Richard Rohr, OFM, has said that life itself initiates men. The men of Homeboy Industries perhaps know this more than many of us. As they lived their lives in the social realities into which they were born, each man learned at a very young age that life is hard, that he is not that important, that his life was not about him, that he is not in control, and that he is going to die.  Because of the transformative work of Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, and the team of Homeboy Industries, these men have learned how to be transformed in a most remarkable way…

I love the way the theme for our recent Illuman SoCal regional gathering was worded: “There is space for silence.” I like that it isn't like a command. It isn’t just an abstract word or idea, but a declaration of reality: there is space for silence. There is…space…for silence.

This is a reminder I’m willing to bet that all of us need. Because in our culture…

I am 72 years old. I remember as a boy Christmas being a very mystical time, although at the time I did not have the words to describe it. Yes, even as a Mexican American born to first generation Mexican Americans, I grew up rooted in indigenous tradition because of my grandmother, my abuelita. While I was influenced by the U.S. commercialization of Christmas, as was most of the world, my abuela didn’t let the family escape a much deeper and meaningful story.

Rucking along a country road in the forests of Fort Sill, Oklahoma during Basic Military Training wasn’t my first encounter with the Divine. It also wasn’t the cloud-parting, angelic-choir type of revelation. In fact, demonstrating His subtlety, the experience didn’t really strike me as profound; it seemed rather mundane and simple at the time.  

What I have discovered is that once space is created, I then become a witness to the movement of the Spirit in people’s lives. It is an honor and very humbling to be given such a glimpse of the love of God. So, in a way, I merely am being asked to be the table setter so that the work of the Master can play.

This past Mother’s Day weekend in 2025, I walked away from my Monthly Men’s Circle with a deep sense of hope—for myself, for my brothers, for my country, and for our shared humanity.