The Advocate is ours

Jesus promises His followers of two thousand years ago and of today that we will never have to journey alone. Jesus promises us that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will be with us: “I have told you this while I am with you. The advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name – He will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” (John 14:21-26) The Holy Spirit guarantees that the Church will never go off the deep end. The Church will remain true to its mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The Church is of divine origin, rooted in Jesus, BUT populated by sinful human beings. History, past and present, shows us that a lot of bad things have happened in the Church BUT the Church, under the guidance of the Hoy Spirit, has weathered the storms. The Holy Spirit, guides the Chruch as a collective body and each of us, its members, to holiness of life. The Holy Spirit inspires us; enlightens us; protects us, and give us all the gifts and graces that we need; e.g., love, unselfishness, mercy, perseverance, chastity, a joyful heart…all that we need BUT we have to be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It’s not magic. We have to cooperate. Come Holy Spirit!