Today, we hear two profound readings from Scripture that echo deeply with our lives as Franciscan friars and as members of the body of Christ in a world desperate for unity and the realization of God’s kingdom. In Genesis 11:1-9, we encounter the story of the Tower of Babel, and in the Gospel from Mark 8:34—9:1, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the cost of discipleship and the coming of the Kingdom of God.