First reading: Acts 3:13-15,17-19
Psalm: Ps 4:2,4,7-9
Epistle: 1 John 2:1-5
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

[I]f anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is truly risen! Alleluia!

Lawyers can be annoying:

Lawyers can be annoying. Watching the news, reading the papers, we see lists of people who have broken the law, who have done all sorts of things, some very evil. There, at their side, is the lawyer, the man or woman intent on getting them off-the-hook.

We get upset because these lawyers, these highly educated and highly paid people, are in the criminal’s corner, supporting the wrongdoers.

Advocacy for the guilty:

Those annoying lawyers are advocates for the guilty. They support and give comfort to the guilty, going so far as to say the guilty are innocent. No wonder people get upset; no wonder people write lawyer jokes:

Q. —What is a criminal lawyer?—
A. —Redundant.—

Jesus is that annoying lawyer and judge:

Interesting that St. John is telling us that we have an Advocate in heaven. The word advocate is another term for lawyer. In fact, in the Polish language, the word Adwokat is the term used for lawyers.

A law dictionary published in 1867 notes that an advocate, from the Latin word advocatus, means: One who is called upon to assist or defend another; a defender, patron, or protector…[one who] plead[s] another’s cause in court.

My friends: Jesus is that annoying lawyer. He is the lawyer that advocates on behalf of the guilty. He is the One who pleads for us and defends the guilty —“- that is us — before His Father.

He died for the righteous and unrighteous

St. John and St. Peter, in fact the whole of the New Testament points to the fact that Jesus, the Righteous One died for, was sacrificed for, the unrighteous. His advocacy begins with His blood, the blood that washes away our sin. St. John reminds us:

He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

Isn’t that the core assurance? Isn’t that the most important thing in our lives?

People can’t believe it. In Romans 5:7-8 we read:

Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man — though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

Can we understand that? People don’t believe it and are incredulous because Jesus, our lawyer, died for us —“ died in defense of the guilty.

We have no ability to approach God on our own, to somehow cover our sins. There is nothing we can do to compensate God, or the members of our community, for the evils we have done, whether big or small. But there —“ look —“ there is Jesus, our Advocate, our lawyer. He is standing in our corner.

Jesus brings us before the Father. He stands by us, allowing us to stand tall, to stand as free men and women in the court of heaven. Because Jesus is at our side, because He is our lawyer, our debt has been paid. Our sins, our guilt, all of it, every nagging and biting little evil we do —“ gone! I know I am guilty, but because of Jesus I am free.

The prophet Isaiah put it beautifully (Isaiah 53:5):

But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.

He calls all but there is a requirement:

Back to my lawyer friends -—“ let’s consider our annoyance.

Perhaps, and I think this is key; it is because there is no requirement for amendment. When we see lawyers say: ‘I got my client off’ we think that the guilty have walked away from their crime. Society hasn’t been compensated for the wrong they have done. With Jesus the compensation has already occurred. Our lawyer has paid our debt in advance.

Our protection lies in what we preach and teach:

St. Peter told the people in Jerusalem:

—Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

Like those hearing St. Peter, we are called to make a dedicated and concerted effort in cooperating with our lawyer, Jesus Christ. Jesus needs our cooperation, our humility. He has paid our debt and in return requires us to acknowledge our guilt and to work with Him in amending our lives.

Amendment of life:

Our message is a message of hope. Jesus is our advocate. He stands with us, has washed us clean, has paid the debt in full — for us. He defends us before the Father. He is here for us, so that we may stand as free men and women. We need only desire it; we need only cooperate with Him. We who cooperate are on the path to heaven, a path open to all. Jesus told us that:

repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Let’s open ourselves to that message of hope. Let us place our confidence in our Advocate. Let us go forward with a clear message: our sin has been washed away, we are committed to amending our lives, and we have forgiveness based on our repentance and cooperation with Jesus. His truth, His teachings are our reality. His way is the way to heaven.

Those who say, “I know him,” but do not keep his commandments
are liars, and the truth is not in them.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.

Brothers and sisters, let us keep His word, repent, and be forgiven. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is our Advocate and our hope. Amen.