Talk

BRO. BO SANCHEZ:

For thousands of years, people have been asking that question: What is the Good Life? Philosophers, thinkers, priests, and people have been mulling on the answer. But even the ordinary persons on the street have been asking that question.

Today, I’m going to share with you four answers. From centuries past, they have been grappling with this question and they have been able to come up with a few answers.

The Classical Answer comes from the great philosopher, Aristotle. He said that the Good Life is living a virtuous life. He would say that happiness is not a feeling. It is a way of being.

It comes from cultivating virtue — cultivating and living in accordance with our highest human capacities. I would agree. The Good Life is living a virtuous life.

Actually, when I listen and hear these words, I’m reminded of my Dad and my Mom. They lived a good life and they were living a life of virtue.

This photo was taken at a time when my Dad was 59 years old which is my age now.

He looks like me. I’m just a little more handsome. Before my father passed away, they were married for 62 years. They were in love.

I’ll share their love story…

A Good Life

My Mom was applying for work and she was 19 years old. My father was the one in charge of giving the exam for the applicants. My father gave the test. While my Mom was answering, my father gave her the answers. I’m not kidding. So, she got accepted.

On the day that she applied, my father invited her for their first date. Do you know where the date was?

He told her, “Let’s go to Mass tomorrow morning.” My Mom said Yes. She was her boss, anyway.

So, they went to Mass the next day. The following day, they went to Mass again. For 11 straight days, they went to Mass every day. On the 12th day, they got married. Why? Bombs were falling. It was World War II. They had no choice.

They were married for 62 years. They had six gorgeous children, especially, the youngest.

Our family, from left: Chelle, Bubu, Tina, Mommy Pilar, Daddy Gene, yours truly, Becky, Pinky.

In this family photo, Dad was already sick. But otherwise, we lived the Good Life. We did not live in a sprawling mansion. We did not ride in limousines. But it was a beautiful life.

The highlight of our family life was when my parents opened their garage to the very first Feast in 1980.

This is that garage. That’s my nephew, Paolo (son of Bubu). He has two children now.

He’s our LOJ Creative Director. That for them is the Good Life.

The Stoic Answer comes from

Epictetus. He said: “The Good Life is letting go of what you cannot control and taking responsibility for what you can.”

It is right. Epictetus was born in the year 55 AD which was 300 years after Aristotle. Epictetus said that it’s not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters.

Every morning when I wake up, I say to myself and to the world: “This is going to be a great day. This is a wonderful day.”

We live the Good Life if we believe that we have this decision, this attitude: whether it rains, whether the sun shines, whether I have problems, whether I don’t have problems, whether I wake up on the right side of bed or wrong side, it’s going to be a good day. It’s going to be a wonderful day because God is with me.

If God is with me, we’re going to have a great day because we’re going to make it a great day.

Hedonism comes from: seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.

The guy who said this was Epicurus.

He was born somewhere around Aristotle’s time.

He said the highest pleasures come

not from indulgence but from simple living, friendship, and philosophical reflection.

Hedonism isn’t about being in wild parties, with drugs and with prostitutes.

The original definition of hedonism is living a simple life because that’s where the highest pleasure comes from. It’s not taking shabu. It’s about having coffee while meditating about life. Of course, other people have taken this philosophy on the other route– such as seeking pleasure by drinking and by being merry for tomorrow we die.

I remember lines from a song, “In heaven there is no beer. That’s why we drink it here.”

I read also this other quote: “Money cannot buy happiness but it can buy a Ferrari — so, I’ll just cry in my Ferrari.”

It’s a concept of “why not do what you can?”

I was talking to a young guy. He said, “Bro. Bo, I have one life principle. I don’t follow anything else except this one principle: “If it feels good, do it. I have only one condition. I will not hurt anybody in the process.”

Somehow, it makes sense, right? For example, he can be in a relationship but still be in a relationship with someone else. Nowadays, they call that type of person as polyamorous.

I asked him, “What if it hurts and harms your highest self?”

He looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and did not give an answer. That is what some people define as the good life.

I’ve picked a sample of the Pragmatist

Answer from the more positive messages in social media:

I like that. That’s not bad. Actually, if you summarize the pragmatist approach, the Good Life is made up of four benefits.> We pray for these. They are in your Novena to God’s Love. The world will tell you if you have these, you lack nothing.

That’s the message of the world.

Do you know that Jesus will disagree?

