Father Greg Boyle has a phrase for what happens at Homeboy Industries: therapeutic mysticism. For the first fifteen years the work was job-centric, then they realised that was slightly off. An educated gang member may or may not reoffend. An employed one may or may not go back to prison. But a healed one, he says, will not be detained again, and that has proved true. In practice that means everyone there gives a dose of holding the mirror up. Here is the truth of who you are. Oh nobly born, remember who you really are. It creates somewhere safe enough for a person to be seen and then, finally, cherished. And cherishing people is not the hard part, he notes. Remembering to is. The men make the same distinction more sharply. They are used to being watched, having all been in prison. They are not used to being seen, and not for a rap sheet but for who they actually are. Your own goodness, in his framing, is not something you achieve. It is something you recognise, and nothing can touch it. Behaviour is a language, not an identity. They are not building a beloved behaving community, but a community of beloved belonging. From St. Ignatius he takes acatamiento, from a verb meaning to look at something with attention, usually translated as affectionate awe. That, he suggests, is the only useful stance to take at the margins. Not rescue, not fixing anyone, but standing in awe at what people carry rather than in judgment. As for how enemies learn to work together, he says they instil nothing. You locate people in the vicinity of their enemy and let it happen, because it is impossible to demonize somebody you know. David and Louis were rivals who made croissants side by side without speaking, until the day David went to have his gang tattoo removed and told Louis it was because of him. You do not have to manufacture these moments. People work it out shoulder to shoulder, not face to face. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d