There is a story of a person who realized that the path of dedication he had begun was not his own. He went to speak to a bishop to tell him, with great sadness, what he considered to be his spiritual failure: a few “lost” months, an uncertain future, doubts about the “validity” of his prayer. That prelate, with a paternal heart, listened to him and, between encouragement and reassuring words, encouraged him to resume his life of relationship with God, but he did not want to be a "lost man", but he wanted to be a "lost man". “never in a solitary manner. Catholic sharpshooters end up being shot down. We always need a community, a parish, a group..., with which to walk”.
Walking alone in faith is not an option. In the spiritual life “it is better to be accompanied” in order to advance, overcome difficulties and discover the profound sense of filiation and fraternity in the Church. To walk demands a concrete direction, it is not a matter of a wandering wandering, nor of a “testing and trying”. Knowing and assuming one's personal path in the Christian life is not optional and, in this discernment, spiritual accompaniment comes into play.
What we know today as accompaniment, For a long time it has been known in the Church as “spiritual direction” and has borne great fruits of holiness. It has also suffered from some misinterpretations, which have led to some even abusive situations and from which we continue to suffer its effects in these days. However, the detection of these errors has led to a greater emphasis on the importance of personal freedom and responsibility in the development of one's own path. But this help, let us call it address o accompaniment, The synodality is still necessary and is, in fact, the axis around which synodality pivots, that journey together which is necessary for personal and collective spiritual progress.
Spiritual accompaniment is a practice that arises from the social, family and community need for faith.
The work of parents, formators, priests and teachers is, perhaps, much more delicate: the conjunction of freedom and counsel, the acceptance of the differences that each one may have in the reception of advice and in the experience of the relationship with Christ. On the other hand, it is necessary to have the humility to accept different points of view and, above all, to exercise one's own responsibility by assuming the leading role in our holiness.
To walk together, but taking each one's steps personally, with the freedom proper to children of God.
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