Why_I_Love_Being_Catholic_Bo_Sanchez_Kerygma_Books

Why I Love
Being
Catholic
WHY I LOVE
B E I N G
Catholic
How I Found Jesus
In My 2,000-year-old CHurCH
Bo sanCHeZ
National Bestselling Author of Get Ready for More
Bo Sanchez has written over fifty books that have changed people’s lives all
over the world. To change yours, get his three latest bestsellers:
ENJOY YOUR AGE

Every season requires a response. Don’t mix them up or
you’ll have problems. Read this amazing book by Bo and
find out how you can maximize the blessings of the specific
season that you are in—and enjoy your age!
GET READY FOR MORE (Special Citation,

2017 Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards, Inspirational
Category)
Are you living up to your full potential?
In his usual laugh-out-loud and no holds-barred style, Bo
Sanchez distills fifty years worth of wisdom from his life now
at halftime. There are many valuable lessons to learn from
his failures and successes that he shares in these pages. Learn
Bo’s simple strategies to live the great life you are meant to
live through these principles: Be Life; Be Light; Be Long; Be
Least; Be Lean; Be Loved; and Be Love
And one more bonus strategy you don’t want to miss!
JOIN THE FEAST

These pages are on fire. Born of out of almost forty years
of ministry, Bo shares the DNA of a simple movement, which
started as a tiny group that met in his parents’ garage. Today,
that small prayer meeting has expanded to 285 Feasts all over
the world. Through The Feast, many have found their way
home to God.
In this book, Bo shares why they do it and how they do it so
that you, too, can fulfill God’s call to love more.
For more life-changing books, visit www.kerygmabooks.com

Why I Love
Being
Catholic
How I Found Jesus
in My 2,000-Year-Old Church
Bo Sanchez
Why I Love Being Catholic
How I Found Jesus in My 2,000-Year-Old Church
ISBN 978-971-007-212-5
Copyright © 2018 by Eugenio R. Sanchez, Jr.
Published By Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc.
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reproduced, except for brief quotations, without the prior
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Cover Design by Paolo S. Galia

Layout by Rey de Guzman
Table Of Contents
Preface: Can I Tell You My Story? i

Introduction: How I Met Jesus v
10 Reasons Why I Love Being Catholic 1

Reason 1: Because of Jesus 3
Reason 2: Because of Our Roots 15
Reason 3: Because of the Signs of 25
God’s Love: Sacramentals
Reason 4: Because of the Signs of 41
God’s Love: Sacraments
Reason 5: Because of Our Love Meal 55
with Sinners
Reason 6: Because of Our Loving 79
Encounters with Sinners
Reason 7: Because of Our Heavenly 87
Family
Reason 8: Because of the Rock Jesus 99
Built Us On
Table of Contents
Reason 9: Because of How We Read 105

the Bible
Reason 10: Because of God’s Mercy 117
after Death
Epilogue: The Ship We’re Sailing On 125

Appendix 131
About the Author 134
Preface
Can I Tell You My Story?
This is my journey.
When you read this book, imagine us sitting
over coffee, sharing face-to-face. I promise I won’t
use jargon or heavy theological words. If you want
a more detailed explanation of each Catholic belief,
there are many other books for that. Google them.
I wrote this book with three simple goals:
1. I want Catholics to love Jesus more. I found

Jesus through my Catholic faith. For the
past forty years, with a lot of struggles and
failures, I’ve tried to make Him my center,
my purpose, and my source—by His grace
alone. And it’s been an awesome journey.
i
Preface
2. I want Catholics to appreciate their Catholic

faith more. In these pages, I will explain in
the simplest way possible the ten reasons
why I love being Catholic. I pray you’ll love
being Catholic, too.
3. I want our dearest Protestant friends to respect

our Catholic faith more—so that, together, we
can heal the broken Body of Christ. My goal is
not to convert Protestants to Catholicism.
As long as we focus on Jesus, can we agree
to disagree on other matters? The world is
desperate for God’s love. We don’t need
competition; we need collaboration. If we
respect each other deeply, we can work
beside each other, shoulder to shoulder.
Together, we can feed the hungry, clothe
the naked, visit the prisoners, and share
Jesus to the world.
ii
By the way, I hope you don’t mind. I sprinkled

my corny humor here and there. Just to make you
smile. Because life is short. We shouldn’t take
ourselves too seriously. My attitude? Laughter is so
beautiful, let’s do it whenever we can. Yes, even if
we’re talking about something very serious.
Enjoy!
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
P.S. Do you want to deepen your understanding of

the Catholic faith? Download The Feast App from
App Store or Google Play, and click on Dive Talk.
The Feast App also carries a truckload of materials
for your spiritual nourishment.
iii
iv
Introduction
How I Met Jesus

“If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.”
– Anonymous
As a kid, I remember my dad putting his arm around

my shoulder and saying, “You’re my favorite son.”
“Gee, Dad, thanks,” I’d say, feeling wonderful.
Until I found out he didn’t have much choice. I was
his only son.
But I’m the youngest with five older sisters.
He used to joke me, “I almost named you
Atlas. Because when the doctor said I had a boy, I
said, ‘At last!’”
Mom and Dad were very Catholic. Together
with my evil sisters, er . . . I mean my elder sisters,
we went to Mass, wore a scapular, prayed the rosary
with the family every night, and learned religion in
v
Introduction
a Catholic school. So I knew about Jesus. Sort of.

But something radical happened when I was
twelve years old.
Weird Stuff
It was another Friday night, and my mother

invited me to their little Catholic prayer meeting.
For the past six months, my parents and sisters had
been attending something weird on Friday night.
They’d go home with stories of how people prayed
in tongues, got healed, received miracles. Really
strange.
But even as kid, I knew something was
happening to them. First, I noticed my sisters were
different. They were kinder to their cute and lovable
brother. Second, my entire family was excited about
God. I never saw that happen before. They kept
talking about Jesus like He was real.
But one day, they wanted to pull me into their
weird stuff. It was nice just watching them from a
distance as they went through this transformation,
vi
but when my mom wanted me to join them, I told

her, “Sorry, Mom, I’m too young to give my life to
God. Besides, isn’t this thing for old people and
women?”
In my mind, I thought to myself, “Gee, I
haven’t yet puffed my first cigarette, haven’t tasted
my first bottle of beer, haven’t had a girlfriend.
Perhaps when I get older, I’ll attend that prayer
meeting.”
Like when I’ll be seventy-five years old.
My First Prayer Meeting
My father, however, was a stubborn man.

