Barking to the Choir

Boyle humorously opens this chapter by citing a quotation by a 19-year-old African American homie named Eric: “As Father Greg always says...it’s not about work for the homie, it’s about the homie working on himself” (109). Although Boyle never actually said this, he has quoted Eric ever since that day. 

To ground his own reflections about Homeboy Industries, Boyle quotes James Baldwin, who writes, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced” (110). “The task at hand is not to change behavior but rather to see clearly,” Boyle says as he applies Baldwin’s wisdom to his own endeavors (110). 

In Boyle’s eyes, working on oneself is not a way to garner love or praise from God, as God’s love is not predicated on someone working on themselves. For him, God’s love is a constant—“But the work one does seeks to align our lives with God’s longing for us—that we be happy, joyful, and liberated from all that prevents us from seeing ourselves as God does” (111). 

In keeping with this chapter’s overarching theme, Boyle offers more wisdom from Ignatius. He says when Ignatius writes about consolation, “…he means any movement that propels us in the forward direction.