Who Proceeds from the Father!

John 15:26
But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness to Me.

In John’s Gospel, one of the favorite titles for the Holy Spirit is “Paraclete” or “Counselor.”  The term is taken from law and refers to a defense attorney.  The question naturally arises: What exactly do we need defending from?  Some people have the notion that the Spirit defends us from God the Father and pleads our cause before His Tribunal that would otherwise convict us of sin. But this is a rather schizoid picture of God since the Spirit “proceeds from the Father” and is of one substance with Him.  Rather, the Spirit defends us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.  For God is with us, not against us.  That is why His name is Emmanuel, God with us.

Avatar photo

By

Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

Subscribe to CE
(It's free)

Go to Catholic Exchange homepage

MENU