42 The Art of Accompaniment
to be entirely transformed:
When, in God’s presence, we examine our life’s journey, no areas
can be off limits. In all aspects of life we can continue to grow and
offer something greater to God, even in those areas we find most
difficult. We need, though, to ask the Holy Spirit to liberate us
and to expel the fear that makes us ban him from certain parts of
our lives. God asks everything of us, yet he also gives everything
to us. He does not want to enter our lives to cripple or diminish
them, but to bring them to fulfilment. Discernment, then, is not a
solipsistic self-analysis or a form of egotistical introspection, but an
authentic process of leaving ourselves behind in order to approach
the mystery of God, who helps us to carry out the mission to
which he has called us, for the good of our brothers and sisters.
(Gaudete et Exsultate, 175)
Additionally, discernment allows for the freshness of the Gospel to perme-
ate and renew old paradigms and difficult issues:
The discernment of spirits liberates us from rigidity, which has
no place before the perennial “today” of the risen Lord. The Spirit
alone can penetrate what is obscure and hidden in every situation,
and grasp its every nuance, so that the newness of the Gospel can
emerge in another light. (Gaudete et Exsultate, 179)
Mentors can be formed spiritually in discernment through identifying
the movements of the Spirit in their own life, familiarizing themselves with
the wisdom of Scripture and Church tradition, fostering an active devotion
to the Holy Spirit, cultivating an understanding of Ignatian and other spir-
itualities of discernment, and seeking accompaniment themselves in order
to cultivate their call to accompany.
Pastoral
Accompaniment requires the pastoral formation of mentors, which es-
sentially “aims at preparing them to enter into communion with the charity
of Christ the good shepherd” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 57). With Christ the
Good Shepherd as the image of one who undertakes pastoral formation,
mentors must be formed in the proper practices of leading and guiding
others along the spiritual journey. This formation includes “know[ing] how