He said, “If Bo doesn’t want to go to the prayer
meeting, we’ll bring the prayer meeting to Bo.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that.
After praying the rosary one night as a family,
Dad stood up and said, “We’re going to have a
prayer meeting right now.”
“Jeepers, Dad. It’s Starsky and Hutch on TV!”
(Yes, that’s how old I am.)
vii
Introduction
“Sit!” my father commanded, and so I did. He

then asked all of us to close our eyes and hold our
hands together. Naturally, holding hands with my
older sisters was a nightmare for a twelve-year-
old boy. Clowning around, I closed only one eye,
curious at what my father will do next.
I was expecting another barrage of formula
prayers, like “Our Father” and “Hail Mary,” but
Dad simply talked to God from his heart. I looked
at the peace on my father’s face and realized he
actually believed God was listening to him.
Was God really there in front of him? Didn’t
the Almighty have more important things to do
than be in our living room?
I didn’t want to admit it, but praying with
Dad made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
However, lest my family discover that I was
being “touched,” I tried to make my face as stiff
and angry as possible.
That was when the most unpredictable thing
happened. My dad saw my stony face, stood up,
viii
and casually placed his hand on top of my head. He

then said, “In Jesus’ name, devil, get out!”
What did he say? The devil was in me?
As if reading my thoughts, everyone in the
family stretched their arms toward me and shouted
in unison, “Amen!”
Actually, Dad didn’t know what he was doing.
He just wanted me to get closer to God and he was
willing to try anything—including imitating TV
evangelists in their exorcisms.
But because he was very new in this whole
thing, he started committing mistakes.
“In Jesus’ name, devil, get out!” he said again
and again. And then the big blunder came when he
said, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, get out! Get out! Get out!”
My mother was the first to discover the great
heresy that was happening, so she elbowed him
hard and said, “Your prayer is all wrong! You’re
asking Jesus to go out!” (That happened many,
many years ago. For the next six years, my father
still felt a dull pain on his lower left rib cage.)
ix
Introduction
So my father’s face turned white, and in panic,

said to the family, “Quick! Let’s pray again! Let’s
pray again!”
“Jesus,” he implored out loud, “come back!”
Personal Encounter
OK, I exaggerated the story to make you laugh.

Here’s what really happened: After my first
ever prayer meeting with my family, I asked, “Dad,
what happened to you?”
He said, “I came to know God personally.”
He paused for a second as if searching for how to
explain himself, and then asked me, “Do you know
Ferdinand Marcos?”
I frowned. “Of course, I know him. He’s the
president of the Philippines.”
Dad shook his head. “Nope, you don’t know
him.”
“Yes, I do! He lives in Malacañang and comes
from Ilocos and his wife’s name is Imelda.”
“If you really know him,” my father smiled,
x
“do you pick up the phone and dial his number

and say, ‘Ferdie, are we playing golf today?’”
I got his point.
He went on, “You don’t know him. You know
about him. And that’s what happened in my faith.
There was a time when I knew about God. Today, I
know Him.”
My life has never been the same since that day.
My Mission and Passion
So growing up as a teen, Jesus became real to

me. He wasn’t just some dusty historical figure. Or
a faraway deity sitting on the throne, oblivious to
what was happening to me.
I came to know Jesus as the God who loved me
perfectly and completely. The God who knew me
through and through, including all my weaknesses,
and still accepted me, treasured me, and celebrated
me. The God who was involved in my daily
struggles, no matter how tiny or trivial they were.
I realize that all the Catholic stuff I did as a kid
xi
Introduction
was a beautiful foundation. And the moment I got

to know Jesus, I began to understand my Catholic
faith. And little by little, I discovered its depths.
So for the past forty years, my mission and
passion has been to invite all Catholics to encounter
this person named Jesus.
Through this book, I invite you to discover
Him, and in the process, discover how beautiful
and amazing your Catholic faith is.
Without Jesus, the Church is a human
organization—nothing else. Its doctrines and its
rituals will never give you life. But because of Jesus,
the Church becomes the living Body of Christ, and
she becomes life-giving.
In this book, I share with you the ten biggest
reasons why I love being Catholic. There are many
more reasons, but for this book, I chose the ones
closest to my heart.
Through this book, may you meet Jesus and
follow Him forever.
xii
10
Reasons
Why I Love
Being
Catholic
1
2
Reason 1
Because of Jesus
“Let your religion be less of a theory
and more of a love affair.”
– G.K. Chesterton, Catholic convert
One day, three guys were convicted of a serious

crime, and all were sentenced to ten years in solitary
confinement.
But they were allowed to bring one thing in
the jail cell with them. The first guy asked for law
books. The second guy asked for dumbbells and
barbells. The third guy asked for a top-of-the-line
laptop—with all the latest software in it.
At the end of the ten years, they opened the first
guy’s jail cell, and he came out saying, “I studied all
these law books. I’m going to be a lawyer.”
They opened the second guy’s jail cell, and he
came out like he was the Hulk. He said, “After body
3
Because of Jesus
building for ten years, I feel awesome!”

