Talk

BRO. BO SANCHEZ:

We’re in Talk 2 of our series, 9 to 5. I want to see a raise of hands again.

Those of you who want God to bless your work, raise your hands. That includes housewives because you have the most important work. That includes students because that’s your work. That includes retirees because that’s your work right now– apostolate, taking care of the apos, grandchildren.

My Friends, Everybody, say this with me: God will bless my work. I was talking to someone who was jobless for eight years.

I asked him, “Why don’t you have a job?” He said, “I have severe allergy.”

I asked, “What allergy?”

He said, “I’m allergic to work.”

I have met a lot of people who are part of the TGIF Club or Thank God It’s Fayday. They are working just for the money. The moment they have money already, they don’t need money anymore. They will leave their jobs.

This is not the original idea of God about work. You’re supposed to work for a very different purpose. I believe with all my heart that God wants to reconfigure the way you work, and to have more joy in your work.

When I was 19 years old– that was a long time ago when the dinosaurs were roaming the earthJ. I was in third year college. I was so frustrated with what

I was doing. I could not see any connection of my subjects with the work that God was asking me to do. I was already serving in The Feast community. I was having so much fun but then, I had to go to college.

On my third year, second semester, I decided, “This is it. No more.”

I did not ride a jeepney to the house. I walked home because I wanted to think.

Finally, when I arrived home, I was smelly, I was sweaty, but I was smoking hot. I went to my mom and I announced, “Mom, Jesus is coming again. The world is about to end. If so, the diploma that I will receive in college will be scratch paper. I am quitting college. I’m going to work full-time for the Lord.”

All for the Lord

I had the time of my life. I felt at home. I was working not for the money. I was just evangelizing, making disciples, and bringing people closer to God. It was beautiful.

I remember this Community gave me my first allowance–P800.00 a month. I loved it. I was so happy. Core memory: I would give P80 to the Love Offering basket. It helped that I was still living with my parents.

Also, it helped that my idol was St. Francis of Assisi, beggar of the Lord. I wanted to live the life of a beggar.

For the next 14 years, I was happy. I was content.

My allowance was adjusted to inflation levels. It gave me the courage to kneel in front of the most beautiful woman in the world to me. A few months before the age of 32, I asked permission if I could slip a ring around her finger.

I told her this: “I have no money now and I don’t think I will ever have money in the future. Will you marry me?”

That was wrong, of course. If you’ve been listening to me, I do have a little more money now but it was a good test of character because she said Yes!

That simply means that she did not love me for my money. She loved me for my bodyJ.

So, we got married and I continued to work full-time for the Lord.

I want you to know now, that I will correct myself. The use of that phrase, “full-time worker of the Lord” –for people who will do purely religious work– does not fit what the Bible says. Why?

I’ll give you God’s Word today.

Extend your hands toward the Scripture:

Thy Word, is a Lamp unto my feet.

And a Light unto my path.

Let us read St. Paul’s words in Colossians 3:23:

This talk is very simple. This verse that I’m sharing with you now is going to be the only message I want to share with you. There are two other verses that I’m going to show, but this is God’s message: You are to work for the Lord. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord.

God says: “Make your work your worship.”

So, Marowe and I got married, and we were living a simple life — but there was so much pain in my heart.

I said to her, “I want to help more. I want to help the poor. I want to help God’s ministries.”

If for only my wife and me, we were okay with the Community allowance. But no. I wanted to help more. I wanted to give more. So, I started businesses. I failed 18 times. Up and down, but more downs than ups.

Finally, in 2005, I started this small business helping parents to homeschool their kids because we want to homeschool our kids.

We came up with CFA Homeschool (Catholic Filipino Academy). It’s been going on for 20 years now. We’ve developed it. We have three programs or branches:

Program 1: Regular Homeschooling;

Program 2: Partial Homeschooling with online classes and online;

Program 3: Special branch for high school kids whose focus is arts and entrepreneurship and we’ve got mentors for them.

You see me preaching onstage but there’s another side of me that you don’t see: working marketing, working on long-term plans, working on operations, hiring 150 employees.

I have another business. In 2006, we started the Truly Rich Club. We help good people become rich.

I am a dual citizen. I am a missionary. I serve the Lord– one foot as a missionary, and my other foot is knee deep in the quagmire and quicksand of the secular world. But in both, I am a full-time worker for the Lord.

Whether it is doing mission or doing business, I’m a full-time worker of the Lord.

So are you.

I don’t know what you’re doing in your work. Maybe, you are a barista. Maybe you’re a Grab driver. But while you are doing your work, you are a full-time worker of the Lord and you’re going to make your work your worship. You can make a decision not to, but it can be.

Put your hand over your chest and say: “Lord, speak to me. Bless my work. Anoint my career.

Bless my profession so that it becomes worship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Financial Matters

The question, therefore, is this: If you work for the Lord in your secular job, what happens to your finances?

I’m going to share with you three financial levels.

Once upon a time, I thought that if you are following the Lord, you rise only from Level 1 to Level 2. If you go up Level 3, it might be greed. My mind changed as the years went by.

And here are three truths that changed my mind:

If money is your master, it is evil. If money is a servant that serves the purposes of God, it is good.

People tell me all the time: “Bro. Bo, it’s hard to run a business. There are many temptations.”

That’s right. Some people say this: “Bro. Bo, when I’m serving in the ministry, it feels good. It’s clear to me that I don’t get paid. But when I’m working in the office, it’s for money.”

I tell you: I disagree. I have two businesses, right? The purpose of my business is not to earn money. The purpose of my business is to serve the customer.

To sustain that business for the long term, however, I need to earn in my business. Profit is not the first goal. The first goal is service. But to continue to serve, I need the profit. Profit is sacred– if the purpose is sacred.