One day, there was this young man who was not only rich but he was religious. And he was obeying the Ten Commandments.

Single ladies in the house, oh, what a great catch!

Jesus smiled at this young man and He said: “You lack one thing.”

What is that? Everything that Bro. Alvin read to us was the definition of Jesus about the Good Life.

This definition gives 8 pictures, 8 sketches of the Good Life.

We’re going to read them and I’ll paraphrase each one, and I pray they will bless you.

8 Images of The Good Life

The Good Life is not the absence of despair. The Good Life is even if you’re in a desperate situation, you trust in Him. He is in charge.

He will take care of you.

Every morning, whether it’s raining, whether I have problems, whether I have struggles, I jump up and down. I just started doing this about three weeks ago.

The second heart of your body are your calves — lymphatic drainage. I’m building my core. Sometimes you wake up and you don’t feel good.

I feel good every morning because I choose to feel good, for God is with me.

My translation is this:

The Good Life is not needing to prove yourself to anyone. Because you found your identity in God’s Love.

My translation:

The Good Life is not hunger for pleasure, or power, or prestige– but hunger to serve, a desire to bless, a longing to love.

My paraphrase:

The New Testament was written in Greek, but Jesus was quoting Psalms 37 which was written in Hebrew. In Hebrew, Jesus was quoting that the anawim will inherit the earth. The word anawim means “the poor of the Lord — those who are totally dependent on Him.”

So, the poorest of the poor, even as they flourish, will remain anawim in their hearts.

Money can make you proud, power can make you arrogant and selfish.

In his book El Filibusterismo, Jose Rizal said: “The slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow.”

But Jesus gives another possibility: The slaves and those who are poor, if they follow Jesus, even if they prosper, they will remain anawim in their hearts and they will continue to love the Lord, and they will remain humble before God.

Anytime you see the phrase pure in heart in the Old Testament, it was against idolatry. And so, we know what Jesus was saying.

My paraphrase is: The Good Life is worshipping God alone and enjoying His Presence forever.

What does that mean?

The Good Life is when you enter into conflicts with others– even if it is dangerous– and channel God’s peace.

My paraphrase: The Good Life is following God’s Will even if it comes with pain and loss– because in the end, God will vindicate you.

If the great Aristotle were alive right now and he were in front of me, I will tell the philosopher, “I’m your fan. What you said was right. The Good Life is living a virtuous life. But you lack one thing.” If I were in front of the Stoics,

Epictetus and his other followers, I will tell them, “I admire your philosophy of letting go of what you cannot control and taking responsibility of what you can. Spot on. But you lack one thing.”

If I were in front of the Hedonists, I will tell them that seeking pleasure will give you temporary good life. But you lack one thing.”

If I were in front of the pragmatists– good health, good income, good family, and good mindset– I will tell them, I pray for those benefits. I’m a financial teacher, I’m a family advocate, I love health, I’m working on my health…

But I’m telling you lack one thing.”

That one thing is Jesus. Amen.

Because for me, Jesus is the Good Life. Even when I go through trouble, even when I go through pain, even when I’m beset by problems, even if my prayers are not answered at times, if I have Jesus in my life, I’m living the Good Life.

Right now, you ask me, “Bro. Bo do you have problems?”

I eat problems for breakfast every day. I have so many problems in my ministries, businesses, and family. But I have Jesus. That’s why I live the Good Life.

Pray with me. Put your hands over your heart. Everybody, say:

“Jesus, you are my good life. Help me to be Anawim to be like You. You were Anawim. You were poor in spirit. You were mourning. You were a peacemaker. You were persecuted. Help me as I worship You today to be an Anawim, to humble myself and tell You that I lack one thing, the most important thing, Jesus. You are all I need. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I invite you now to pray for your needs.

If you have your copy of Novena to God’s Love, lift it and just give to the Lord, surrender to Him all your needs and dreams.

But I want you to put in front of all those dreams your deepest greatest need: Jesus.

Lift your dreams. Tell Him what you need.

“Lord, I need You most of all. Be the Lord of my life. Be the Savior. Forgive all my sins. Save me. Make me yours. I want my whole life to belong to You starting now, until my last breath. I am Yours. I surrender to You all the dreams that You have planted in my heart, all my struggles, and all my goals I pray for Your Will. I pray for Your miracles.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine
Published by THE FEAST (August 3, 2025)