Today’s readings are about the cost of discipleship. Such a cost is not what we want to hear. We don’t want to hear that choosing Christ will put our lives so at odds with those around us that we will be persecuted and mocked. We want our religion to be easy. We don’t want to have to pay a price for living our faith. But we must. We have chosen Christ therefore we must make difficult decisions in order to be the People of God, not just slaves to the world. We accept this cost because we are more concerned with others than ourselves. We are concerned for their eternal salvation not so much with what they can do to us in this life. In today’s Gospel Jesus says, I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were ablaze already! The fire is the fire of God’s love. That is what we are about. We know we are loved. We know that God wants others to join us in His Love. If we are truly going to be His disciples, then we will happily join the Lord in setting the world on fire with love. And we will do this no matter what personal cost this entails: For the cost of discipleship is temporary, but the Treasure of God’s Love is forever.

                                                                                                                                                  …in the race we have started!