Good News Inspiration for Daily Life
Bulletin Insert for May 17, 2020.
Description: This reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter explains why, in John 14:15-21, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit is our “Advocate”. Some scholars translate the word to “Counselor”. In the original Greek, it means “called alongside”. It’s closely related to the verb “parakaleo” (“to call” or “summon”) from which we get “Paraclete” as a name for the Holy Spirit. It referred to a legal assistant, a courtroom advocate. Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit is our legal assistant when we’re falsely accused, misjudged, or wrongly condemned.
Notice that Jesus refers to our Advocate as the “Spirit of Truth”. No matter what other people think about us, no matter what wrong things they say about us, no matter what opinions they have of us, God always knows the truth. And the truth that sets us free from their bad attitudes is this: It’s only God’s opinion that really matters. And his opinion of us is better than we think it is!
Ideas for use: Bulletin insert for the 6th Sunday of Easter, stewardship, Charismatic prayer groups, Confirmation classes, adult education, faith sharing groups, RCIA class, etc.
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