They opened the third guy’s jail cell and he
came out very sad and said, “Uh, does anyone have
my laptop charger?”
Without power, his laptop was useless.
This is the story of many people’s experience
with their faith. The Catholic faith is like that high-
end laptop with all the bells and whistles, with
all the latest software already loaded in it. But it’s
useless without power just as a Catholic is useless
without a real and vibrant relationship with Jesus.
Our Catholic faith is totally about Jesus. Unless
you have Jesus in your life, the Mass, the sacraments,
the doctrines, and the saints will mean nothing to
you.
What the Catholic Faith Is All About
For the Catholic faith to mean anything to

you, Jesus must be very real to you. If you study
the lives of the Catholic saints—St. Francis of Assisi
or St. Ignatius of Loyola or St. Therese of Lisieux—
they were all Jesus lovers. (When I talk to an anti-
4
Catholic who tells me that “all Catholics will go to

hell,” I gently tell him, “Please study history more.”)
I cannot make this point strong enough:
• The Church is not just a behavior-
modification movement, teaching people
good moral character (even though people
do change their lives for eternity).
• The Church is not just a social action
movement, helping the poor and all those
living in the periphery of society (even if
this is one hundred percent central and
essential to our faith).
• The Church is not just about performing
obligatory rituals that will gain us a ticket
to heaven.
So what is the Church? It’s a spiritual family

gathering around a Person—and this Person
happens to be the Founder of this Church—and
His name is Jesus. Unless you get that, you won’t
get the Catholic faith. You’ll get the wrapper, the
ribbon, the box, but not the gift.
5
Because of Jesus
Surprise!
Do you know of a Catholic who left the Church

and has become Born Again, or Evangelical, or
Pentecostal, or Protestant?
Sometimes, when I ask ex-Catholics why they
left, I hear them say, “When I was a Catholic, I didn’t
know Jesus. Now, I do. And my life has changed.”
I tell them, “I’m happy that you found Jesus.
Really, really, really happy. It’s the most important
thing in the universe. I encourage you to keep
following Jesus. But I hope you also gain more
knowledge of the Catholic faith, not to return to it,
but so you respect it more. Because Jesus is in the
Catholic Church. In fact, He founded this Church
in 33 A.D. This whole thing is His idea.”
I love Protestants. They’re part of my bigger
faith family. Because they’re Jesus followers. Plus,
I enjoy deep friendships with some of them. Some
of my mentors are Protestant pastors, and they’ve
helped me grow in so many ways.
6
But sadly, a few Protestants don’t think

Catholics are even Christian. They think we’re
pagans.
One day, a total stranger approached me in a
mall and said, “Brother Bo, I watch your videos. You
speak good messages. But I’m so sad that you’re
Catholic. Do you know that you’re not saved?”
I sighed, “Yes, I am saved.” I sighed because
I’ve had these conversations before. I already knew
what he was going to say next. First, he’ll say that
because of our statues, I am an idol worshipper.
Second, that when I pray to Mary and the Saints,
I’m talking to the dead, which is necromancy.
Third, that there is only one mediator between God
and man, and that’s Jesus, not Mary. Fourth, that
my doctrines are all man-made. And fifth, that all
Catholics will burn in hell for all eternity.
True enough, he went down the list. He
covered every single point I mentioned. When he
was done talking, I said, “When you die and go to
heaven, you’ll be very surprised. Because you’ll see
me there.”
7
Because of Jesus
They Remind Us of What We Already Have
Thankfully, not all Protestants are like that

guy.
Most are not anti-Catholic.
As I said, I have many Protestant friends. One
of the great benefits of hanging out with them?
They remind me to rediscover what I already have as a
Catholic.
Here’s what I mean. My next statement may
seem boastful, but this is not my intention. I just
want to state what I believe to be a historical fact:
Because we’re so much older, I believe all the
great stuff in these newer churches came from the
Catholic faith. Scriptures, worship, evangelism,
personal relationship with Jesus—dig deep into
our Catholic history and you’ll find them all there.
Let me give you a crazy analogy.
My son Bene is a musician. He plays a lot of
instruments and he is a songwriter, too. When I see
him writing a worship song, I feel joy in my heart.
Because I was the one who taught him how to play
8
the guitar. He was only seven years old when I

taught him his first chords: D, A, and fake G.
What’s a fake G? His hand was so small, he
couldn’t press all three strings, so I told him to
press just one string.
Not only that, I taught him how to write his
first ever song, “Oh, Cowboy.”
In my lifetime, I’ve written only fifty-plus
worship songs. But when I watch him write his
music, I get inspired to pick up my guitar and write
a song again. That’s exactly what happens when I
see my Protestant friends so passionate for Jesus.
They inspire me to love Jesus more.
They remind me of our core.
• Born Again Christians remind me to center
my life on my relationship with Jesus.
• Baptists remind me to love and study the
Bible more.
• Pentecostals remind me to depend more on
the power of the Holy Spirit, to open myself
to miracles.
• Evangelicals remind me to burn with passion
to bring more people closer to Jesus.
9
Because of Jesus
Because all of these elements are within the

Catholic Church.
Crazy Analogy
But let’s change the scenario.

Imagine if one day, Bene comes up to me and
says, “Dad, do you know what a guitar is?”
I’d be stunned. I’d ask, “What are you talking
about?”
He continues, “Dad, a guitar is a musical
instrument that creates music. Pluck these strings
and you create various sounds. Can I teach you
a few basic chords? D, A, G. . . And Dad, if the G
chord is a bit too difficult, I’ll teach you to make a
fake G.”
I’d feel very insulted. I tell him, “Son, I was
the one who taught you how to play the guitar! Of
course, I know what a guitar is! And I was the one
who taught your first chords too!”
I know my fictional scenario is crazy, but that’s
what Catholics (who take their faith seriously) feel
10
when a Protestant starts looking down at us like we

are pagans.
If someone comes up to you and asks, “Are you
saved?” you can answer, “Yes, I am saved. I believe
what you believe—that I’m saved by the grace of
the Cross; that my good works don’t buy God’s
love; that my entire life is simply an expression of
gratitude for what He has already done in me.”
Learn from One Another
One day, I watched Bene play the guitar and I

realized he now plays better than I do. And I’m not
threatened by that. In fact, I love it.
That’s exactly what happens when I chat with
my Protestant friends. I learn from them. About
how they love the Bible or how committed they
are to evangelism. Many times, they’re better than
Catholics in this or that area—and I’m inspired.
They make me want to be better.
But it’s also important that Protestants learn
the Church history, so they can respect Catholics
and learn from us too. And I see that happen.
11
Because of Jesus
My leaders and I regularly join various pastors

conferences. Once, we attended an event in the
U.S., and I remember we were the only Catholics
among over two thousand Protestant pastors. It
was exciting to learn from them about how to make
disciples.
And it was also refreshing to speak with
Protestant pastors who had a huge respect for
our Catholic faith. We had the most amazing
conversations. They shared to me how this or
that Catholic element was helping them grow
spiritually.
One said, “St. Francis of Assisi has changed
my life.” Another said, “We’re working with a
Catholic priest.” Another pastor told me how the
Lectio Divina is deepening his prayer life. He said
he’s been reading the works of St. John of the Cross
and St. Teresa of Avila and being blessed by them.
Real Ecumenism
Unity is possible between Christians. I’ve

experienced it firsthand and it’s such a beautiful
12
thing because we all love Jesus. And He is the

reason why we can work for unity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church itself says,
“The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is
a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit” (n. 820).
The word “Catholic” means “universal” or
“all embracing.” We want to embrace everyone
who follows Jesus as part of our larger family.
My belief? God will use all Churches—
Catholic and Protestants—to build His Kingdom in
this world. The world is desperate for His love.
How foolish we are to compete! More than
ever, I believe God wants us to collaborate and
share His love together.
13
14
Reason 2
Because of Our Roots

