Msgr. Beaulieu – Spirit as Paraclete

The Spirit as Paraclete

In this week’s Gospel, there is one of the several references to the Paraclete (Jn 14:26) rendered, in English, as Advocate. All references to the Paraclete (or the Spirit of Truth) occur multiple times in the Farewell Discourse of John’s Gospel (Jn 13:31–17:26) that are the extensive teachings and promises that Jesus gave to His disciples in the upper room, immediately after the Last Supper and before His crucifixion.

The series of discourses are a profound and intimate section of scripture, providing insights into Jesus’ relationship with the Father and His followers. The discourse focuses on themes of love, abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ ultimate victory over the world. The predominant idea in those Gospel references to the Paraclete highlights the Spirit as an Advocate, Instructor, Witness, and Guide. In those citations, found in the Farewell Discourses, the Holy Spirit is not merely an impersonal power but an Agent of God who comes to replace Jesus, the first Paraclete (Jn 14:26), and continues the work initiated by the Lord. In addition, the fifth mention of the term Paraclete is found in the First Letter of John (1 Jn 2:1).

The word is derived from the Koine Greek word παράκλητος (paráklētos). It is a combination of two other words: para (Gk. παρά) or beside, next to, alongside and kalein (Gk. καλεῖν) or to call. In Catholic practice, the Holy Spirit continues to be referred to as the Paraclete in the series of invocations known as the Divine Praises, recited during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Among the functions ascribed to the Paraclete are the following: (1) to declare things to come; (2) to teach everything; (3) to remind everyone about all that Jesus said; (4) to glorify Christ; and (5) to prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment.

When paráklētos is understood to mean “called alongside,” the expression encapsulates the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus earlier in the Fourth Gospel as an Advocate or Spirit of Truth; hence, a, helper or comforter for His disciples (Jn 14:16). The Spirit is Someone who comes alongside the weak to give them strength and courage, especially in the context of persecution. This implication is also conveyed when the term Paraclete is translated as Comforter. Jesus, no doubt, was calling attention to the fact that the Spirit would continue the work that He Himself had initiated and that the Paraclete would be with the disciples forever and ever. Veni Creator Spiritus!