The Advocate

Sixth Sunday of Easter – Cycle C

Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29; 

Revelation 21: 10-14, 22-23; 

John 14: 23-29

Jesus promises in today's Gospel that an Advocate will come to us. This Advocate, this Paraclete, will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus told us. Jesus is of course talking about the the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity.

Today's first reading from Acts describes how the Holy Spirit's influence was felt in the early church. There was a disagreement as to the requirements necessary to join the ranks of the faithful. Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem and spoke on behalf of the new Gentile faithful. In the end, the church leaders chose to not put any undue burden upon its new members.

There are two major lessons in the way that the early church handled this specific problem that was tearing it apart.

First, they made their decision by listening to one another; they were not afraid to hear all the thorny issues that disturbed them.

Second, they were convinced that they needed someone outside their tiny selves to solve their specific problem.

They made their decision with the aid of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within them and their community. I cannot help but think that the problems unique to today's world and today's faithful would be handled better if addressed in this manner. If we are not asking for God's help through prayer, how can we know that we are doing God's will? If we don't factor God into the equation, how can God be present in the solution?

We don't talk about the Holy Spirit very often. Why do you suppose that is? Maybe it's because the Holy Spirit is so elusive. The image of God the Father is one that we are all familiar with. We know that Jesus was a man, so it is easy for us to picture him in our minds. What about the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is often pictured as a dove or fire in art and literature – but that depiction seems woefully inadequate. Of the three persons in the trinity, it is the Spirit that most effects us in our day-to-day dealings in the world. The Holy Spirit guides us, persuades us, influences us to live better lives and improve the quality of life for others. Many philosophers throughout history have tried to describe the Holy Spirit – without a great deal of success. I tried asking several people to describe the Holy Spirit. One person said that he sees the Holy Spirit as female. My mother surmised that the Holy Spirit lives on your right shoulder. If you're familiar with the book “The Shack”, then you've read my favorite depiction of the Spirit. I will throw caution to the wind here and offer my own take on her.

The Holy Spirit is God himself manifested in a way that we humans can comprehend. As one equal in the trinity, the Spirit is a life force that we acknowledge every time that we profess our faith when we say “we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.” We bring our gifts to this altar, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit that we invoke to make them holy, so that they may become the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only is the Spirit a life force, but it is our life source to God, because it is the Spirit that moves us to do God's work on Earth. I would be willing to bet that we have all experienced the power of the Holy Spirit at some point in our lives. Something happens that we didn't expect and we can't explain – some people refer to these as “God moments.” The Holy Spirit is that guiding force that we cannot put our finger on, but we know that it's there. The Spirit is that little tingly feeling in the back of our mind that tells us what path we should be following. When we experience great joy, great benefit, our emotions are lifted and we celebrate the good fortune in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit that reminds us that all this goodness is a gift from God. In times of trial or loss, it is the Holy Spirit that brings us peace – the peace that we need to survive the storm – to deal with the loss of something or someone that we thought we could never live without. When we rally to the side of those facing injustice or hatred, that is the Holy Spirit calling us to action. When we take food to the poor or help someone in need, that is the Holy Spirit guiding us to do God's work in the world.

Twenty years ago this month, my family experienced a tremendous hardship. My wife Susan suffered a stroke. She was 31 years old. Our sons were ages 4 and 2 at the time. Here I was, a young man facing the very real possibility that I would have to raise our children alone. It was frightening. I was completely overwhelmed. But the Holy Spirit provided. With the help of our family and friends, we managed to put our lives back together again. The children never missed a meal and always had someone available to watch them. The laundry always got clean and the bills always got paid. And I'm not just talking a few days here. It was months before things got back to normal – and the Holy Spirit provided. Now many non-believers might say, “That's just family pitching in and helping out. Where is the Holy Spirit?”

Throughout this experience, the gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Confirmation were put into action. The gifts of wisdom and understanding were evident as family and friends were aware of our needs and took care of them while I was still in shock about what was happening and had no idea how to move forward. The gift of courage as friends of friends stepped out of their comfort zones to help when it would have been much easier to wring their hands and say, “Oh, what a shame.” The gift of reverence, to see Christians of many denominations pray for our family and work together to build up the Kingdom of God. The gift of wonder and awe to witness God's presence in the midst of it, rather than using the circumstances as an excuse to be angry with God.

The Holy Spirit was alive and well as we dealt with our family crisis. The Spirit touches each of us as both individuals and as a community of believers. Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, and be watchful for her influence in our lives and in our world.

Deacon Darryl J. Diemer

6th Sunday of Easter

Painting:  Joseph Ignaz Mildorfer, Pentecost, detail, 1750s