Time and time again Jesus promised the gift of his own Spirit. He did this to remind us that we would not be left as orphans and to reassure us that he would be in our lives forever. But to truly appreciate the gift of the Spirit, it is perhaps helpful for us to remember what Christ has not promised us. Christ has not promised us life would be easy. He has not promised us that we would never have to face suffering or rejection or pain. He has not promised us that we would always be successful or that we would never make a mistake.
Instead what is found in the scriptures is a greater promise. It is the promise of an Advocate who would come to fulfill the hope that Jesus gives in the Gospel.
Jesus knew that we need the Advocate - not to argue our case to God, but to argue God’s case to us. The Advocate that Jesus sends intercedes on God’s behalf and reminds us of God’s love for us. This Advocate – this Spirit - helps us live Jesus’ way of love for others. This Advocate persuades us and enables us to love as he loved and to serve others as He served. Such love requires an enormous amount of courage and a persevering commitment.
Discerning where the Spirit leads has always been a difficult task - from our Church's earliest beginnings right up to the present time. We are a pilgrim people in a pilgrim Church, and we rely on the Spirit for direction. For too long we have been content with viewing our journey of faith as a spectator sport. It is however a contact sport, and we find ourselves right in the middle of things.
That’s why Jesus said he would us an Advocate.
The Christian community has always believed itself as the Spirit-guided bearer of the Word of Salvation. For us as a people of faith, Easter is now. The Advocate is the continuing invitation from our God for an ongoing, ever-new encounter with Him and with others.
Without the Spirit there is no church. Without the Spirit there is no memory of Christ. Without the Spirit there is no grace in our lives and no hope for our future.
In a few weeks we will celebrate the coming of the Advocate on the Feast of Pentecost. But the Spirit is already within us here and now, urging us to work together for peace and justice, love and reconciliation. The Spirit emerges from within us, and if we listen closely we can hear the voice of Christ Jesus offering us hope and peace. This the Spirit of the risen Christ, for whom closed doors are not an impassable barrier nor are they part of any fortress to safely keep us in.
