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The idea of loving people no matter what— no matter how obnoxious or unacceptable their behavior is can sound simultaneously treacly and downright impossible.

But today's guest Father Gregory Boyle talks about the practicality of this idea by showing how the concept of loving no matter what can be used as a tool— not to condone bad behavior but to help see people as doing their best, no matter how unskillfully.

Father Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest who founded a remarkable organization called Homeboy Industries, which is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. He has a new book out called, The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness.

In this episode we talk about:

How Homeboy Industries began 34 years ago
Boyle's practices for working with stress
What he means when he says you have to put death in its place
Motivating people through joy rather than admonition
How to catch yourself when you're about to demonize or be judgmental
How to set boundaries
How to dole out consequences without closing the doors to anybody
And we talk about Father Boyle's quite expansive and inclusive notion of God

Content warnings: There are mentions of sensitive topics including, sexual trauma, violence, drug abuse and domestic abuse.

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/father-gregory-boyle-486