By Alexis Torres
Something that I cherish and hold close to my heart is the theme of accompaniment. I love the gentleness and sincerity of walking with someone through a season of their life, being a witness and a story holder, standing with them in both the valleys and the mountain tops.
I must admit a flaw of my own: as much as I enjoy accompanying others and being a listening ear, it is very hard for me to accept accompaniment for myself. I have always wanted to be the one supporting someone, not the one being supported. But because of my humanity, this could only last for so long until I reached a breaking point.
During Lent of 2023, I entered one of the most challenging seasons of my life. On Good Friday of that year, my very dear friend Derrick was called home to heaven. His passing completely turned my faith on its side, and I wrestled with questions that had no answers. He was only 21. He loved the Lord. Why did he have to pass this way? As I sat with these questions, resentment grew, and my heart became calloused in anger towards God.
Looking back now, I see how the Lord sent my friend Courtney to accompany me through that long and painful journey. Courtney walked with me in a way that mirrored Jesus himself. She looked upon me with compassion and sincere love in her eyes. She listened not to reply but to hold my words in her heart and lift them up in prayer. She met me exactly where I was.
Accompaniment is not always about being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is about having someone beside you in darkness, holding up just enough light for you to take the next step.
In Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis speaks about the importance of accompaniment-the willingness to walk with others, especially through their darkest times and lowest valleys. He describes this as “The art of accompaniment.” Which teaches us “ To remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other” (Evangelii Gaudium, 169). This vision of accompaniment became very real to me in the death of my beloved friend. My faith was shaken during this darkness, but my friend Courtney accompanied me in a way that embodied the very words of Pope Francis. She walked with me gently and patiently, not trying to fix or explain way my pain, but reverently standing on the “sacred ground” of my grief. She listened with compassion, prayed when I could not and carried me when I had no strength to move forward.
Her presence revealed to me that accompaniment is not just a concept but a lived reality. This is the heart of Pope Francis’ “Art of Accompaniment,” and I now understand it not only as something I can offer to others but also as something I must humbly receive.
Alexis Torres is the intern for the diocesan office of social concerns.
Above photo: A river is seen running through the San Juan Mountains in Colorado July 17, 2025. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)