The One Accompanied 73
of these major questions, the mentor serves as a guide and friend, offering
wisdom, direction, insight, and affirmation in the one accompanied’s search
for the voice of the Lord.
In addition to the major or vocational questions that require discern-
ment, the apostolate of accompaniment can also serve in a more general
development of the gift of discernment in the life of those accompanied.
Accompaniment can provide formation that attunes the spiritual senses of
the one accompanied, helping them hear the voice of the Lord in the every-
day realities of their life. In addition to major life decisions, accompaniment
fosters active contemplation of the will of God through ordinary means:
Discernment is necessary not only at extraordinary times, when we
need to resolve grave problems and make crucial decisions. It is a
means of spiritual combat for helping us to follow the Lord more
faithfully. We need it at all times, to help us recognize God’s time-
table, lest we fail to heed the promptings of his grace and disregard
his invitation to grow. Often discernment is exercised in small and
apparently irrelevant things, since greatness of spirit is manifested
in simple everyday realities. It involves striving untrammelled for
all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time
being concerned for the little things, for each day’s responsibilities
and commitments. (Gaudete et Exsultate, 169)
To this end, the mentor assists the one accompanied in the discernment of
the everyday, in their emotions, experiences, passions, interests, relation-
ships, actions, and desires. This “little” discernment lays the foundation for
the path of holiness, on which the one accompanied can more clearly hear
the voice of Christ and follow him as a disciple in every aspect of life.
Accompaniment for both “large” and “small” discernment can be imple-
mented in any context. Seminaries, houses of formation, and lay formation
programs might particularly benefit from accompaniment for discernment
in which a more experienced person introduces the one accompanied to the
lifestyle of the vocation. Parishes, Catholic universities, campus ministries,
or any situation in which youth are supported by a stable network, are con-
texts in which this style of discernment might be useful.