Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

One night, Boyle was driving home when he noticed Spider sitting on a bench outside of the White Memorial Hospital. Through Homeboy Industries, Spider had received a job at the hospital and had just gotten off of his shift, so Boyle offered to give him a ride home. Spider told Boyle that when he got home, the first thing he would do was sit down and have dinner with his lady and his two kids. Spider liked watching his children eat until they became full, and only then would Spider eat himself, though sometimes there was no food left. Boyle links this type of altruistic joy with the joy of existing in God’s domain.

Boyle next discusses a chapter from his personal life; specifically, when his father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When he was first admitted to the hospital, he requested a pillow from his wife’s side of the bed. When Boyle and his mother arrived for a visit, they delivered the requested pillow. Throughout the day, Boyle watched as his father pressed the pillow to his face and savored the smell of his wife of 48 years. Boyle explains that this type of delight “is God’s only agenda” (150).