Our mission is to bring unity among all men and women. But this unity is only possible if man is reconciled with God. Our mission is one of communion, and if the mission is to be accomplished, it must be accomplished in communion.  The Holy Spirit has bestowed on us different gifts, talents and charisms. Each of these charisms is important for the growth of the community and for the service of the mission. Every charism should be received with gratitude and every charism must be promoted, so that the face of God is seen in the lives of the people.

Today, as a consequence of a relativistic, individualistic and materialistic world, it is hard to know exactly how we can respond to the challenging trends that are happening today. Many of us are confused as to what direction we should take. And we cannot agree on moral principles, moral values. The Holy Father in his recent World Communications Sunday message urged us to “Listen with the Heart”. We need to learn to feel with people who are sharing, and at the end of the day, in the context of Prayer, we ask the Lord, where and how we should respond.

On the feast of Pentecost, we are given the power of the Spirit to live out our new life. For us to remain in communion with God, we need to put sin to death in our lives, and express our obedience to Him out of mutual love.

Communication is a two-way process. Speaking and listening. But the one who speaks often is not given adequate listening. Most of our conversations are monologues. We are more interested in being heard, to have our ideas accepted, and our demands fulfilled. We tend to be more on the defensive. Instead of listening, we are preparing our defences, finding fault with the other party’s proposition. This is why there is a communication breakdown not just between individuals, organizations and society, but the world at large. Listening requires tremendous effort, emptying ourselves of our concerns, preoccupations, and strongly held convictions, and listening with the ears of our heart to what the person is saying and not saying. It requires humility and self-emptying to listen with compassion and with love.

Even with challenges and difficulties, we can have peace if we are in union with God in love and truth. It is our union with the Father, in the Son, and through the Spirit that gives us true peace.

Like Jesus and his community of 12 apostles, we need to build and be part of faith-loving communities centred in Christ. Such communities help us to persevere and grow our faith, as well as find fellowship and love.

A beautiful hymn in the Divine Office contains the following lyrics: "Paschal triumph, Paschal joy, only sin can this destroy." Indeed, only sin can take away our Easter joy. So if we want to live in Easter, then let us keep dying to our selfishness, sin and fears, and instead walk in His light.

When Jesus was on the cross, He was carrying upon Himself the sins of the world and, most of all, the rejection of man towards God.  He bore the silence of God, which is what atheists experience, without God! Only when Christ was hanging on the cross and said, “into your hands I commend my Spirit” did the Holy Spirit take over the mission of our Lord and complete it through the ages.  The victory of Jesus was complete when the Father raised Him from the dead.  But the ultimate victory would be won by the Spirit of Jesus at work in us.  Only when we surrender our plans, our life and our vulnerabilities to the Father, will He then work in us and through us.

In His perfect love and mercy, Jesus forgave the sins of the apostles even before they betrayed Him. Following in His example, may we forgive those who hurt us. This is the greatest act of "washing" another's feet.

As members of the royal priesthood, we are the frontliners of witnessing in the world. We are called to live out the message of the Gospel, and to proclaim Jesus wherever we are. Meanwhile, the ordained ministry is to support the members of the royal priesthood - to nurture, strengthen and heal with the Sacraments.