INTRODUCTION BRO. BO SANCHEZ:
I came from Korea. Saranghae!
I brought my bike there, so I did biking every day.
I try to bring my bike wherever On YouTube, there are videos there on how to lighten your bike. The lighter your bike, the faster you go and the easier you pedal. That’s the reason people buy light bikes. There are videos there on how to change your bike handle to something lighter, change the fork to carbon, change your seat and your wheels to something thinner…
But you see, when I bike, I’m not after speed. My goal is not only to strengthen my heart and my lungs but to develop muscles. Because of my busy schedule, I bike only for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day. I want to make the most out of it. My goal is not speed but strength, so I got a heavy bike which is 12 kilos.
I also put my bag there which has my water, my books, my tools for my vlog, my gadgets– I have two mobile phones.
The Goal
The point I’m driving at is this:
Life is a journey.
Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
The goal is not speed but strength.
People ask me: “Bro. Bo, where do you go when you ride your bike?”
I answer, “To a coffee shop.”
I bike to a coffee shop. In there,
I drink my coffee. I pray. I read. I love it!
But the destination is not the coffee shop. I can ride a car to go to the coffee shop. The goal of the trip is not the coffee shop. The goal of the trip is to gain strength.
What is the goal of your life? Is it to go to Heaven? I’m telling you:
Yes and No.
We all want to go to Heaven. We talked about this last Easter Sunday. Heaven is not a place for ethereal souls floating on clouds. Heaven is going to be corporal, physical, and amazing. But Heaven is not the goal.
The goal of your life is to gain spiritual strength. The goal of your life is to become more like Jesus.
Do you know how to become spiritually stronger? It’s when you go through difficulty.
Say this after me: “I will take up my c ross.”
Trials in your life are crosses but so are responsibilities. When you take responsibility, you gain spiritual muscle. You do things you’re not supposed to do.
Think about it: Why should I serve the Lord for 40-plus years?
It’s a responsibility that I do not need. But when I started to be responsible for the people in my life, I became stronger. I’ve got 200 hundred employees in my business. I’m responsible for them. I wake up in the morning and I think about them. My business must grow because if not, 200 families will starve. They are my responsibility and it’s difficult. But guess what? It’s good! I’m getting stronger.
When God calls you to do something, say Yes even if it’s difficult. Do it even if it’s something you don’t want to do.
We all want a comfortable life but I’m speaking God’s Word to you now: You will be weak if you do not take responsibility.
What is the goal of life? It is a marathon to gain spiritual strength through the difficulties and the burdens of life.
JC, take it away.
BRO. JC LIBIRAN:
Thank you. Let’s give Bro. Bo a round of applause. We need that message: That we need to be strong — mind, body, spirit. Yes?
We often hear the saying, “Life is short, better enjoy it!” We all agree, right?
Because of this thinking, we also subscribe to a lifestyle of “Eat, Drink, and be Merry for tomorrow, we die.”
It’s just but right that we enjoy the fruits of our labor. But sometimes, we become too focus on the now. We pursue worldly matters such as money, fame, or power. At one point in our lives, all of us are guilty of that crime. I’m not saying those are all wrong…
English preacher Charles Spurgeon said, “Life is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in the light of eternity.”
What you believe about eternity determines how you live today.
Here are questions for reflection–if you’re into journal writing, or as a Feast Light Group, or for a family or group of friends, talk about this
Today’s Message
As we go into the last talk of our L.I.F.E series, we will discuss about
ETERNITY to answer the questions: 1. Where do we go? 2. How do we get there?
Our desire for holy and heavenly pursuits never ends. A lot of TV shows and movies have been created for us to have an idea of what Heaven or Eternity is but still, a void, a question, remains in our hearts.
When you talk about eternity, there are terms that have been written in the Bible such as everlasting life, Kingdom of God, or salvation.
The Hebrew word for age is olam. It speaks of a period of time, a reference to the past, like during the time of Moses, during the time of Abraham.
But we emphasize here that when you are under the Lordship of Jesus, Heaven is not just something experienced beyond. It’s something that we experience right here, right now. If God reigns in your heart, no boundaries. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
But here’s the challenge: Are we living in God’s terms or in our own terms?
When it’s always our way, that’s not Heaven. It’s an absence of God.
Our one big message today is this:
You are destined to be with God forever.
The imposition of ashes on our foreheads during the Ash Wednesday tells us that from dust we came and shall return. Each time we visit wakes– it wakes you up. It reminds you that susunod ka na–you will be next. I’m not saying this to frighten you. Dying should not be scary when you have God in your life.
