You can also find this episode on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries. It’s a massive—and beautiful—gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program here in LA, where Father Boyle is from.
Today, Father Boyle is sharing what he’s learned since starting Homeboy in the late 80s, and some of the most salient stories from his new book Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times.
We talk about how that might sound soft and saccharine, and why it’s quite the opposite. He explains why he so deeply believes two things: One, that everyone is unshakably good. And two, that everyone belongs to us. He talks about the difference between hope and optimism, and forgiveness and mercy. And why the moral quest has never kept us moral. It’s just kept us from each other.
If you’ve ever wondered why it feels like we’re not making progress…or how to get underneath a complex issue…or create a container in which someone else can feel their wholeness—I think you will find inspiration in Father Boyle’s words.
After our conversation, I’ll share a simple list that summarizes more of Father Boyle’s beliefs, which I love.
MORE FROM FATHER BOYLE:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION:
ELISE: