Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to inspire, strengthen, and defend his followers. Speaking to his disciples the night before he dies, Jesus tells them that he and his Father will send another Parakletos. The word, from kaleo (to call) and para (for, or on behalf of) designates something like an advocate or a lawyer, someone who would plead on behalf of another, offering support and encouragement.
Jesus will depart physically from the scene, but he and his Father will send the Spirit as a friend. This is the supporter, the Advocate who will inspire Christians up and down the ages.
When the martyrs went to their deaths, it was with the help of the Holy Spirit; when the missionaries went to proclaim the faith in hostile lands, it was the Holy Spirit who pleaded on their behalf; when Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, it was the Holy Spirit who lifted him up; and when Thomas Aquinas wrote his theological masterpieces, it was at the prompting of the Advocate.
What is the Advocate prompting you to do today?
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