“The Church’s roots are in the teaching of the Apostles.”
– Pope Francis
Rick Warren is the pastor of the megachurch

Saddleback Church and author of the
bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life. In an
interview he made in 2016, he shocked a lot of
people (including me) when he said he watches
EWTN more than any other Christian channel.
EWTN is a Catholic channel that broadcasts daily
Mass, rosaries, and other Catholic prayers. One of
those prayers featured regularly in that channel is
the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, and Rick said he
and his wife love praying that prayer frequently.
Asked why a Protestant pastor like himself
watches a Catholic channel, Rick Warren said,
15
“Because you have more shows that relate to

history. And if you don’t understand the roots
of our faith, that God has been working for two
thousand years—if you don’t have those roots,
you’re like the cut flower syndrome or a tumble
weed.”
I couldn’t have said it better. The second
reason why I love being Catholic is because of our
historical roots.
Our Catholic Faith Is 2,000 Years Old
Cardinal John Henry Newman, a former

Anglican priest who became Catholic, said, “To be
deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.”
What did he mean by that?
If you study Church history, especially early
Church history and the Church Fathers like Ignatius
of Antioch (110 A.D.) who was the disciple of
Apostle John, Clement of Rome (97 A.D.), Polycarp
(155 A.D.), Irenaeus (202 A.D.), and Cyprian (258
16
A.D.), you’ll realize that early Church was already

Catholic.
In the first three hundred years of Christianity,
the Church Fathers believed in what we Catholics
believe today:
• That God revealed Himself through Sacred
Scripture and Sacred Tradition, not just
Scripture alone.
• That the bread and wine at Mass is the flesh
and blood of Jesus, not just symbols.
• That we can pray to Mary and the Saints for
intercession.
• That purgatory is real.
• That we follow the Pope.
• And many more.
Of Course, You Can Reject These Gifts
When I was a teenager, I was invited to preach

in a school. After I spoke and had gone down the
stage, I said my goodbyes. That’s when the owner
17
of the school thanked me and said, “Bo, how will

you go home?”
I said, “I’m fine, don’t think about me.”
She said, “We have a car for you. My driver
will bring you home.”
I said, “No problem, I don’t want to bother
anyone.”
It went on for a minute, this tug-o-war between
us—she insisting and I refusing.
Finally, she relented and said, “OK, it’s up to
you. Here, at least bring a sandwich and juice.”
The truth was that I was ashamed to use her
car. And I felt unworthy to be driven in a car with
a chauffeur. (This was during that season of my
life when I wanted to be literally like St. Francis. I
wanted to be free from materialism, so I wore the
ugliest clothes. And because I considered it vanity,
I didn’t use deodorant, which, as you can imagine,
caused my friends untold suffering.)
So there I was, holding this brown bag with a
tuna sandwich, standing on the sidewalk, waiting
for the bus. And then it began to rain. Hard. And I got
18
totally soaked. You can picture in your mind what

happened to that brown bag. My tuna sandwich
became tuna soup. After an hour of waiting under
the rain, I finally got a bus, but it was so full, I had
to stand most of the way.
So there I was, wet, hungry, and tired, standing
in the middle of an ordinary bus without aircon,
telling myself, “Jeepers, if I said yes to her offer, I’d
be sitting in an air-conditioned car with a chauffeur,
munching on my tuna sandwich!”
My dear Catholic friend, inside your faith are
His amazing gifts—treasures beyond your wildest
dreams. We don’t receive them, most often because
of ignorance. We don’t understand them. At other
times, because we think we don’t need it and insist
our own way. Too bad. He’s offering these gifts to
us, ready for the taking.
There Are Catholic Converts
In the first chapter, I said there are many

Catholics who are leaving the Church to find Jesus.
19
That means we’re doing a poor job in introducing

people to a vibrant relationship with Jesus and
helping them become 24/7 disciples.
But here’s something I found fascinating.
You may not know about it. If there are Catholics
becoming Protestant to find Jesus, there are also
Protestants becoming Catholic to deepen their love
for Jesus.
Some of these are Protestant Bible scholars and
pastors. And these Catholic converts now love the
Catholic faith with a passion. They know the Bible
so much, they bring into the Church an incredible
perspective.
Here’s a small sampling of Protestant leaders
who have become Catholic. (Once again, let me be
clear that I don’t mention these stories to convert
Protestants to become Catholics. That’s not my
goal. God has called me to re-evangelize Catholics.
Why do I share these stories? To show that Catholic
faith is reasonable. That even if a Protestant disagrees
with it, it still deserves respect.)
20
Francis Beckwith was the president of the

