Day 34 – April 12, 2025

“Out of the Wilderness into Love”

Father Gregory Boyle, ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1984,
served as the pastor of the Dolores Mission Church in the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles until 1992. The church sat between two public housing projects, home to
eight gangs. Between 1988 and 1998, dubbed the “Decade of Death,” more than a
thousand youth were killed in gang-related violence in East LA. In his memoir, Tattoos
on the Heart, Boyle recounts his efforts to bring marginalized youth out of
the urban wilderness of gang violence and incarceration and into the love of a
caring Christian community. With help from the local community, the parish, and
philanthropists, he established positive opportunities to rescue troubled youth
from the gangs holding them hostage. The parish helped set up legitimate job
training, an alternative school, and a daycare program. The primary request for
help was for a job. The initial program, Jobs for a Future, led to the
formation of the nonprofit Homeboy Industries. The combined businesses include
electronics recycling, dog grooming, solar panel installation, a bakery and
café, and more. Homeboy Industries has become the most successful gang
rehabilitation program in the world. Father Gregory insists that what his
“homies” need is unconditional love, not the didacticism of teaching moral
principles or guilt trips. While the world lauds his successes, Father Gregory
still laments the loss of so many youth. There is no denying that the young and
idealistic Jesuit priest, known fondly as “G-Dog,” working as the hands and
feet of Jesus, has brought many former gang members out of the wilderness and
into the world of new life and, more importantly, love.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, guide us during this
season of Lent to focus our energy on bringing our brothers and sisters in need
out of the wilderness and into the world of new life. — Amen

Note:  Among numerous awards, Father Gregory Boyle’s
most prestigious honor is the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.

In addition to Tattoos on the Heart, his publications
include Barking to the Choir, The Whole Language: The Power of
Extravagant Tenderness, Forgive Everyone Everything, and Cherished
Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times.

• Emily
  Craft