Comedian and Actor Jim Carrey explained how "suffering leads to salvation." Jim Carrey gave an inspirational talk to Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles back in June. His motivating talk to former gang members who are trying to turn their lives around and give back to their communities has been going Viral on the Internet. 10,000 “formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated” men and women cross the doors of Homeboy Industries each year, wanting to effect a positive change in their lives. Carrey explained the challenges he’s faced himself, describing to the former inmates how “suffering leads to salvation.” “We have to somehow accept, not deny, but feel our suffering and feel our losses. And then we make one of two decisions: We either decide to go through the gate of resentment, which leads to vengeance, which leads to self-harm, which leads to harm to others. Or we go through the gate of forgiveness, which leads to grace.” Carrey battled depression and bipolar disorder. He said coming to Homeboy Industries was the first positive step of finding grace:
“You’ve made the decision to walk through the gate of forgiveness, to grace — just as Christ did on the cross. He suffered terribly and was broken by it, to the point of doubt and a feeling of absolute abandonment, which all of you have felt. And then there was a decision to be made, and the decision was to look upon the people who were causing that suffering, or the situation that was causing that suffering, with compassion and with forgiveness. And that’s what opens the gates to heaven for all of us.”
It was a change for the 55-year-old comedian and former Catholic.
Origins of Homeboy Industries where Carrey gave his talk: Father Gregory Boyle, is a Catholic Priest who in 1988, with members of the Dolores Mission Church found a few caring business owners willing to hire former gang members. Homeboys started as “Jobs For A Future” . Seeking a way out of gang life, 70 young people started work.
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