January 23, 2011 – Catechism 691-693

The Names of the Holy Spirit.  The Paraclete is one that I had never heard before until I came to Bloomington and got involved in Lifeteen.  Even then, it took some getting used to, since it seemed like a strange word to use instead of just saying Holy Spirit.  But now it has grown on me and even though I don’t say it a lot out loud, I do think about it more when I am praying.  The whole idea of calling the Holy Spirit to your side, like a companion, like a weapon, like a shield, like whatever you need at that moment.  It is a comforting thought, and all wrapped up in that one word. 

“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.” John 16:13

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  How then can so many claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit and be in disagreement on so many moral truths.  That is something I just don’t understand.  There is only two explanations.  Either the Holy Spirit is not the Spirit of Truth, leading to God not being truth, leading to our faith being completely void of meaning, or people are not being led by the Holy Spirit when they think they are. 

Does that mean that they are evil.  I don’t think so.  It means that they may be simply listening to there own human understanding instead of the Holy Spirit.  That really makes them no different than someone when they sin and turn their back on God and what He teaches.  I think the difference is that when people become hard hearted and are so totally convinced that what they believe is right is right.  The question of what if they are not right frightens them so much that they are not open to the Holy Spirit moving in them.  The Holy Spirit can still do great things through them, but I believe it is all in an effort to bring them back to Truth, which there can be only one, if our faith in God is to have any strength. 

So, ask yourselves if you are open to being wrong.  Do you trust the Holy Spirit to guide you to the Truth.  Do you leave yourself vulnerable to God’s Grace.  Hardness of heart is something that will keep you away from God, we should not be so overly confident in our human understandings.