it seems, always with the potential of one more 100 degree day. With the seasons the Church calendar is changing too. We’re looking toward Advent starting on November 27, and before that, several feasts that feel like fall: Saint Francis, All Saints, and All Souls. With this shift, a few busy weeks, and the tragic news of Professor Meixner’s death on Wednesday, I felt the need to pause Thursday morning before work and school and just be in the Church.

My daughter and I spent some time with some toys in the West Transept, toddled around the Altar Rail and noticed the animals on the Altar Frontal - “fiss!” (fish), “buh!” (bird). She, unlike most bigger kids, didn’t seem to notice the dragon. She pointed at all of the depictions of Jesus in the West Transept - the Annunciation to Mary, the Nativity, the Crucifiction. We said “Hi Jesus” until she greeted all of them. We read a bit of a book that I got her for Easter - Breathe: A Child’s Guide to Ascension, Pentecost, and the Growing Time. We sat on the floor and prayed a brief prayer, asking God who is unchangeable to hold and transform all of this change - the seasons, the tragedy, the communal grief that is palpable, the invitations of the moment.

I’ve included two images from the Breathe Book that were lovely reflections for this moment. The first is about the Spirit, and the second is about the Fruits of the Spirit, and the quiet work that is punctuated by the Feasts and tragedies in which we share. (You may have to click “view original post” at the bottom of this email to see the images).

The third image is one from which our community continually draws inspiration - with the Cross at the center, God who is more steady than even these mountains, and the Spirit drawing us out into life in the world. When it’s possible to take a moment of pause - I hope that you might notice some of the fruits of the Spirit in your life, if some part of your days needs some special care, and when things speed up again that you’ll know God’s Spirit remains as close as your breath.

In Christ,

Mtr Taylor