Evangelical Theological Society—an association
of over four thousand Protestant theologians.
You cannot be a member of this Society without a
Master’s degree in Theology. Francis Beckwith was
the president with a Doctor of Philosophy degree
from Fordham University. In 2007, he sent shock
waves to his friends when he announced that he
was becoming Catholic.
Dr. Scott Hahn was a Presbyterian minister
and one of the most brilliant guys I’ve ever heard
or read. (I’m not exaggerating when I say this:
When I listen to him preach, I must listen to his
talk three times before I can understand anything.)
Scott Hahn was a professor in his seminary, and
for many years, he was anti-Catholic. He criticized
Catholic doctrines. But as he kept studying the Bible
in the original Greek and Hebrew, his mind began
to open up to the Catholic faith. It was his study of
the Bible that convinced him that he should become
Catholic. I recommend that you read his life story
in Rome Sweet Home.
21
Ulf Eckman was another megachurch pastor

in Sweden. He was a pastor of pastors, a spiritual
mentor to other megachurch pastors. He also
founded the Word of Life Bible School where
nine thousand ministers and missionaries have
graduated and have been sent all over the world,
especially planting many evangelical churches in
Eastern Europe. Yet in 2014, he stunned everyone
by saying that he and his wife were converting
to the Catholic Church. Ulf also said that the best
book he has ever read is the Catechism of the Catholic
Church. (Gee. Have you ever read that book?)
The Problem with Cradle Catholics
I’m not a convert. I’m a cradle Catholic. My

parents taught me to make the sign of the cross
two minutes after I was born. (OK, that’s an
exaggeration. But close.)
My mother taught me to pray to Mary before
I could speak. I was kinda confused whether Mary
22
was my mother or my elder sister. Because I kept

singing, “Ate, Ate, Ate Maria.” (And no one was
correcting me that it should be “Ave” because it
sounded cute.)
As a family, we prayed the rosary every night.
We didn’t pray it very well though. We were always
distracted. I can imagine Mama Mary listening to
us, and shocked when my mother prayed, “Hail
Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, Indaaaay,
nasusunog na ‘yung sinaing! (The rice is getting
burnt!) Blessed are you among women….”
I’m grateful I was born Catholic. Learning
how to pray and going to church as a family laid
the foundation for my renewed faith today.
But we, cradle Catholics, have a problem: We
take our faith for granted.
Let me give you an analogy.
If I tell my staff, “You’re going with me to
Bangkok,” they’ll do a triple somersault and sing
the complete rendition of the Hallelujah chorus.
But if I tell my son Bene, “You’re going with
me to Bangkok,” he’ll say, “Awww, travel again?
23
Dad, our youth ministry has so many activities

coming up.”
That’s because ever since he was a baby, he’s
been traveling with me. He can’t even remember all
the countries he’s been to. So, he doesn’t see how
special it is.
I think that’s the case with cradle Catholics.
We’ve taken for granted what we were born with.
So, when I hear a Catholic convert talk—with great
passion—about the Eucharist, or about confession,
or about the saints, I get awed.
I take a second look at what he’s oohing
and aahing about, and I say, “Yeah, you’re right!
Goodness, why didn’t I see that before? That thing
has been in my life all along. Wow!”
Which brings me to the third reason why I
love being Catholic.
24
Reason 3
Because of the Signs

of God’s Love:
Sacramentals
“Everything we see in a Catholic Church
is there for one purpose: to tell a love story.”
– Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
How does God reveal Himself to us?

Let’s do four experiments.
If there’s someone beside you right now, tell
that person, “You’re special.”
Easy, right?
The second is a bit more difficult but
manageable. Without using any words, just by your
actions, tell the person beside you, “You’re special.”
25
Because of the Signs of God’s Love: Sacramentals
Done? The third is not easy. Without using

words and actions, just by your facial expression,
tell the person beside you, “You’re special.”
Isn’t that fun?
Finally, the most difficult experiment of all.
Without using words and actions, and even facial
expression—tell the person beside you, “You’re
special.”
Unless you’re Professor X (I’m a Marvel fan)
who can speak through telepathy, the fourth task
is impossible.
Here’s the truth: We communicate through
signs only. We communicate through symbols. Our
words, our gestures, and our facial expressions—
they’re all signs and symbols. And we cannot
communicate without them. Why? Because we’re
embodied creatures of this physical universe.
We’re Dependent on Signs
Your words are nothing but signs and symbols.
26
The word mango is not the fruit. The word

mango is just a word, but the word points to the
fruit.
Your clothes are signs. They express who
you are. This reminds me of a little girl who was
attending a wedding. She asked her mother,
“Mommy, why is the bride wearing white?” The
mother said, “Oh, because the wedding is the
happiest day of her life.” The little girl nodded. She
then asked, “Mommy, why is the groom wearing
black?”
Your Name Is a Sign
Bo is not really me.

Bo is just a sign that points to me. (By the
way, let me give you very important, life-and-
death information: my name in French means
“handsome.” Yes, some signs are more accurate
than others.)
But what if I’m in school wearing an ID with
27
my name on it, and someone with a thick pen grabs

it, and vandalizes my name by writing “ody” after
B and “dor” after O? Would I feel insulted?
If the vandalizer tells me, “But Bo, why be
insulted? That’s not you, that’s just your name,”
he’s missing the point.
Yes, that’s my name, but my name represents
me in a very deep way. That’s why one of the Ten
Commandments is “You shall not take the name of
God in vain.”
Money Is a Sign
Let me give you one powerful sign that we

hold every day. Just in case you have one, please
pull out one thousand pesos from your wallet.
Hold it in front of you. Technically, it’s just a
thin piece of paper—2.5 inches by 6 inches. It might
even be crumpled and dirty. (If you don’t like it,
you can always give it to me.)
Yes, it’s a piece of paper, but you don’t just
28
give it away because it’s a sign. And because I’m a

financial teacher too, I can’t waste this opportunity
to tell you that if you invest one thousand pesos in
the stock market, it will be worth one billion pesos
one day. You might have to wait 122 years, though.
But still.
Other Signs
A flag is just a piece of colored cloth. But it’s

a sign representing our passionate love for our
nation. That’s why in real life, soldiers shed their
blood for this piece of cloth. They’ll carry it through
a battlefield and guard it with their life. You can’t
step on a flag and say, “It’s just a piece of cloth,”
because the flag represents something very deep.
A wedding ring is not just a thick wire made of
metal on your finger. It’s a sign filled with emotion.
That’s why if I don’t wear it, my wife will declare
World War III. To her, that ring on my finger means
powerful stuff like faithfulness, purity, eternity.
29
Once upon a time, I didn’t know that fresh

roses were special. So when I was courting her, the
first rose I ever gave Marowe was a plastic one. (On
that day, she probably saw me with a big letter L on
my forehead.) Later on, I realized why women want
real roses—because real roses are signs of real love.
And because real roses wilt, the guy is supposed to
give fresh flowers every day, the same way that he
is supposed to give fresh love every day.
The First Sign
Here’s my point: If you’re a human being,

