As we come to the end of the Easter season, the Gospel speaks of the Spirit which Jesus will send after he has left us to join his Father. He is the Spirit both of the Father and of the Son, of Jesus Himself. He will dwell within us so that we can continue to be inspired by the message that Jesus gave us. And so that they can continue to give witness to God's will for the world. And he will also guide them in applying that message to the many different situations in which the Christian communities will find themselves in the times ahead. And it is important to hear this promise of the ongoing presence of Jesus in them through the Spirit - because they need to realize that there are tough times ahead. They will not only be persecuted by secular powers but also by believers in God. Some of those who will kill them will even think they are doing something good for God. But those who act in this way do not really know the Father or his Son, Jesus. And we still face enemies like this - some who want to get rid of all forms of religion and others who attack us on the basis of our religious beliefs. And some of these even call themselves Chrsitians. We are not to be surprised at this; still less are we to retaliate. Our prayer has to be that of Jesus: "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing."