To keep is to obey, guard and maintain His commandments so as to maintain an ongoing relationship with Him. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit who is the Advocate or Paraclete. The Greek word parakletos translated as advocate or paraclete translates to “call to one’s side”.  The background for this term comes from the Greco-Roman courts. A paraclete was someone who could provide help and assistance to a person in a trial setting: give counsel, plead the cause of the person and intercede with the judge. The Holy Spirit then would comfort the disciples as their counselor, comforter and guide in the midst of a hostile and unbelieving world that aims to eradicate every trace of God and the sacred. It is the Holy Spirit that would enable the disciples to bear witness to Jesus in such times. May we too be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in such times where all seems lost.