Word of the Week

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Counselor: Parakletos (Gk.): meaning “advocate; comforter; helper”

The spirit of counsel enables us to be more united to the Church and renders our bond more perfect to Christ—the Counselor of Truth. This spiritual gift firmly sets us in our proper relationship with God whereby we call God “Abba Father!” (Rom.8.15), inspiring us to be more docile and obedient to Christ in our Christian walk.  Furthermore, the spirit of counsel strengthens us to defend our faith in both word and deed (CCC 1803).

Counseloris used 40 times in the Old Testament and 5 times in the New Testament. The OT vision of counselor speaks generally to men who have wisdom and understanding (1 Chr.27:32; Prov.24:6). Each usage in the NT, in particular parakletos, is scribed by John the evangelist. Counselor is a legal term that is used in the courtroom when someone acts as an advocate in defense of the accused (Hahn and Minch, 46); a helper in their time of need. John uses counselor in reference to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus employs this term when offering his intercessory power and strength on behalf of the people of God. For example, we read in John’s first epistle, Christ petitioning in prayer to his Father as mediator and comforter for his “children that are struggling here on earth” (1 Jn.2.1) (Hahn and Minch, 46). In addition, the Ignatius Catholic Bible Study commentary notes that “The Spirit acts as a counselor, as he is sent to strengthen the disciples in the absence of Jesus by instructing them in truth and defending them against the persecutions of the devil” (Jn.14.16-26, Jn.15.26, Jn.16.7) (Hahn and Minch, 46).

During this Sixth Sunday in Easter we are called to contemplate the mysteries of Christ that surround this new time of preparation moving towards the Solemnity of Pentecost. Moreover, we must discern the meaning of the Counselor as a gift in our lives. Christ is our lawyer, advocate to God the Father in the heavenly courtroom. In our deepest needs we must turn to the Comforter, in Sacred Scripture and the Blessed Sacrament, to hear the Father’s voice as he reaches into our hearts to raise us up to new life. We so often turn to the noble profession of counseling in our hour of need, let us always be sure to “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn.1.29) in the confessional as we journey to become a new creation (1 Peter 1.3) in Christ.  In this way we will enter into the throne room of grace on the day of the Pentecost.

“…Truth recounts the Word which always exists internally in the heart of God. For before anything was created, He had this Counselor, being His own Mind and Thought; and when God wished to create what He had decided upon, He begot this uttered Word, the First-born of all creation, not emptying Himself of the Word, but having begotten the Word, and conversing always with His Word.”

St. Theophilus of Antioch

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of John, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003.
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