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Can You Really Conquer Hatred Through Love? | Father Gregory Boyle

Aug 8, 2022

Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, shares his journey of fostering love and compassion for those involved in gangs. He discusses how empathy can transform lives, emphasizing the importance of seeing individuals as doing their best, even in challenging circumstances. Boyle shares insights on setting healthy boundaries and motivating others through joy. He also explores an inclusive notion of God, highlighting the profound impact of tenderness and kindness in healing communities and overcoming societal divisions.

01:06:09

Creator website

Episode guests

Father Greg Boyle

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

True Self in Loving

01:18

Horrible vs. Evil

01:16

Faith, Love, and Certainty: A Conversation on God and Belief

02:00

Catching Yourself

00:29

Intro

5min

The Evolution of Homeboy Industries: Healing and Hope in Gang Intervention

3min

Navigating Grief and Finding Freedom in the Face of Death

3min

The Transformative Power of Love and Self-Discovery

25min

Embracing Kindness and Transformation

5min

Expanding Notions of God and Spirituality

6min

Tenderness and Transformation

19min

Faith and Community in Nonprofits

4min

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The idea of loving people no matter what— no matter how obnoxious or unacceptable their behavior is can sound simultaneously treacly and downright impossible.

But today's guest Father Gregory Boyle talks about the practicality of this idea by showing how the concept of loving no matter what can be used as a tool— not to condone bad behavior but to help see people as doing their best, no matter how unskillfully.

Father Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest who founded a remarkable organization called Homeboy Industries, which is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. He has a new book out called, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness.

In this episode we talk about:

How Homeboy Industries began 34 years ago
Boyle’s practices for working with stress
What he means when he says you have to put death in its place
Motivating people through joy rather than admonition
How to catch yourself when you’re about to demonize or be judgmental
How to set boundaries
How to dole out consequences without closing the doors to anybody
And we talk about Father Boyle’s quite expansive and inclusive notion of God

Content warnings: There are mentions of sensitive topics including, sexual trauma, violence, drug abuse and domestic abuse.

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/father-gregory-boyle-486

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