The current cycle of readings for the Catholic calendar offers us, almost exclusively, Gospel passages (Sunday after Sunday) from St. Mark’s Gospel. One of the characteristics of St. Mark’s Gospel is this: he challenges us to pay as much attention to where Jesus is, what He is doing, and with whom He is doing it … as “what gets said,” the words He speaks.
St. Mark’s “clever” style tells us (for 16 straight chapters) that “it is not always the words that speak to us.” In the case of today’s Gospel (Mark 3, 20-35), the details of the scene give us more than enough to ponder … especially as we are left to think about which of the three groups we belong to. Are we “inside” or “outside?” Are we willing to be drawn close enough to Jesus to actually hear Him? Are we, then, willing to follow Him with our whole heart, mind, and soul?
Over the next six weeks, very much aided by St. Mark, we will hear that Jesus tells us to step up, to listen to Him and hear Him, and to live like Him … every day, in every way. It is supremely hard to do that if we haven’t given Him our whole heart, mind, and soul.
