Kinship & Accompaniment

Fr. Dan and Richard Leider discuss the importance of kinship and accompaniment. As Fr. Greg Boyle describes it, “Kinship—not serving the other, but being one with the other. Jesus was not ‘a man for others’; he was one with them. There is a world of difference in that…”

We hope that you can take the opportunity to reflect on a time when you were accompanied well, and on how you can accompany others in the future.

Integration

Oftentimes when people talk about changing the world, they focus on quantifying impact and “solving” problems like poverty. While there is a time and place for that level of strategy, it is not the focus of this exercise. Nor is the goal to “serve” someone in need, per se, since this can create a divide between the “service provider” and the “service recipient”. The goal is to be one with the other, to be present in mutual kinship.

For your Integration this week, you are to accompany someone else, preferably someone struggling and/or on the margins of society.

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About the Podcast:

Meaningful conversations about the things that matter most to people: their purpose, identity, and direction in life. Hosted by Fr. Dan Groody, Vice President and Associate Provost at the University of Notre Dame.