30 The Art of Accompaniment
how we will encounter him; the exact times and places of that encounter
are not up to us” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 41). Since a fruitful practice of the
apostolate of spiritual accompaniment is not divorced from the realities of
everyday life, a mentor recognizes that the one they accompany participates
in human experience that “is always situated in a culture... Grace supposes
culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it”
(Evangelii Gaudium, 115). A mentor has an enthusiasm for seeking glimps-
es of the true, good, and beautiful in the culture, and actively looks for
connections between the Gospel message and contemporary cultural life.
At the same time, a mentor engages with the Church, both on local and
universal levels. In order to bring the support and inspiration of the Chris-
tian community to accompaniment, the mentor actively participates in the
life of their parish, monastery, convent, seminary, university, or institute.
A mentor responds to their baptismal call by engaging in the apostolate of
mentorship and spiritually building up the universal Church. Additionally,
a mentor allows themselves to be formed by their local church, welcom-
ing the cultures, devotions, and concerns of the local Christian community
into the implementation of their apostolate of accompaniment. Steeped in
“Catholic culture”, a mentor's spiritual life and work in the apostolate is
nurtured by the Christian tradition.
“someone who constantly seeks holiness”
The spiritual life of the mentor is one that is constantly growing and
maturing. It is embodied in discipleship, the journey of “conversion to Jesus
Christ, full adherence to his person and the decision to walk in his foot-
steps” (National Directory for Catechesis, 98B). By making this decision to
live a life of discipleship, a mentor creates the context for accompaniment
as they are compelled to preach and live the Gospel through the witness
of their lives (Living as Missionary Disciples, 14). As a disciple, a mentor
responds to the call to seek holiness in their specific situation of life. Re-
gardless of their status as lay, religious, or ordained, the mentor lives a life of
ongoing conversion, embodying the mission of a disciple in their particular
context.
To remain committed to this deliberate choice of discipleship, a men-
tor is an active participant in their own spiritual formation, deliberately
choosing the path of discipleship as their everyday way of life. The mentor's