In these days between Easter and Pentecost, we remember and contemplate Jesus’ Last Supper discourses found in the Gospel of John, chapters 14, 15 and 16. Before His priestly prayer in Chapter 17, Jesus tells His disciples that He will ask the Father, and He will give them another Advocate (Jesus being the first Advocate) Who will teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus told and taught them.  

The notes in the New American Bible on John 14, where the Advocate is first mentioned, define the Advocate’s role as one of intercessor, teacher, witness to Jesus and a prosecutor of the world.

As I reflect on these passages, it seems to me that we who have received the Holy Spirit at baptism and confirmation are brought into the role of “little ‘a’ advocates” – intercessors, teachers, witnesses to Jesus and prosecutors of those things opposed to the Spirit (under the collective name “the world”).  

In essence, that is the mission and vocation of every believer and disciple. If we love God and keep His commandments by loving one another as He loves us, then we can do this work, not on our own but in cooperation with the Holy Spirit living inside us.

Last week, the Catholic Conference of Ohio hosted an Advocacy Day, inviting people from the Catholic dioceses in Ohio to come in person to promote the Church’s vision of a just society within proposed and current Ohio legislation. 

A group of about 50 gathered at the conference’s office for a briefing before heading to the Ohio Statehouse to meet with state senators and representatives to intercede for the vulnerable, teach legislators the basis for the Church’s policy positions and witness to Jesus by their presence and passion and concern to uphold the sacredness and dignity of every human life from conception to natural death.  

They were also prosecutors of the world by providing evidence of current realities that deprive people of an opportunity to flourish and live out their dignity. Jerry Freewalt, director of the Office for Social Concerns, ably led the delegation from the Diocese of Columbus.

Among the topics covered was the death penalty. As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.” Ohio Senate Bill 101, a bill supported by the Catholic Conference of Ohio, would bring an end to the use of the death penalty in Ohio.  

Other topics discussed with legislators concerned the Ohio biennial operating budget and provisions that would support the family and nourish stable, healthy marital and parental relationships. The conference supports increased funding for the Healthy Beginnings at Home program, which assists pregnant women with housing stabilization services. It supports raising the Medicaid qualification threshold to 300% of the federal poverty level for pregnant women and children under age 19.  

It supports youth and families with complex behavioral health needs by continuing to advocate for robust funding of OhioRISE and the Multi-System Youth Custody Relinquishment fund through Medicaid. It supports regulating and reimbursing doula services through Medicaid. It supports eliminating the sales tax on diapers and other essential items related to raising young children.  

The Catholic Conference of Ohio also supports two items not included in the Ohio House version of the state budget. The first is a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, and the second are Child Tax Credits that directly support families raising children.

If you missed participating in Advocacy Day, you still can advocate on these issues. Hearings on the death penalty will start soon, and the state budget process will continue through June. Call or email your state legislators advocating for the policy positions of the Church in Ohio. For contact information, go to https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/.