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THE PARACLETE, OUR DEFENSE ATTORNEY Homily by Fr

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THE PARACLETE, OUR DEFENSE ATTORNEY Homily by Fr THE SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, Year A Acts 8:5-8,14-17; Ps 66:1-3,4-5,6-7,16,20; 1 Pt 3:15-18; Jn14:15-21 THE PARACLETE, OUR DEFENSE ATTORNEY Homily by Fr. Michael A. Van Sloun May 16-17, 2020 With shelter-in-place, most of us are watching a little more TV than normal. I enjoy court shows like Law and Order. I have a friend who watches Judge Judy every afternoon. There is The Peoples’ Court, Boston Legal, Suits. Court shows are a little bit like cops and robbers. It is entertaining to watch the bad guy get caught. Better yet, it is entertaining to see the bad guy get convicted, and if the bad guy is really bad, to see the bad guy get punished to the full extent of the law. If we watch a trial on TV or a movie, we comfortably sit back and watch the defendant. The bad guy who is on trial is someone else, and the person who is watching, you or me, each of us is a “good guy” or a “good gal.” The defendant is bad, not me. The defendant deserves to be on trial, not me. The defendant deserves to be punished, not me. Almost every inmate in jail or prison claims to be innocent. We are like the typical defendant; we have done nothing wrong. Why this court talk? Because Jesus would be going on trial (Jn 18:19-24,28-40). The gospel that we just heard is from John, Chapter 14. Jesus was speaking to his disciples after the Last Supper (Jn 13:31-16:33). It was Holy Thursday, maybe 9:00 or 10:00 at night. After dinner Jesus and his disciples went out to Gethsemane (Jn 18:1). After the Agony in the Garden, 11:00 or midnight, Jesus was arrested (Jn 18:12). Jesus was on trial before Annas, then Caiaphas, during the wee hours of the night (Jn 18:19-24), Good Friday morning Jesus was on trial before Pilate (Jn 18:28-40). It is no wonder that Jesus began the conversation saying, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). Jesus was troubled knowing that his trial was coming and that his Passion and death would follow (Jn 13:1a). 1 As Jesus looked around the dinner table at each of the apostles that he loved so much (Jn 13:1b), he knew that each one of them would die someday. With the persecution against Jesus, the apostles were in immediate danger of death. The apostles were troubled at the thought of their own deaths, whether it be sooner or later. Death is a hard topic, so Jesus began by reassuring them, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (Jn 14:2a). Jesus was telling his disciples, and he is telling you and me, “Please be at peace. There is a place reserved for you in heaven.” But there is a problem here. Just because there is a room reserved in heaven for those apostles, or a room reserved for you, or a room reserved for me, maybe we will be found guilty of wrongdoing and denied access to the room in heaven. Jesus went on trial. We are going to go on trial on our Judgment Day. The trials will be very different. Jesus went on trial first. We are going to die first. Jesus was innocent. We are guilty. Jesus died. We will stand trial on Judgment Day Whether you like court or not, each of us is going to court. A day is coming when each of us to going to be on trial. The courtroom is at the entrance to heaven. The Judge will be God: “Your Honor.” Each of us will appear before God’s judgment seat. When we appear, we will carry with us the sins of our past life: the sins we committed when we were children, teenagers, young adults, middle age, and the later years. Every one of us will have a “rap sheet,” and a long one! Jesus was going on trial. Jesus knew his apostles would go on trial someday. Please remember, Jesus opened by saying, “Do not let year hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). Then Jesus told them, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places” (Jn 14:2a). 2 Today’s gospel is the continuation of the same conversation. Jesus added, “I will give you the Paraclete to be with you always” (paraphrase, Jn 14:16). The Paraclete is a name for the Holy Spirit. It is often translated Advocate or Counselor. In common Greek, a parakletos is lawyer, a defense attorney. If a person is charged with a crime and appears in criminal court, the defendant needs an attorney, the best defense attorney the defendant can find. Jesus wanted his apostles to have the best possible defense attorney on Judgment Day. Jesus was saying to his disciples, “When you guys are on trial after you die, I promise you the best representation possible. Your defense attorney will not be a public defender. Your defense attorney will not be some hot-shot lawyer from a high-powered legal firm. Your defense attorney will be the parakletos, the Holy Spirit, the Counselor or Advocate.” The Holy Spirit is brilliant, the wisest of the wise, as smart as they come. The Holy Spirit knows everything, the good and the bad about you. The Holy Spirit adheres to the highest ethical standards, will uphold attorney-client privilege, will never broadcast your sins, and will never use your faults against you. When you are in the courtroom, the Holy Spirit will be sitting right next to you. The Holy Spirit will be your companion, your friend, from start to finish. You might be worried. Actually, you should be worried. The Holy Spirit will be your Comforter, your Consoler, the one to calm your anxieties, reassure you, and give you hope. 3 The Holy Spirit is going to be your Advocate, the one to speak on your behalf. You might not know what to say. You should not say anything. The Holy Spirit will speak to the Judge for you. The Holy Spirit will do better for you than you could do for yourself. It is the day of death. It is Judgement Day. The trial begins. We are in the courtroom. It is a scary place. We do not have a clean record. We are hoping for a favorable judgment. We are hoping to get into the Father’s house. There are lawyers, and there are “super lawyers.” The Holy Spirit is a “super litigator.” We have seen eloquent, persuasive attorneys, on TV, in a movie, or maybe even in person. The Holy Spirit can argue a case better than any defense attorney. So the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, stands in front of the Judge, the First Person of the Trinity. The Paraclete will be our Advocate before God on Judgment Day. The argument will go something like this. “Your Honor, the defendant has committed some sins during his lifetime. Sometimes he did not know what he was doing (see Lk 23:34). There were other times he was tricked or misled by someone else (see Gn 3:13). There were times that he had good intentions and did not follow through. Your Honor, you must consider the good that this defendant his done: his love for his family, his service, and his good deeds (see Mt 25:35-36). Your Honor, the defendant is well-aware his sins, he is sorry for them (see Ps 51:19; Lk 18:13), and he has done many acts of penance for them. Above all, Your Honor, please remember, this defendant has faith in you (see Jn 6:40; Rom 10:9,13), and this defendant loves you with all his heart (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27). “Your Honor, this defendant is not foolish enough to plead ‘not guilty.’ The defendant is fully aware that you know everything. It would do my client no good to lie to you. 4 “The defendant is sorry for his sins, he has tried to live a good life, and he loves you. Your Honor, you are kind and merciful (see Joel 2:13), and you cannot go against your nature. You have stated that you have no desire to punish the sinner. You have also stated that you would like every person to spend eternal life with you (see Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 2:25). And, Your Honor, please remember that your Son Jesus died on the Cross for this defendant, and that the blood your Son shed has washed away his sins (1 Jn 1:7), and this defendant is now washed clean (see Is 2:18). Finally, Your Honor, I ask you to set aside all charges against my client, grant him a full pardon, and give him safe passage to his room in your mansion.” With that, the defense rested. The defendant was so blessed to have the Paraclete as his defense attorney. Jesus was true to his promise, “I will send the Advocate to be with you” (paraphrase, Jn 14:16). After a short deliberation, almighty God, the just Judge, rendered his verdict, the same verdict that is offered to all who love God: “Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34). 5 .
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