š„ In John's Gospel, the first Paraclete is Christ himselfā
š The Holy Spirit is also called the 'Paraclete'ā
š„ The word comes from the Greek 'parakletos'ā
š The Greek word has a juridical connotation, meaning the "advocate" who defends the accused at a trialā
š„ A great friend and incredible Johannine scholar explained the meaning of the word 'Paraclete' to me in simple terms as the "guy in the corner during the boxing match, cheering you on, and coaching you through the fight", which takes a deeper meaning when attributed to the third Person of the Triune God.ā
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I also like Pope Francis' explanation of what an advocate meant in Jesus' time:ā
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āIn Jesusā day,ā
advocates did not do what they do today:ā
rather than speaking in the place of defendants,ā
they simply stood next to themā
and suggested argumentsā
they could use in their own defense.ā
That is what the Paraclete doesā¦ā
He does not take our placeā
but defends us from the deceits of evilā
by inspiring thoughts and feelings.āā
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I hope you find this helpful in increasing a devotion to the Holy Spirit!ā
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š Partly taken from the Dictionary Concordance to the NABā
