Greg Boyle, S.J. on compassion and kinship
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
What's the most influential Jesuit university in the world? If you answered Georgetown, Boston College, Loyola, or another great Jesuit institution, think bigger. The answer is the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Founded by St. Ignatius in 1551, the Gregorian has helped shape the church for nearly five centuries. It is the birthplace of Jesuit higher education, educating generations of popes, bishops, scholars, and leaders around the world. The Gregorian University Foundation helps support students who carry that mission forward. Visit gregorianfoundation.org to learn more.
For 42 years, I've walked with gang members, and I can say definitively I've never met an evil person, and I've never even met a bad person. I've met wounded people, broken people, despondent people, traumatized people, mentally ill people, and addicted people, but I've never met anybody evil or bad. I think if I can understand what a broken, wounded person is,
how much more so the god of love welcome to the spiritual life i'm father jim martin on this podcast we reflect on how people experience god in their prayer and in their daily lives and i'm joined by my seasoned producer after two seasons maggie van dorn maggie good to be with you
Hey, it's great to be here finishing our second season of The Spiritual Life together. Thank you so much, Jim.
I can't believe it. I can't believe we've done almost 50 episodes together. Yeah, nearly 50. Yeah, time flies. Lots of content for people, lots of things to listen to as they wait for our next season. But today we have a very special, frequently requested guest. And can you tell us who we're speaking to today, Maggie?
Yeah, I can't tell you how many times we receive an email saying, will you please have the incredible Father Greg Boyle on The Spiritual Life? And that's exactly who we want to leave you with at the close of the season. So a little bit of background on Father Gregory Boyle. He is a Jesuit priest, a bestselling author, and the founder of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program. For more than four decades, he has worked alongside formerly incarcerated men and women and those seeking to leave gang life behind, pioneering a model of radical kinship, healing, and restorative justice. Father Greg has received numerous honors for his humanitarian leadership, including the California Peace Prize.
induction into the California Hall of Fame, recognition by President Barack Obama as a champion of change, the University of Notre Dame's Latare Medal, and the Hilton Humanitarian Prize awarded to Homeboy Industries in recognition of its transformative work. Father Greg is the author of several acclaimed books, including Tattoos on the Heart, Barking to the Choir, The Whole Language, Forgive Everyone Everything, and his latest, Cherished Belonging, The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times. It is such an honor to have Father Greg Boyle on our podcast.
Yeah, he is one of my heroes. And I don't know anyone... In the Catholic world, the Christian world, who knows of him, who doesn't love, admire, respect, and is a little in awe of him. I think he's just, he's a very saintly person. And so we're just delighted.
Yeah, and I actually got to meet Father Greg some 20 years ago. I took an immersion trip at Santa Clara University to Homeboy Industries in East Los Angeles. And so I've been reading Father Greg and listening to his words for, well, ever since.
Me too. And he's just incredible on our podcast today.
Now, the audience question that we have this week is actually coming from Lucy, and it was sent in by her father, Michael. So Lucy's question is, how do we know for sure if God forgives us? And I thought, this is the perfect question for... to tackle together. If you would like to ask Father Jim a question, you can write to us at thespirituallifeatamericamedia.org. And I have one more important housekeeping note as we wrap our second season of The Spiritual Life, and that is that we really want to hear from you, our audience.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–32:25
2
How did Greg Boyle first begin working with gang members at Dolores Mission?
32:25–37:07
3
What practical services and social enterprises grew into Homeboy Industries?
37:07–45:24
4
What skills and approach are needed to accompany people at the margins?
45:24–1:05:07