I had been struggling with the fact that a brother in Christ had abandoned our community. I kept asking myself was I right to distance myself from him a bit so as to observe and perhaps encourage growth? Could I have done more or even now do more to bring him back? I had accompanied and journeyed with him the past months and it is a little sad to see him go. I have found my answer in EG 170
170. Although it sounds obvious, spiritual accompaniment must lead others ever closer to God, in whom we attain true freedom. Some people think they are free if they can avoid God; they fail to see that they remain existentially orphaned, helpless, homeless. They cease being pilgrims and become drifters, flitting around themselves and never getting anywhere. To accompany them would be counterproductive if it became a sort of therapy supporting their self-absorption and ceased to be a pilgrimage with Christ to the Father.
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