The reference to the movie, Pretty Woman, is mentioned near the end of the post. But it really does have something to do with finding an advocate.
Advocate definition: “An advocate is a person who comes to our aid or pleads our case to a judge. Advocates offer support, strength, and counsel and intercede for us when necessary.”
The tricky part is finding one. And the surprising part is that the advocate might find that the person they are saving is actually saving them.
I offer suggestions below.
When I first discovered St. Hildegard, I was disturbed by how she was sometimes written about. Although people were praising her, they were doing so from a skewed perspective. They weren’t Catholic and so their thinking or rationale didn’t align with mine. And so I sought out to defend her legacy as a Catholic. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had designated myself as St. Hildegard’s advocate. I wanted to save her.
The funny thing is, I’m not sure why I felt so compelled to defend St. Hildegard. I’m not German, nor do I speak German. I don’t speak or read Latin. I’m not Benedictine. I’m not a nun. I’m not a theologian. I’m just an ordinary Catholic woman. Nonetheless, I was driven to plead her case of being more defined under traditional Catholic terms.
What I have recently discovered is that with all my enthusiasm about spreading the word about St. Hildegard, she has actually been carrying me. Here I was thinking that I’m championing a cause to right the wrongs written about her. Yet, she has been smiling from above, saying in a sense, “Child, when will you realize I’m actually here for you? I can help you.”
By researching and learning more about Hildegard, I can apply what I’ve learned about her to improve my own life and share that with others. And I don’t even know how much she has helped me spiritually, but I’m sure that’s part of it.
That’s a striking revelation. That perhaps St. Hildegard found me, not the other way around. Saints are known to do that. It doesn’t make me extra special. Saints can do that for anyone. We can hear about them, start devotions to them, and all the while, not knowing that those saints found us first.
In an article by Fr. Pio M. Idowu, titled, “Mary the Omnipotentia Supplex” in Co-Redemptrix, Autumn 2024 Issue 5, he mentions spiritual advocates we can count on.
In Sacred Scripture, ‘advocate’ in English is paraclete in Greek. An advocate, Fr. Idowu says, “is someone who is called to the aid of another”, and as stated in the Bible, we have more than one advocate.
Our Spiritual Advocates:
Jesus: He intercedes with the Father on behalf of us sinners. An example: when we are in the confessional with the priest, Jesus is there too. The priest is there In persona Christi, in the person of Christ. So when we confess our sins to a priest, we hear his voice giving us absolution, but it’s actually Jesus who is offering us forgiveness through him.
The Holy Spirit: Also referred to by Jesus as the Paraclete – the Advocate or Defender. The Holy Spirit is the third divine person of the Holy Trinity: The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So that makes the Holy Spirit a very powerful advocate.
Mary: Our advocate who takes our cases to Jesus, her son. Mary knows all our needs and she brings them to Jesus to take care of them. We should stay close to her (pray the rosary).
The Saints: They are known as friends of God. We can pray to them to intercede for us to God, the Father. I recommend some saints here: women and men.
We just need to reach out to these advocates in prayer saying what we need: healing, restoration, safety, peace of mind, resolving a financial, legal, or relationship problem, or whatever else needs fixing.
We pray and hope and leave the rest up to God. There are no guarantees. Prayer is not magic. But we continue to trust in God for the best things for us.
So even though there are actual people in the world with job titles of Advocate, there are also some in Heaven.
If you have trouble finding an advocate here on earth, don’t give up. It can be difficult but not impossible. In the meantime, ask the ones in Heaven to help you. God is the only one in charge anyway. God’s solutions are the best ones because He wants what is best for us. We don’t always find ourselves amongst people who have our best interests in mind. Many are more concerned with their own problems, which makes sense, but that leaves us on our own.
Spouse as Advocate
Another advocate can be your spouse, and that’s a reason the church promotes marriage and over the years so has Hollywood. Rom-coms were/are all about love and romance, and what better way to lead to marriage. In marriage, a wife is offered the spiritual covering of her husband as protection. And so that union is a good defense against the world. Of course, you can’t just marry anyone that comes along and expect a good outcome. That wouldn’t be wise, so be careful.
In the movie Pretty Woman (1990), Hollywood shows us a non-idyllic way a woman and man can find love even in the oddest of circumstances. Because even in real life, things don’t always progress perfectly. (It’s a movie for adults, and some Catholics might not approve of the storyline, even though it’s just a fictional movie. I watched it years ago. Use your own discretion. Or just watch the movie clip with the final scene below.)
Pretty Woman is about Edward, a rich businessman who pays Vivian, a woman-for-hire to act as his date at some social events. But then this business arrangement takes a turn. He falls in love with her and she with him. What a predicament!
Edward: So what happened after he climbed up the tower and rescued her?
Vivian: She rescues him right back.
But if you never meet an Edward, you can still turn to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary and the Saints to advocate for you and protect you.
I turn to all of them to advocate for me, and most certainly to St. Hildegard.
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