you cannot live in this world without using signs.
You cannot talk to anyone, you cannot buy or sell
anything, you cannot even get married. And guess
what? You can’t even relate to God.
Actually, because we’re human beings limited
by our five senses, God has to use signs to speak to us.
Example? “The heavens declare the glory of
God” (Psalms 19:1, KJV). The entire universe is a
30
sign from God. Every sunrise, every mountain,

every star, every tree, every leaf in every tree is a
sign of His love for you.
When was the last time you were surrounded
by nature? One of the favorite things I love to do
is to sit on the beach, or climb a hill. When I’m
surrounded by nature, I feel like I’m transported
to heaven. In fact, I don’t have to go up a mountain
or go to a beach to experience this. All I have to do
is go to my backyard, remove my shoes, step on
the grass, close my eyes, feel the sunlight touch my
face, and feel the wind caress my skin. Instantly, I
feel very close to God.
Physical Signs in the Bible
If you open your eyes throughout the Bible,

God uses physical signs to communicate His
presence and power to us.
Here are just a few samples:
• The staff of Moses that divided the Red Sea
31
in two (Exodus 4:4) was a sign.

• The burning bush that appeared in Mt.
Sinai (Exodus 3:2) was a sign.
• The snake on a pole (Numbers 21:8) was a
sign.
• The mantle of Elijah (2 Kings 2:8) was a
sign.
• The remains of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21) was a
sign.
• The handkerchief of Peter (Acts 19:12) that
healed people was a sign.
• The ark of the covenant that contained
the Ten Commandments, the mercy seat,
and the two angels as the backrest of the
mercy seat (Exodus 25:10ff) was the most
important sign in the Old Testament.
Signs of Our Faith
Religion is overflowing with signs and

symbols. Because all religions try to express the
32
unexpressable and explain the unexplainable, religion

will always use signs.
Usually, the older the religion, the more signs
they use because signs develop through history.
The Catholic faith is two thousand years old.
We use lots of physical signs. All of them have rich,
deep, profound meaning. Such as? I love making
the sign of the cross because I’m a follower of
Jesus. The same manner with the bread and wine
of the Mass, because Jesus commanded me to do it
in memory of Him. And the rosary because I love
meditating on the life of Jesus. And statues because
they symbolize my faith. And saints because they’re
my models.
Anti-Catholics criticize us because we use
physical signs. Some of these criticisms are valid
because we ourselves have forgotten the meaning
behind these signs. For example, I heard about
this thief who wears his scapular before he robs
people’s houses so bullets won’t affect him. These
physical signs aren’t amulets. All of these—statues,
33
scapulars, rosaries—are there for one purpose: to

remind us to follow Jesus.
Images
Some criticize us because we have statues.

They quote Exodus 20:4, “You shall not make for
yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on earth beneath or in the waters below.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them.”
At face value, it does seem to say that Catholics
are idolaters.
But if you read the Bible more, God Himself
asked Israel to make their own graven images:
“You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them
of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy
seat” (Exodus 25:18). The mercy seat was on the
ark of the covenant—the most sacred object for the
Jews. Yes, there were two angels on it.
That was not all. God also asked Moses to
make another image: “Then the Lord said to Moses,
34
‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and

it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten,
when he looks at it, he will live’” (Numbers 21:8).
One more example. In the temple, the Bible
says that “the height of one cherub was ten cubits,
and so was it of the other cherub” (1 Kings 6:26).
Ten cubits means fifteen feet tall statues!
So there’s a gigantic difference between these
Judaic images versus pagan idols. If you lived
during biblical times, you’d immediately know the
difference.
The command against idolatry was written
four thousand years ago, so obviously they’re not
about Catholic images like the Sacred Heart of Jesus
or Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This command is
against Amon (chief god of Eyptians), and Asherah
(god of Canaanites), Ashtoreth (god of war and
fertility), Baal (god of Phoenicians), Baal-Zebub
(god of the Philistines), Bel (god of Babylonians),
Chemosh (god of Moabies), and Molech (god of
Ammonites).
35
Let me describe Molech, the main idol of

Canaan to you. He’s a fat idol made of thick metal.
His arms are outstretched and has a huge stomach
that acts as a furnace. They fire him up until the
whole thing is red hot. Once it is red hot, they
throw their babies on the arms of this idol as human
sacrifice. The baby burns alive.
This was the kind of pagan practices that
surrounded the Israelites.
So the idols that Exodus and Deuteronomy
were referring to were Molech and Baal and other
pagan idols that had human sacrifices and even had
temple prostitutes and sexual orgies as religious
celebrations. They weren’t talking about the statue
of the Divine Mercy or St. Francis of Assisi.
Respect
Our need to touch and see something or

someone is very human. Sometimes, when I travel
away from my wife and kids, I place their photo
36
on my bedside. Before sleeping, I touch the photo.

When I do that, no one accuses me of idolatry.
They’re simply physical signs.
Let’s say a guy visits my house. There, he sees
a nice photograph of my late mother on the wall.
He asks, “Can I take a closer look?” I agree, and he
takes down the picture frame, removes the photo
from the glass, and all of a sudden, he spits on the
photo.
I’m taken aback. I shout, “Why did you do
that? That’s my mother!”
This guy answers, “No, this is not your mother.
This is just a piece of paper.”
I shout, “No, that’s my mother!”
Now tell me. Who’s telling the truth?
That picture of my mother is just a sign of
my mother. So yes, it isn’t my mother. But some
signs have an indelible connection with what it
symbolizes. In fact, if someone points to the photo
and asks me, “Who’s that?” I’d answer, “That’s my
mother.”
37
Excesses
Yes, there are excesses that we need to correct.

One day, an elderly woman was suffering
from arthritis on her knees. Every week, she’d go to
church, rub the statue of St. Michael the Archangel
with her hanky and then rub the hanky on her
knees. But as the weeks went by, her arthritis only
got worse.
One day, she met the parish priest and asked
him, “Father, I rub the statue of St. Michael the
Archangel for the healing of my knees, but I’m
getting worse.”
The priest looked at her and immediately,
he knew why. He said, “Next time, please ask
someone to rub the statue for you. Because you’re
small, you only are able to rub the red fellow below
St. Michael.”
OK, that’s a joke.
But this one isn’t: At my home, I have a statue
of a sleeping St. Joseph. We strategically positioned
38
it at the foot of our stairs. Whenever I go up or

down in our house, I do a thirty-second prayer
pause while touching his feet.
Of course, I’m not praying to the statue. I’m
praying to God. But I’m using it as a gesture of faith.
For a few seconds, this simple symbol spiritually
connects me with my heavenly family, the army
of saints who have gone before us, to pray for my
earthly family.
This sign brings me closer to Jesus.
Sign of the Cross
I was having lunch with a pastor of a Born

Again church. When I made the sign of the cross to
pray for the meal, I noticed he too made the sign of
the cross. I was surprised. I asked him, “Why did
you make the sign of the cross?”
He said, “Once upon a time, I thought that
everything you Catholics did was bad. But after
many years, I matured. I realized your sign of the
39
cross is beautiful. Because the cross is the center of

our faith.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Can I teach you how to even be more blessed
by the sign of the cross?
When you make the sign of the cross, you’re
declaring, “I’m placing my entire life under the
grace of the cross.”
When you say, “In the name of the Father, of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” you’re saying, “I’m
part of this divine family.”
When you touch your forehead, you’re
blessing your mind. When you touch your gut,
you’re blessing your soul. When you touch your
shoulders, you’re blessing your whole life.
Signs are powerful.
Especially those that are called sacraments…
40
Reason 4
Because of the Signs

of God’s Love:
Sacraments
“Protestants believe that the sacraments are like ladders
that God gave to us by which we can climb up to Him.
Catholics believe that they are like ladders that God
gave to Himself by which He climbs down to us.”
– Peter Kreeft, Catholic convert
So far, all the religious signs I’ve described in the last

chapter are what you call sacramentals. Examples
of sacramentals are the sign of the cross, holy water,
holy oil, religious statues, the rosary, the way of the
41
Because of the Signs of God’s Love: Sacraments
cross, the scapular, the novena, miraculous medal,

and relics of the saints. Even The Feast, our weekly
prayer meeting, is a sacramental.
But there are seven heavyweight signs
called sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Mass,
confession (reconciliation), anointing of the sick
(formerly called extreme unction), marriage, and
priestly ordination.
What’s the difference between sacramentals
and sacraments? Sacramentals are instituted by the
Church; sacraments are instituted by Christ.
We Cannot Live without Signs
Some Christians did away with our

sacraments.
But because they’re still human beings,
physical signs are still necessary for their faith
expression. So what did they do? They had to
invent them.
For example, they have sacramentalized certain
42
practices of their faith. The altar call—where people

come forward and signify their newfound faith—is
sacramentalized. They did away with the Eucharist
but insist on spiritual communion—and they use
other words like, “I accept Jesus as my personal
Lord and Savior.” They have sacramentalized the
sinners’ prayer too.
St. Augustine said, “There can be no religious
society, whether the religion be true or false,
without some sacrament or visible symbol to serve
as a bond of union.”
The Sacraments Are God’s Idea
What do we need to do? We need to touch His

signs with faith. Because when you touch His signs,
you touch His Spirit.
Let me tell you a fictional story.
Imagine that one day, an uncle of yours, who
is the comedian of the family because he looks like
Mr. Bean, mails you a letter.
43
When you open the envelop, out falls a check

of a million pesos.
You laugh and say, “Ha, my Uncle Bean is a
real joker!” Aside from the fact that he’s a clown,
he is also a simple clerk in a department store and
he would never be able to give a check like that. So
you keep the check in your cabinet as a memento.
Forty years later, you’re lying on your death
bed, and everyone in the family has accepted that
your end is near. Your kids are going through your
photos and other memorabilia when your youngest
daughter sees this check.
She brings it to you and with great alarm,
asks you, “Papa, why didn’t you encash this check
written forty years ago?”
You smile and say, “That’s from my Uncle
Bean who is the clown of our family. It’s just a joke.”
But your kids aren’t laughing. Your daughter,
who got the check to take a closer look, says, “But Papa,
didn’t you read the little note inside the envelope?”
You shake your head and say, “Was there a note
44
inside the envelope? All I remember was the check.”

Your daughter says, “The note is informing
you that you won a raffle in SM, and the prize was a
million pesos. Your Uncle Bean, who works in SM,
got your prize and mailed it to you. Look, Papa,
your uncle sent you the check, but the check didn’t
come from him. The check was signed by Henry
Sy.”
I shared with you that fictional story because
the signs of the Church are like checks that need to
be encashed and graces that need to be received.
Many don’t enjoy the sacraments or benefit
from them because we think they’re made by some
poor uncle—priests that are fallible, fallen, and
feeble.
But the check didn’t come from the priests.
The check was signed by Jesus. And, mind you, He
didn’t use ink. He signed the check with His blood.
Because the sacraments are His idea. The reason you’re
not being blessed by these sacraments is you think
they’re just old-fashioned practices. They’re not.
45
Sacraments are pregnant with the living God. Because

when you touch His signs, you touch His Spirit.
God Is in the Ordinary
God is not found only in the special. God is

also found in the mundane, regular, common,
ordinary.
I’d like to talk about how you can receive more
grace from God, especially through the sacraments.
The sacraments are all about the free grace found
in Jesus.
In the Bible, a woman who was bleeding for
twelve years went to Jesus, desperate for healing
(see Luke 8:42-48).
I want you to feel the gravity of her condition.
Imagine her walking in a mall and a woman
approaches her and says, “Miss, you have a stain. It
must be your period. Is it your first day?”
She shakes her head, “No, it’s my twelfth
year.”
46
By that time, she’s tried everything. Antibiotics.

Surgery. Acupuncture. Pito-pito.
The Bible says that the crowd surrounding
Jesus was thick. I imagine it to be like riding the
MRT on rush hour. The crowd was so thick, I didn’t
have to walk going into the train. All I had to do
was stand and the crowd carried me into the train.
And then this bleeding woman inserts herself
into the crowd and touches the cloak of Jesus—and
gets healed. She received free grace. She didn’t pay
to be healed.
Touch the Ordinary
The woman didn’t touch Jesus.

