It happens too often to be surprising anymore.
Just as the priest elevates the Host, just as the congregation slips into that sacred silence before the “Behold the Lamb of God,” it happens....
... jarring ringtone...
... tinny pop song...
... notification chime...
The sanctuary, meant to echo heaven, is momentarily hijacked by the unmistakable sound of someone’s phone.
Embarrassed shuffling follows.
Sometimes a frantic hand reaching into a handbag. Sometimes a face that stares forward in stony denial. And sometimes, the person just answers it - yes, even in church.
We’ve grown so accustomed to this kind of intrusion that we may no longer notice the deeper question it raises:
Can we truly connect with our Heavenly Father… if we never disconnect from our phones?