Greg Boyle Professions : PriestBorn : May 19, 1954 Browse All Authors Top 30 quotes by Greg Boyle Close both eyes see with the other one. Then we are no longer saddled by the burden of our persistent judgments our ceaseless withholding our constant exclusion. Our sphere has widened and we find ourselves quite unexpectedly in a new expansive location in a place of endless acceptance and infinite love. Greg Boyle unconditional-loveeyeacceptance If there is a fundamental challenge within these stories, it is simply to change our lurking suspicion that some lives matter less than other lives. Greg Boyle compassionchallengesstories I want to be prophetic and take stands and stand with those on the margins, and I want to laugh as much as I can. Greg Boyle propheticwantlaughing Even gang members imagine a future that doesnt include gangs. Greg Boyle gang-membersgangimagine God can get tiny, if we're not careful. Greg Boyle carefultinyifs Our best selves tell us that 'there but for the grace of God... ' and that, in the end, there is no distance, really, between us and them. It is just us. Our best and noble hope is to imitate the God we believe in. The God who has abundant room in God's grief and heart for us all. Greg Boyle besthopegodheart Don't forget, you are the hero of your own story. Greg Boyle storyyouheroforget You prevent kids from joining gangs by offering after-school programs, sports, mentoring, and positive engagement with adults. You intervene with gang members by offering alternatives and employment to help redirect their lives. You deal with areas of high gang crime activity with real community policing. We know what works. Greg Boyle youcommunitypositivesports You can't reason with gang violence: you can't talk to it, sit it at the table, and negotiate with it. Greg Boyle yougangviolencereason My job isn't to fix or rescue or to save. It's to accompany, see people, listen to them. Greg Boyle listenjobseepeople You stand with the least likely to succeed until success is succeeded by something more valuable: kinship. You stand with the belligerent, the surly and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear. Greg Boyle youlanguagebehaviorsuccess What do we know to be true about gang violence? We know we will fail if we fixate on the symptoms and not address what undergirds it. Greg Boyle trueknowgangviolence Abject poverty, political instability, torture, and other abuses push thousands across our border. There is not a deterrent imaginable that equals the conditions that force their migration. Greg Boyle pushmigrationpovertypolitical The wrong idea has taken root in the world. And the idea is this: there just might be lives out there that matter less than other lives. Greg Boyle wrongjustmatterworld In my barrio, jobs work and money saves lives. When I have had the funds to place a gang member on a job site and pay his salary, I've seen him stop banging. When, on the rarest of occasions, an employer has offered a job to one of these youth, I've witnessed kids suddenly have a reason to get up in the morning. Greg Boyle youthmoneyworkmorning Kids are different from adults. They are not as developed as far as brain science, controlling impulses, and maturity, and fall prey to all kinds of pressures. Greg Boyle maturitybrainsciencefall Homeboy Industries has chosen to stand with the 'demonized' so that the demonizing will stop; it stands with the 'disposable' so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away. Greg Boyle stopstanddaypeople People have to see that there is a high degree of complexity about belonging to a gang. It's a symptom, not a problem. Greg Boyle seegangproblempeople Redemption is possible, and it is the measure of a civilized society. Greg Boyle measurepossibleredemptionsociety I always have a funny story at communion time that underscores that no one is perfect, and that communion is not for perfect people but for hungry people. Greg Boyle storytimefunnypeople Similar Authors Andrew Greeley priest Anthony of Padua priest Angelus Silesius priest Alfred Delp priest Bob Maguire priest Alexander Schmemann priestAll Authors
