As the Church is yearning for the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus speaks to His disciples about unity, keeping us from evil and living in His truth—no small matters! As Jesus pours out His heart in John 17, it is as if He were speaking to us today.

The Church is in need of unity. Unity comes from the Holy Spirit but it is only possible to exist in the hearts of believing and loving Christians. Unity is not agreeing with the politics or theology of another, unity is loving another and respecting the right of another to speak their mind and have their opinions. If we truly believe that the Spirit will guide the Church and take care of it, we must humbly listen to other opinions, and allow the Spirit to lead me as I constantly re-evaluate and reflect on what I believe is the truth. Instead of hating opposition, the Christian should rejoice in it!

We really need to be people of the Truth, not just doctrinal or magisterial Catholics. The Spirit calls us to personal truth and integrity. We should be transparent. The light of Jesus should shine through us. There should never be duplicity, untruth or manipulation in us. We should say "yes" when we mean "yes" and "no" when we mean "no"—all else, Jesus tells us, comes from the Evil One. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Jesus prays that we will be preserved from evil. We must also preserve one another. We need one another to affirm us in our values and to encourage us to continue to be faithful to the Lord.

We also need to encourage and protect our children. God only knows what they face today on the school bus or at school. Their homes have to be places of love and safety where they will be loved and guided so that they will not be led astray by outside influences. Our children need us to love them so much that they know we're "nuts" about them and that we would be willing to die for them. Tha'Õs what every child deserves. That's what Pentecost will help to bring about in our lives.