Doing God’s will can be costly. The Prophet Jeremiah was unpopular with the leaders and people of Jerusalem. In fact, he was seen as a traitor. As instructed by God, Jeremiah had warned them over the years of the catastrophe that was to fall upon the nation because of their idolatry and sin. His advice to them was to either surrender to the Babylonian army who had besieged them or suffer ruin. Despite persecutions, Jeremiah lived to see this prediction come true with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, the destruction of the city and temple, and the exile of his countrymen. In today’s Gospel, Jesus linked fire from heaven with costly disunity on earth. He warned us that accepting Him can have serious consequences for our lives. Nevertheless, having known the Holy God of Love, many still seek & obey Him despite the consequences. As Paul wrote, “Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God's throne”.