Walking, Encouraging, and Stirring Hearts

For those who accompany young people, it is important that they are also accompanied by a spiritual director (Pope Frances prefers the term “spiritual accompanier”!). For, he says, “we discover with surprise different ways of seeing things, signs of goodness that have always been present in us.” As we are shown these things in our own lives, we are better equipped to accompany the young people we have the privilege of serving. When we all realize that we are children of the same God, brothers and sisters on a journey to know Jesus more fully, accompaniment can really happen.

We do not journey to God alone. We were created by God to be in community, to have close friends, confidants, mentors, supporters, and yes, truth-tellers around us. Embrace your community. Lean into your community, not just within your parish or among your co-workers, but seek wisdom, perspective, and collegiality from others in neighboring communities, dioceses, organizations, and even countries. The friendships I have developed in other countries through my work with Catholic Relief Services have inspired me to enter more joyfully into my ministry here in the United States, knowing that it is through relationship and true accompaniment that we are all working our way towards the fullness of Christ. There are many roads, with many forks, U-turns, and even roundabouts to navigate. When we work together to seek a fulfilling relationship with Christ, we can rest assured that we will all get there. An old African proverb says if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go as a community. We want to go all the way to Jesus. To do that, we need to be accompanied by a community, and as we are accompanied, we need to turn and accompany others.