Susunod ka na means you will follow. Who will you follow? Jesus. If you are a Jesus follower, no need to worry in this life and in the next life.
Let’s honor the Word of God: Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
The verse is taken from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10 verse 17. The rich young man said:
The rich young man ruler who has everything already — yet in his heart and mind, something is still lacking.
Maybe that’s the reason this man’s name was never mentioned in the Bible. He represents each of us. Whatever the state of our faith is, there is still something that we’re lacking.
I’m reminded here of the encyclical of Pope John Paul II, Veritas Splendor– The Splendor of Truth– which speaks about the teaching of the Church:
Christ does not abandon us. So, we should walk with Him. And as we shift our focus now on the rich young man ruler, we would have the same experience
The Lord wants you to live not just in this world, but with God.
Receive His message to you today.
And it’s reminding you, from John 10:10
So, let go.
Everybody say this after me:
“I let go of controlling. I let go of complaining. I let go of comparing.
And I just hold on to God’s promise. Amen.”
Once again, let’s give the Lord a big hand.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path.
Are you preparing for Eternity? I want you to say this after me:
There are three truths about Eternity I want to share with you:
1. Eternal life is a gift from God.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6: 23, NLT
You have been given a precious gift. Are you accepting it? Are you receiving it? Are you giving importance to it? Are you sharing it to others?
When it comes to Eternity, we always ask: “What happens to us when we die?”
When we look into the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are reminded that once we die, our body decays and our soul meets God. Lastly, we wait for the reunion with God, the full communion. Of course, there is discussion about Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
Heaven is not a place. It is God’s Presence in your life. If God is in your life now, then you are in Heaven. On the other hand, Hell speaks about the absence of God. Purgatory is the necessary purification.
3 States of the Church
- Church Triumphant (in Heaven) We ask for the intercession of saints when we pray
- Church Militant (on Earth) Bro. Bo reminds us that we are pilgrims. We are journeying. The good thing is that you are not journeying by yourself. We travel together. This is the gift of our Feast.
- Church Suffering (in Purgatory) These are the souls in Purgatory. They need our prayers.
2. God has planted a seed of Eternity in your heart.
“God has set eternity in their (OUR) hearts” – Ecclesiastes 3:11
Whether you fully understand this or not, the Lord has already planted the seed of Eternity in your heart.
We want to celebrate this and share it with others.
Because of God’s promise and love, everlasting life is
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16, NIV
That’s why every Lent, we are reminded of what the Lord has done during his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. God has shown that whatever happened to Jesus will also happen to us.
This reminds us of the story– even before Jesus died and resurrected– the story of Mary and Martha losing their brother Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from death.) Very dramatic.
Amid the drama, here’s Jesus saying:
How about you? Do you believe in this?
It takes time for this to happen. As Bro. Bo said, our spiritual life should keep better and better.
3 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR ETERNITY
Now, if those are the three truths, let me now challenge you to do these three ways to prepare for Eternity:
- Ask for God’s Mercy– and Repent
I’m reminded of Jesus’ dialogue with the good thief who said to Him, “Lord, remember me when you are in Paradise.”
Even in the last minute, he was able to ‘steal’ the eternal life. Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.”
It gives us the assurance that even if you are the worst sinner there is, the eternal life can still be given to you. The God that we have is a God of many chances, a God full of mercy.
- Accept and surrender to
Let go of controlling, complaining, and comparing. Those are the ways of the enemy to snatch us from our promise to fully surrender to God.
- Act and share this gift of Eternity to
I want to honor all of you are here. You’re not just coming by yourself. You represent the people you are with from Monday to Saturday. After The Feast, you get to share to them the Good News of the Lord. Not everyone can come to The Feast– so we bring The Feast to them.
I’m a life coach. I ask questions so that people can understand, discover, acknowledge the truth in them.
As I ask you these questions, treat this as a real talk, not just with yourself but with God.
You may be ready or not ready to answer these questions, but nothing can change the truth that you and I are destined to be with
God forever. Nothing can take that away.
Receive God’s Message Now
I’ve had many near-death experiences. I’m just blessed to stand before you.
I know that God has a lot in store not just for me but for all of us.
Let’s remember that we will not experience Eternity just when we die. As early as now, we can experience that when we have Jesus in our hearts.
That’s why I love The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:33 where Jesus said to that faithful servant:
Receive that message now in this life– not in the afterlife.
Put your hands on your heart. Embrace yourself. Say this prayer after me:
Dear God, grant me the grace to live for what lasts for eternity.
I come to you in trust and surrender of* my life here and beyond.
I won’t live just for today. I will live for Your glory. I believe in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Heaven is here. Experience Jesus’ love right here, right now.