If you serve your customers with all your heart as unto the Lord, you are planting seeds of love. Eventually, you’re going to harvest.

If you are a barista and you really love your customers, you are loving people in your job. You are worshiping God.

You might be a Grab driver and because you drive in such a way that you’re concerned for the safety and well-being of the people around you, you’re loving people and you’re worshiping God.

If you’re a salesperson and you are very sincere that the product you are offering will really bless that person, you’re loving people and you’re also worshiping God.

I’ve got news for you. If your company or your boss does not reward you, your real boss will reward you.

How? I don’t know.

Maybe another company will hire you. Maybe because of the skills that you have, will be able to build your own company.

You work for your family, right? To put food on the table…

St. Paul says:

According to St. Paul, you work not just to feed your small nuclear family. God wants you to also serve your bigger family– those you don’t know on the streets, people that are strangers.

God wants you to earn as much as you can so you can give as much as you can.

The monks, the priests, and the nuns have been called by God to the vow of poverty. That’s 0.00001% of the Church. But 99.9999% is called to the vow of generosity.

You are called to do that as God’s followers. Generosity isn’t what we do– it’s who we are.

What happens is we normally limit ourselves. Why not be the best not just for yourself but for others? You’re thinking of yourself. Why not be the best version of who you are whatever you’re doing?

Barista Blessings

I’m sure you’re wondering why is there a barista onstage.

Imagine this is a coffee shop.

I’m going to put on my coat. I’m well-dressed.

I’m sure he will serve me in the best possible way. I’m VIP. He’s going to give me his best coffee. He’s going to give me his best service.

I also want you to know that the barista onstage is champion of the Philippine Brewers Cup 2025. And next year he will be on the world stage with other champions, for the coffee-making world championship. Who would have thought that there would be competition on making coffee?

So, my expectations are kind of high– you know, because of who I am. I’m sure you like this Café. It’s good. Coffee smells wonderful.

BO, as BENE serves him coffee: What is it?

BENE: Coffee from Kenya (one of the most sought-after coffees in the world.) It’s sweet and fruity… tea-like…

BO: Wonderful. Thank you. This is probably the best coffee in this part of the world…

Hey, there’s a new customer. He’s wearing just shorts… and slippers…I wonder how he would be served…

BENE, serving new customer…

Sir, Coffee from Kenya.

Sweet and fruity… tea-like… Please enjoy…

BO: The guy’s served the same (VIP) way as I was… I’m disappointed.

I mean, I thought my service was more special… (because I’m well dressed). Hello, how is it possible…? I’ll interview the Barista…

Coffee for Elon Musk

BO: Hello, Ben. You are a missionary.

One of your great passions is serving the young people. You promote the Youth Path and gather once a month, plus you do a few other activities. You also are a Bible nerd. You lead the team preparing The Feast talks.

You also have a passion for coffee.

Are you a different person doing mission or a different person doing your coffee?

BENE: In all these different areas in my life, I want to give the people that I meet a gift– whether that is coffee, my presence, or my time. I think that these are beautiful gifts that need to be shared– and it doesn’t matter who they are.

BO: You worked in a coffee shop for two years way back. What’s your experience there?

BENE: I was working as a barista in Makati for two years. I would meet all kinds of people. There would be some people who want their coffee right away and they don’t understand that if they wanted their coffee to taste good, it would take some time to be made. But we still have to serve them and thank them for waiting.

There was this one person who would always go to the coffee shop, sometimes twice a day. Later on, we became friends. Experiences like that made me look forward to working as a barista.

Because while I may never have talked to them about God or Jesus directly, I think I tried my best to make them feel that warmth and that love that Jesus brings to all the people that He meets.

I don’t know where those people that I’ve served coffee to are today. But I hope they’re doing well and I’m just glad that during that time in my life, I was able to be a part of their morning.

BO: Thank you, Son.

BO, to Customer: Like the coffee? CUSTOMER: Cup is already empty. BO: Where do you come from?

CUSTOMER: Just from the province– Manhattan, New York. J

BO: Wow. But why are you dressed just like that?

CUSTOMER: It’s Sunday. It’s my day off. So, probably, when

I go back to New York, I’m going to share this coffee with my business partner in SpaceX– Elon Musk (makes rockets and spacecraft, richest person in the world, with $423 billion net worth). And then we could talk shop also.

BO: Elon Musk… Anyway, thank you.

Here’s the Truth

Every customer that you serve is a friend of God, is a child of God, and is a partner of God. You’re supposed to respect each person and give that person dignity.

My friends, you have human bosses but you have a real boss who is worthy of the best work that you can ever provide.

Put your hand over your chest and say:

“My real boss is worthy of my best work.”

He is worthy because He owns you. He saved you.

Your real boss gave Himself to you on that Cross.

He died for you.

As 1 Corinthians 6:20 puts it:

You belong to God. Your work also belongs to God.

Maybe, you will not be rewarded right away but eventually, you will be rewarded if you just give your heart to it.

I’m looking at my son. He started in 2017 as a barista in a coffee shop.

Two years later, look at where he is now. He just kept on giving his best, pouring his heart, and loving the people around him.

I really believe that if you plant consistently, you will harvest eventually.

I want you to thank God for your work– whatever it is. Thank God for your job, your profession, your career, and then I want you to offer that to God. Because

this is what St. Paul says:

“Whatever you do, do it unto the Lord –not your human masters.” So, offer your job to Him. Say this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, Thank You for the opportunity to serve You and to worship You through my life, including my work.

Jesus, I am Yours. From this day forth, until the last breath of my lungs, until the last day of my life on Earth, I am Yours. Every part of me — my family, my health, my work, my future. I am Yours. I am a full-time worker of the Lord. And my work is my worship. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine
Published by THE FEAST (June 29, 2025)