Gregory Boyle

Beloved Jesuit priest and author of the inspirational bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir returns with a call to witness the transformative power of tenderness, rooted in his lifetime of experience counseling gang members in Los Angeles. Over the past thirty years, Gregory Boyle has transformed thousands of lives through his work as the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang-intervention program in the world. Now, following his acclaimed bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart, "destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality" (Los Angeles Times), and Barking to the Choir, deemed "a beautiful and important and soul-transporting book" by Elizabeth Gilbert comes The Whole Language, a book that "filled my cup with hope" (The Jesuit Review). In a community struggling to overcome systemic poverty and violence, The Whole Language shows how those at Homeboy Industries fight despair and remain generous, hopeful, and tender. When Saul was thirteen years old, he killed his abusive stepfather in self-defense; after spending twenty-three years in juvenile and adult jail, he enters the Homeboy Industries training and healing programs and embraces their mission. Declaring, "I've decided to grow up to be somebody I always needed as a child," Saul shows tenderness toward the young men in his former shoes, treating them all like his sons and helping them to find their way. Before coming to Homeboy Industries, a young man named Abel was shot thirty-three times, landing him in a coma for six months followed by a year and a half recuperating in the hospital. He now travels on speaking tours with Boyle and gives guided tours around the Homeboy offices. One day a new trainee joins Abel as a shadow, and Abel recognizes him as the young man who had put him in a coma. "You give good tours," the trainee tells Abel. They both have embarked on a path to wholeness. Boyle's moving stories challenge our ideas about God and about people, providing a window into a world filled with fellowship, compassion, and fewer barriers. Bursting with encouragement, humor, and hope, The Whole Language invites us to treat others--and ourselves--with acceptance and tenderness.

2023 Illumination Book Awards Gold Medalist, Keepsake/Gift/Specality Bible 2023 Independent Press Awards Winner, Hispanic 2023 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite, Gift Books 2023 Independent Press Awards Distinguished Favorite, Religion Nonfiction 2023 Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Awards, First Place (Tie), Prayer 2023 Catholic Media Association Book Awards, Second Place, Inclusion in the Church Gregory Boyle, SJ, spends his days at Homeboy Industries accompanying ex-gang members as they rebuild their lives. Forgive Everyone Everything is a powerful collection of his most poignant writings based on decades of experiences of loss and pain, redemption and renewal. All 50 reflections are accompanied by stunning street art from acclaimed artist and ex-gang member Fabian Debora, making this book a modern-day devotional that will provoke and inspire readers. "There's no denying how difficult things can be. But the way out to the place of resilience, the place of restoration, the place of not allowing your heart to be hardened by resentment, relies on one thing: forgive everyone everything."-Gregory Boyle

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the injustices that we see in the world. We don't know what to do and might think that we don't have anything to offer. But by using our gifts in collaboration with others, we can do more together than we ever could on our own. Activist Terence Lester knows it's hard to change the world. But mobilizing and acting together empowers us to do what we can't do as isolated individuals. Lester looks at the obstacles that prevent us from getting involved, and he offers practical ways that we can accomplish things together as groups, families, churches, and communities. He helps us find our place in the larger picture, discerning the unique ways we can contribute and make a difference. By connecting with our neighbors and discovering our own paths of service, we can drastically change how we follow Christ and see God moving in the world. Togetherness and community give visible testimony of the power of the gospel. In this broken world, the body of Christ can transform society—when we stand together.

In a moving example of unconditional love in dif-ficult times, Gregory Boyle, the Jesuit priest and New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart, shares what working with gang members in Los Angeles has taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship. In his first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Gregory Boyle introduced us to Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention program in the world. Critics hailed that book as an "astounding literary and spiritual feat" (Publishers Weekly) that is "destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality" (Los Angeles Times). Now, after the suc-cessful expansion of Homeboy Industries, Boyle returns with Barking to the Choir to reveal how com-passion is transforming the lives of gang members. In a nation deeply divided and plagued by poverty and violence, Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins. Sergio, arrested at age nine, in a gang by age twelve, and serving time shortly thereafter, now works with the substance-abuse team at Homeboy to help others find sobriety. Jamal, abandoned by his family when he tried to attend school at age seven, gradually finds forgive-ness for his schizophrenic mother. New father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. These former gang members uplift the soul and reveal how bright life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness. This book is guaranteed to shake up our ideas about God and about people with a glimpse at a world defined by more compassion and fewer barriers. Gently and humorously, Barking to the Choir invites us to find kinship with one another and re-convinces us all of our own goodness.

"Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality" (Los Angeles Times)--Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption from pastor, activist, and renowned speaker, Father Gregory Boyle. Thirty years ago, Gregory Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, his debut book, he distills his experience working with gang members into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JC Penney fresh out of prison, you learn how to feel worthy of God's love. From ten-year-old Pipi you learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Lulu you come to understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the dark--as Father Boyle phrases it, we can only shine a flashlight on a light switch in a darkened room. This is a motivating look at how to stay faithful in spite of failure, how to meet the world with a loving heart, and how to conquer shame with boundless, restorative love.

C mo luchar contra la desesperanza e interactuar con el mundo con un coraz n bondadoso? C mo superar la verg enza y tener fe a pesar del fracaso? Sin importar en d nde vivamos o cu les sean nuestras circunstancias, todos necesitamos un amor ilimitado y restaurador. Magn fico y reconfortante, Tatuajes en el coraz n demuestra ampliamente el impacto que puede tener el amor incondicional en nuestras vidas. En su condici n de p rroco que trabaja en el vecindario con la mayor concentraci n de actividad pandillera y criminal en Los ngeles, Gregory Boyle ha creado una organizaci n para ofrecer empleos, capacitaci n laboral y est mulos para que los j venes puedan trabajar juntos y aprender el respeto mutuo proveniente de la colaboraci n. Tatuajes en el coraz n es una impresionante serie de par bolas producto de sus experiencias con personas del barrio durante las dos ltimas d cadas. Clasificados por temas y llenos de humor fresco y generosidad abundante, estos ensayos nos ofrecen una visi n conmovedora sobre la forma tan plena en que podemos vivir nuestras vidas si encontramos la alegr a en amar a los dem s y en ser amados incondicionalmente. De C sar, el joven enorme y lleno de tatuajes haciendo compras en JCPenney reci n salido de la prisi n, aprendemos a sentirnos dignos del amor de Dios. De Lula, el chico de diez a os, aprendemos la importancia de ser conocidos y aceptados. De Pedro, entendemos el tipo de paciencia necesaria para rescatar a alguien de la oscuridad. En cada cap tulo recibimos el regalo de la sabidur a maravillosa y duramente lograda por Boyle. Estos ensayos eruditos, realistas y completamente alentadores que discurren sobre la hermandad y la redenci n, son ejemplos reconfortantes del poder que tiene el amor incondicional en los tiempos dif ciles y de la importancia absoluta de luchar contra la desesperanza. Gracias a la orientaci n de Gregory Boyle, podemos reconocer nuestras propias heridas en las vidas fracturadas y en las luchas descomunales de los hombres y las mujeres que figuran en estas par bolas, para aprender a encontrar la alegr a en todas las personas que hay a nuestro alrededor. Tatuajes en el coraz n nos hace recordar que ninguna vida vale menos que otra.