How often does it happen to families that when the patriarch and matriarch are gone, the children go their separate ways? Even worse, they fight each other over property. We have all heard stories and can just shake our heads in disbelief about what a sibling can do to another sibling.

Jesus was about to leave His disciples. He knew that His disciples had different personalities, different priorities, and different backgrounds. Once they were even arguing who was the greatest. How would His apostles go all around the world to spread the good news? They needed to be one. There should be peace and unity.

Three ways in the Gospel to achieve peace and unity for a common mission:

1. Jesus talks about bearing fruit. We must realize that in order for this to become a reality, we must be faithful to our own mission/vocation/calling. Hence, there should be no room for comparing blessings and envy as each person has his or her own calling.
   
2. Love one another. In a group, there will always be differences and eventually misunderstandings. Hence, the challenge is to love one another, which includes forgiving, being patient, being understanding, and being accepting.
   
3. One God. What makes the Roman Catholic Church unique among all Christian churches? We have one authority and we are united under one authority. In other words, we respect each other’s differences and we celebrate our commonality.

In each Mass, we realize that we are all part of a group: from family to the Church, to the office, to the neighborhood, and other organizations. We pray that we may be an instrument of peace and unity. This can be done by sharing our talents, loving one another, and being guided by the Word of God.