There are many occasions to stray from the path that leads to God, and many wrong paths often present themselves. But the Lord has assured us: I will let you know and teach you the way you should go; I will be your counselor, and my eyes will be upon you. 1 The Holy Spirit is our best Counselor, the wisest Teacher, the best Guide. When you are handed over—the Lord promised the Apostles, referring to the extreme situations in which they would find themselves—do not worry about how or what you will say, because it will be given to you in that hour what you must say. It will not be you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father who will speak through you. 2 They would have special assistance from the Paraclete, as faithful Christians have had throughout the centuries in similar circumstances.
The conduct of so many Christian martyrs proves how that promise Jesus made to them has been fulfilled in the lives of the faithful. It is moving to witness the serenity and wisdom of people, sometimes with little culture, even children, as has been documented in numerous documents. The Holy Spirit, who assists us even in the most unimportant circumstances, will do so in a unique way when we must confess our faith in difficult situations.
The Holy Spirit, through the gift of counsel, perfects the acts of the virtue of prudence, which refers to the means to be employed in each situation. Very often we must make decisions; sometimes in important matters, other times in matters of lesser importance. In all of them, in some way, our holiness is compromised. God grants the gift of counsel to souls docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, to decide correctly and swiftly. It is like a divine instinct to find the path that best suits the glory of God. In the same way that prudence encompasses the entire scope of our actions, the Holy Spirit, through the gift of counsel, is the Light and permanent Principle of our actions. The Paraclete inspires our choice of means to accomplish God's will in all our endeavors. He leads us along the paths of charity, peace, joy, sacrifice, the fulfillment of duty, and fidelity in small matters. He suggests the path to us in every circumstance.
The interior life of each person is the first field where this gift exerts its action. There, in the soul in grace, the Paraclete acts in a way that is at once quiet, gentle, and powerful. "This most wise Master is so skillful in teaching that it is all the more admirable to see his way of teaching. All is gentleness, all is affection, all goodness, all prudence, all discretion."3 From these "teachings" and from this light in the soul come those impulses, the calls to be better, to reciprocate more and better. From here come those firm, as if instinctive, resolutions that change a life or are the source of an effective improvement in our relationship with God, in our work, in our concrete daily actions.
To allow ourselves to be counseled and directed by the Paraclete, we must desire to be entirely God's, without consciously placing limits on the action of grace; seeking God for Who He is, infinitely worthy of being loved, without expecting other compensations, both in times when everything seems easier and in situations of aridity. "God must be sought, served, and loved selflessly; not for being virtuous, nor for acquiring holiness, nor for grace, nor for Heaven, nor for the joy of possessing Him, but only for loving Him. And when He offers us graces and gifts, we must tell Him no, that we want nothing but love in order to love Him. And if He ever tells us, 'Ask me for whatever you want,' we should ask for nothing, nothing; only love and more love, in order to love Him and love Him more."4 And with the love of God comes everything that can satisfy the human heart.
Hablar con Dios