Over the weekend, I joined a retreat on The Power of Radical Kinship, by Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ.
Fr. Greg spoke so clearly and powerfully, in a gentle and beautiful way, on how we are God’s delight; on how wholeness, not perfection, is the journey that God wants us to experience and to be, on how love conquers all and finds its way, even in the darkest; and on how we are siblings in infinite love.
Many times, he repeatedly said: that love is God’s religion; mercy is God’s language; that we are God’s delight; that God wants us to be whole; and that we are to be whole, not perfect; that love never fails; that when love touches suffering, he turns suffering into mercy; that love never loses its way home; that there is no fear in love.
We may think that the messages are the same ones we have heard before. But Fr. Greg delivered them in a manner so differently—so simply and clearly—that it touches the soul. He also gave us many quiet moments to reflect and look into ourselves.
Fr. Greg also spoke on how Homeboy Industries touched the lives of many gang members in Los Angeles, California. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. For over 30 years, it has stood as a beacon of hope in Los Angeles, providing training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, and allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. In LA alone today, they have around 500 “trainees” who report every day, and the movement has developed into a world-wide network.
We also heard testimonies of Hector and Steve, rehabilitated former gang members, who flew in with Fr. Greg, on how their lives were so remarkably touched by love and on how they have been transformed. We also heard from Fr. Greg many other stories, some even funny, but mostly mind-boggling to me, of gang members, their childhood traumas, their years in jail, but how Homeboy welcomed them with love and open arms.
What amazes me most is how Fr. Greg and his team in Homeboy not just deliver, but more importantly show, God’s message of love to those gang members. It is always the recognition and acceptance of that love which is the key to their conversion and change. And one would think that they are the only ones who need to hear those message and need to be “converted” or “convinced”.
We, who are in a much different world, need to be reminded as much or even more. Thus, Fr. Boyle’s message rang so loudly to all of the participants, and more particularly, to me.
Indeed, God is a God of love. He is greater than the God we settled for.
PS. Incidentally, Fr. Greg was given by Traditional University Award by the Ateneo de Manila University. He will also speak in a podcast in the Jesuit Hour of Radio Katipunan.
