Chapter Chaplain's Homily Reflection - MAKE THE PARACLETE YOUR COACH

MAKE THE PARACLETE YOUR COACH
In the first reading, Philip goes to Samaria, where the word of God had not yet been preached, and begins to proclaim the good news about Jesus. The people responded, were baptized and confirmed, and received the Holy Spirit. Luke tells us that the town was bursting with joy, and that a fever of joy seized everyone. They were filled with the Spirit, reflecting the promise Jesus made to them: "I will give you another Paraclete." In the second reading, Peter tells us how we must live as baptized and confirmed disciples of Jesus. In the Gospel passage, filled with concern for the disciples that he would leave behind, Jesus promised: "I will not leave you an orphan. I will give you another Advocate" (John 14:16-18).
In this fourteenth chapter of John, Jesus tells his disciples that God will send the Paraclete to them. The Paraclete means everything Jesus meant for them while he was with them. Parakleton, meaning "Paraclete," is a Greek legal term for a defense attorney. Many words have been used to translate it into English. It can also mean a spokesperson, advocate, mediator, intercessor, comforter, or consoler. The English word that most nearly captures Paraclete's meaning is "coach." The Paraclete is our coach, who is always by our side. In short, the Paraclete means someone who stands alongside to protect and sustain the one assisted.
In actual fact, Jesus is saying that he would send the Paraclete, the "One who will be with you always at your side." With this, he assures the Apostles that they would not remain alone: the Holy Spirit would be with them and sustain them in their great mission of announcing the Gospel to the whole world. When Jesus promised his disciples an Advocate, who dreaded his imminent departure, he told them he would be with them in this Spirit, just as he had been with them in Palestine.
Everything Jesus says in this passage reveals God’s desire to keep us in living union with Himself through the Holy Spirit. When Jesus speaks of the One who “dwells with you and will be in you,” He is describing a relationship—an intimate friendship with God living inside us. And the readings make us ask an important question: Do we still need the Holy Spirit today? Absolutely we do. We are weak, limited, and easily confused. Left on our own—without a coach—we cannot go far. In a world full of noise, pressure, conflict, and moral confusion, we need the Holy Spirit beside us: to enlighten our ignorance, to correct us when we wander, to encourage us when we feel discouraged, to challenge us to grow, to inspire us to be our best selves, to defend us when evil threatens, and to strengthen us when life becomes overwhelming.
So, how do we receive this all-important Spirit Helper? We have already received the Holy Spirit in our baptism and the seal in our Confirmation. What we need now is to renew and rekindle the gifts of the Spirit within us. The Church gives us a model. After the Ascension, the disciples, together with the women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, gathered in the upper room and devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). Next Sunday, we celebrate the Ascension. Between Ascension and Pentecost, the Church invites all her children into a sacred time of prayerful waiting for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Let us enter this period with the same devotion as the early disciples. We need the Holy Spirit today just as urgently as they did two thousand years ago. In the second reading, Peter calls us to repentance and a clear conscience. Jesus calls us to love expressed in obedience to His commandments. This is what St. Paul calls the rekindling of the gift of God within us (2 Tim 1:6).

Fr. Imo

Chaplain 

Arrowhead Desert Valley Chapter