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.’” vss. 34-35
Mark 3:31-35
Humans are communal creatures. While there are some persons who prefer to live in isolation, their numbers are few. Most folks love their connections with others and suffer from loneliness when separated. Birth provides us with our first experience of community and it’s a huge blessing when family can provide reliable relationships that can last for a lifetime. But sometimes, too often in fact, families are plagued by estrangements on multiple levels–divorce, alienation, addictions can all work to undermine the unity and security that we crave. We learn from the gospel of Mark that Jesus too, at least at the beginning of his ministry, had issues with his mother and brothers. In response to his family’s concerns, Jesus told his disciples that they were his family, that they were his brother and sister and mother. Many in our time know exactly what he was talking about. It’s not unusual to discover that our closest confidantes and companions are to be found in our faith community. These are the ones we can count on in moments of suffering. These are the people who bring the connections that feed our souls. Oh, we still have our birth families, and there’ll always be some degree of closeness there, but it’s the folks at church who become family when crunch time comes.
Thought for the Day: Who is my family?
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