I really enjoyed today’s Gospel reading. As I am “plugged in” a lot these days, this hit home. It is a mere call to be present and mindful of our immediate surroundings.

Today’s Gospel reading from MK 3:31-35

Then Jesus’ mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 

And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Reflection via Gregory O’Donnell

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

Reflecting on this question, I can only help but wonder how I would have responded if I had been sitting amongst the crowd in Jesus’ place. In today’s world, it is perfectly acceptable to drop whatever we are doing to attend to an urgent phone call, or the needs of our family and loved ones. Yet what is most striking in this passage is that the very people whom Jesus turns away are in fact his own family. These people, who we can assume are most dear to his heart, are given no special attention over the mere crowd gathered before him.

While I do not mean to diminish the importance of being attentive to our immediate family, this passage challenges us to think about how we interact with others throughout our everyday life. Especially in an age where technology allows us to be constantly plugged in to a global community, how much does this connectedness distract us from the day-to-day interactions that we often take for granted? Today, that crowd may be the equivalent of a fellow patron in a restaurant, the driver of the car in front of us, or a clerk behind the checkout line at a grocery store. Do we treat them with the same love and attention that Jesus gives to the crowd gathered before him?

I know that I am often guilty of looking at my phone as I watch TV with my fiancé, or as I have a conversation with my mother. While this has become the norm in our society, it is not until I realize how I am offending those closest to me that I put down my phone to give them the proper attention they deserve. How often do we neglect to be attentive to the needs of those around us as we go through the milieu of our daily lives? How many people have I offended simply because I did not realize to be attentive to them in that moment?

Let us remember to unplug from time to time and attend to our fellow brothers and sisters, by giving our full spirit and attention to all that we do.

~ Maya Angelou