Signposts On The Way

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus declares: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.”

When you and I truly seek to keep the Lord’s commandments, especially the commandment to “love one another as I have loved you” (Jn. 13/34), we know that we have a tough row to hoe: it just isn’t easy to love others in that way all the time, is it? Sometimes it can seem impossible to do even though, deep in our heart of hearts, that is precisely what we want to do. It is beyond our ability.

So what do we do?

We can easily slide into despair and give up believing it is simply impossible. Or we can resign ourselves to a seemingly impossible cycle of trying and failing, permitting ourselves to feel rather like a doormat yet soldiering on in a never-ending cycle of loving and not seeing results.

This is when the Advocate comes to our rescue.

But what is an “advocate?”

An advocate pleads a cause for another by defending the other or providing comfort for that one (See: What Does Advocate Mean? Bible Definition and References (biblestudytools.com).

The Advocate: the parakletos – the Paraclete – the Comforter, the Helper: the Holy Spirit.

If we can permit ourselves to tap into the indwelling Paraclete given to us in Baptism and sealed in Confirmation, then we unleash the power the Paraclete is always eager to provide. Whether that be in “gently wiping away the tears” (Rev. 21/4), or in providing the right words to speak in the moment, or in quietly suggesting new strategies and ways forward, it is the Advocate who makes it possible for us to accomplish that which is our hearts’ desire.

The Lord has not left us orphaned! This is the promise of Easter!