Pat Machperson, Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Krista Tippett, OnBeing.org (Speaking of Faith) Fr. Boyle on the Calling of Delight: Gangs, Service, Kinship, Feb. 26, 2013
"On Being" radio hostess, Krista Tippett (American Public Media) |
A
Jesuit priest famous for his gang intervention programs in Los Angeles,
Father Greg Boyle makes winsome connections between service and delight,
and compassion and awe. He heads Homeboy Industries, which employs
former gang members in a constellation of businesses.
This is not work
of helping, he says, but of finding kinship [which is suggested by the powerful term "homeboy"]. The point of Christian
service, as he lives it, is about “our common calling to delight in one
another.”
Catholicism, the religious arm of the Roman Empire, is founded on lofty principles. Few would argue with those ideals, yet few would be able to find them in action. However, Fr. Boyle is an embodiment of the best of the Christian message.
"The Sermon on the Mount," one of the most beautiful parts of the Bible, is mistranslated, according to Fr. Boyle. "Blessed are the..." is actually more accurately translated, "You're in the right place if..." This inflection brings to light that it is not that we are where we aspire to go, but we are on the way. "Look before you jump," Fr. Boyle insists, "but jump!" Let us live our ideals."
Fr. Boyle with former gang members (OM) |
Catholicism, the religious arm of the Roman Empire, is founded on lofty principles. Few would argue with those ideals, yet few would be able to find them in action. However, Fr. Boyle is an embodiment of the best of the Christian message.
Sermon on the Mount (Carl Bloch) |
He is reputed to have once famously said: "Whatever the question, COMPASSION is almost always the answer.
Translating the Dalai Lama with Thupten Jinpa
Translating the Dalai Lama with Thupten Jinpa
The Dalai Lama's universalist message |
Esoteric
teachings on rebirth and consciousness, simple teachings on
compassion and ethics. Geshe Thupten Jinpa is a man who finishes the
Dalai Lama’s English sentences. Meet this philosopher and former Buddhist monk,
now a husband and father of two daughters, and hear what happens when
the ancient tradition embodied in the Dalai Lama meets modern science and life.
I can't remember watching something so heartbreakingly gorgeous,
unswerving in its emotional sway, inspirational to the point of forcing
me to wonder about my current station in life. What am I doing here? "This project isn't about making images. It's not about
creating the world's largest camera. It's about doing what you love. If
you had been searching your whole life for something you love, what
would you be willing to sacrifice?" - Ian Ruhter (Silver & Light)
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