During these times characterized by daily reports of division, fear, and hatred, I came across a story of grace and love that has the power to unite people across the barriers that separate us.
Earlier this month, Father Gregory Boyle received the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presedential Medal of Freedom. Just last week, the city of Los Angeles issued a proclamation to make May 19 Father Greg Boyle Day in that city from this time on. What did Father Boyle do to recieve these national and local honors? For nearly 40 years, he has served as a priest in one of the poorest parishes in the country. The population of the parish is predominantly Latinx people of low income including neighborhoods with major gang activity. Stemming from his deep relationships with the people of his parish, Father Boyle started a ministry called Jobs for the Future in 1988. That grew into what became known as Homeboy Industries which is now the largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation programs in the world.
At the heart of all the programs and services of Homeboy Industries is Father Boyle’s commitment to the power of kinship – relationships built on the mutual recognition of every person as a beloved child of God. In 2010, he wrote a book called Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. While describing the origins of Homeboy Industries, it focuses primarily on Father Boyle’s experiences of the power of God’s grace and love through his relationships with those who are often demonized by our society as poor, foreigners, and law breakers. In one memorable quote from the book, he sums up the essence of his mission:
Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe of what the poor have to carry rather than in judment at how they carry it.
Although he wrote these words over a decade ago, they are even more important today when the rhetoric of judgment, fear, and dehumanization is directed at low income people of color including migrants along our border.
The recent stories of Father Boyle’s awards reminded me of the major impact that his witness and writing had on my life. I highly recommend Tattoos on the Heart with its message of the power of kinship in these divisive times.
Please take time to watch the two short videos posted below. The first video features Father Boyle receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The second video is part of a commencement speech he gave a few years ago. It highlights the power of kinship at the heart of his life and ministry.