Following the heart-wrenching story of Lefty, Fr. Greg Boyle (known in the barrio as “G”) writes:

…part of the spirit dies a little each time it’s asked to carry more than its weight in terror, violence, and betrayal. “By the tender mercy of God,” Scripture has it, “the dawn from on high will break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet in the way of peace.” How do those who “sit in darkness” find the light?

This question is soon followed by another worth contemplating:

How does one hang in there with folks, patiently taking from the wreck of a lifetime of internalized shame, a sense that God finds them (us) wholly acceptable?

I’m convinced that internalizing certain stories from the Bible in a creative, safe atmosphere is one approach to answering these questions.

[The above quotes are from Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle (NY: Free Press, 2010).]