The Holy Spirit is our Advocate who is for us, who loves us and who strengthens us from within. The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and of courage, a spirit of knowledge and of reverence. Jesus promises his disciples that the Spirit will be with them always: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.” (Jn 14,16f) This gift of the Spirit is a gift of love and grace from the Father: “On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.” (Jn 16,26f) The Spirit is our Advocate who will speak for us and teach us what to say: “For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” (Lk 12,12)
The Holy Spirit is our Witness to the truth: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (Jn 15,26f) The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
The Holy Spirit is our Guide to lead us to the good and to freedom. On this journey of life we need a good guide who will tell us the truth and guide us on right paths. The Holy Spirit is that guide. Jesus shares with his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.” (Jn 16,12f) St. Paul reveals to the Corinthians: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2Cor 3,17) We must freely invite the Spirit into our lives and our lives will bear the fruit of the Spirit. He will help us to break the yoke of slavery to sin: “I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” (Gal 5,16-25) Stay with your Guide and do not wander from the path of the holy way and you will know a peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that only the Spirit can bring.