Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost where we call to mind the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles as well as the world. One common term which is used in reference to the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete. The Paraclete comes from a Greek word which means advocate or helper and therefore is applied in Christianity to the Holy Spirit. It is God the Holy Spirit who becomes our advocate for He pleads God’s cause for the human family, keeps the Church from falling into error, and sanctifies souls through the preaching of God’s word and the sacraments.
We too must remain open to this gift of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, all of us have received the Sacrament of Confirmation or will soon receive it at the proper time. In the Diocese of Knoxville the norm for the reception of Confirmation is in the 5th grade. There are many who have been led to believe that Confirmation is to make an adult acceptance of the Catholic faith. That statement is not true for through baptism one is Catholic be they an infant or an adult. Instead the sacrament of confirmation infuses us with God’s grace, brings to completion what was begun in us at our baptism, and pours forth upon us the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it; confirmation “gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as a true witness of Christ, to confess the name of Christ more boldly, and never to be ashamed of the cross.”
From the Acts of the Apostles we know the Holy Spirit to be “like a strong driving wind.” We see this played out within the life of the Church were people where sent forth to lead other souls unto God. As the Great Commission puts it: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Our world too is greatly in need of evangelists and thus people who take the Great Commission to heart. It was recently said that this is the first time in the history of the United States that religious people have fallen under the majority. That tells me that there is a lot for us to do even here within the south. Not only must we do this, but we must be willing to lead others into the life of the Church.
All of this is difficult if we attempt to do it alone. It was difficult for the apostles and other great missionaries, but in the end the Church grew for they trusted in Christ and were moved by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate into our life in order that we too may lead others into relationship with the Lord and His Church on earth. May we allow this advocate to come upon us in order that we may always be preserved in the truth of Christ.
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