56 The Art of Accompaniment
Fearless Healer
Paramount to a fruitful apostolate of accompaniment is the mentor's
love, acceptance, and welcome of the one they accompany. Regardless of
the challenging or uncertain circumstances in which the one accompanied
finds themself, a mentor is fearless by being unafraid to encounter them in
these contexts despite messiness, confusion, or chaos in their life. A mentor
who offers this presence to the one they accompany heals through providing
a space in which they are met where they are on the Christian journey. In
this sense, the mentor is not responsible for healing the one accompanied
themself, but is responsible for fostering healing conditions in the accom-
panying relationship. These conditions provide the one accompanied a solid
foundation on which to begin their active seeking of the Lord. A healing
space is not only one that welcomes and respects circumstances of those ac-
companied, but is also where truth is freely welcomed; to provide a space of
healing, the mentor is also unafraid to challenge the one accompanied with
pastoral and fraternal correction. To be a fearless healer, the mentor must
accept the responsibility to foster a relationship in which Christ can be eas-
ily found both in a welcoming and loving hospitality and in the awareness
and movement towards the truth.
On the road to Emmaus (Luke 24), Jesus demonstrates creating a space
of fearless healing. Jesus first provides a space in which the disciples can
freely express their fears and questions. In walking alongside the disciples
in the midst of their disillusionment, Jesus models a way of ministry that is
human: embodied, relational, and derived from experience. This moment
of compassion, charity, and listening allows for the disciples to trust Jesus,
know and believe in his investment in them, and open their hearts to his
teaching. Because he chooses to accept the frame of reference in which the
disciples find themselves instead of admonishing or correcting them im-
mediately, Jesus forms the disciples for their mission by creating a space for
healing in his relationship with them.
Concretely, a mentor becomes a fearless healer in cultivating their own
willingness to walk with the one they accompany in complex or difficult
life situations, practicing a pastoral attitude concerning items of a sensitive
or difficult nature, holding space for both non-judgment and fraternal cor-
rection when appropriate, becoming knowledgeable about outside resources