She touched the cloak of Jesus.
Note: His very ordinary cloak.
There was nothing special about that cloak. It
wasn’t made of lamb’s skin from Persia or fine silk
from China. It didn’t have encrusted gems weaved
into it. It was an ordinary carpenter’s cloak—
47
probably many years old, probably with many

holes from insect bites, probably faded in color,
probably dusty and muddy in appearance.
There was only one thing special about the
cloak: Jesus was behind the cloak. In the same way,
there is nothing special about the sacraments—
except that Jesus is behind these sacraments.
When the bleeding woman touched that
ordinary, worn-out, faded, working man’s cloak—
power flowed from Jesus into her diseased body
and healed it.
When we touch the ordinary sacraments, I
believe power will flow from Jesus into our body
and soul as well.
The Sacraments Are So Ordinary
What’s so special about baptism? The water?

They don’t use Evian. The priest doesn’t say, “I
baptize you now with expensive water from the
French alps worth P250 per 330 milliliter bottle.”
48
No, they use ordinary tap water. Ordinary oil.

Ordinary candles. Ordinary crying babies, all of them
irritated by the itchy white gowns they’re wearing.
What’s so special about the Mass? The wine?
The priest doesn’t drink Petrus which I heard
is worth $5,000 each. Instead, he uses ordinary
Mompo for a few pesos a pop.
Many of our church buildings are ordinary—
especially if you go to the poorer barrios. The sound
system is ordinary, bought in 1972. No matter what
voice you have, you’ll sound like Donald Duck. The
electric fans are even older, bought during World
War II—because they sound like the propeller of
planes.
The parishoners are ordinary too.
We’re All Ordinary
I remember this priest who was so dedicated

to the ministry. I think he was the only one willing
to serve in the boondocks. He told me how hard it
49
was to celebrate Mass in his tiny parish. Everytime

he does, only three old ladies attend the Mass. And
no one could help him—because one was blind, one
was lame, and one had Alzheimers and kept asking
who he was. When he said, “The Lord is with you,”
she answered, “And who are you?”
He told me, “I have to play all the roles. I’m
the celebrant, the reader, the choir, the collector,
and even the altar boy. For the consecration, I have
to tie the bell on my foot and shake it when I lift up
the host.” (I’m sure he was kidding. I think.)
Even the Priest Is Ordinary
Most of my friends love their parish priests.

And I believe that most priests are fully dedicated
to their mission.
But a few of my friends complain about their
priests—precisely because priests are ordinary.
Someone told me, “My parish priest is always
rushing through his Mass. He just wants to get it
50
over with. I think if it was allowed, he’d raise both

the host and the cup together during consecration:
“This is the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ.”
Another guy complained that his parish priest
is the total opposite. He said, “Bo, my parish priest
is very old. Sometimes during the Mass, he takes
long silent pauses. And we get very scared. We
don’t know if he’s still breathing.”
Yes, the priest is ordinary.
But that’s nothing compared to when moral
issues are involved.
The Sins of the Priests
One friend told me, “Bo, my parish priest has

mixed blood.”
“He’s a foreigner?” I asked.
“Not really. He has mixed blood because he’s
fifty percent Filipino and fifty percent alcohol.”
“Jeepers. Are you sure?”
“Everyone knows he’s drunk when his homily
51
makes no sense. He’ll say something like, ‘The

Gospel of today . . . is not the Gospel of tomorrow.’”
But in the fourth century, St. Augustine
already said, “Those whom a drunkard baptized,
those whom a murderer baptized, those whom an
adulterer baptized, if it was the baptism of Christ,
were baptized by Christ.”
That’s the point of the sacrament. Grace
flows out of the ordinary. Grace flows through
flawed, frail, and fallen human beings and human
ceremonies. Jesus is behind these sacraments: He is
the one celebrating the Mass. He is the one baptizing
the child. He is the one ordaining the priest. He is
the one blessing the wedding. As Scott Hahn says,
“Every sacrament produces its effects by the power
of Christ alone, and not at all by our own labors or
the labors of the priest.”
To see Jesus behind the cloak of the sacraments,
you need the second requirement.
52
Touch the Ordinary with Faith
It takes faith to believe that Jesus is behind

the cloak of the sacraments. How can something
so beautiful and powerful be behind something so
ordinary?
I love this part in the story where Jesus asked,
“Who touched Me?”
The mob around Him was very surprised.
“Jeepers, Jesus, You’re surrounded by 343 persons.
Everyone is touching You!”
The crowd was touching the cloak. But it was
only when the woman touched that cloak that
power flowed out of Him.
Why? There’s a big difference between touching
the cloak and touching the cloak with faith.
There are people who receive communion,
and there are people who receive communion with
faith. There are people who go to confession, and
there are people who go to confession with faith.
53
There are people who make the sign of the cross,

and there are people who make the sign of the cross
with faith.
The first group doesn’t receive grace. The
second group does.
The Key to His Power Is in Your Pocket
And I love the fact that Jesus asked with

surprise in His voice, “Who touched Me?” It was as
though His power was pulled out from Him.
Here’s the crazy truth: God doesn’t hold the
key that unlocks the door of His immense power.
You hold it. He has given to you the key, so that
at any time you can open the storehouse of God’s
power and claim it for your life.
And one of these sacraments holds a central
place in our faith.
54
Reason 5
Because of Our Love

Meal with Sinners
“Since Christ Himself has said, ‘This is My Body,’
who shall dare to doubt that it is His Body?”
– St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 313 A.D.
“The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect,

but medicine for sinners.”
– Pope Francis
One unlikely Catholic convert is Allen Hunt,

a megachurch methodist pastor in Atlanta. Every
Sunday, 15,000 people attended his church.
This guy is brilliant. He is a Bible scholar with
a Ph.D. in the New Testament and Early Church
History from Yale University.
55
Because of Our Love Meal with Sinners
What convinced him to become Catholic?

It so happened that one of his fellow students
in Yale was a Catholic priest. The priest asked Hunt
to lecture in a cloistered monastery of Dominican
nuns.
At the end of the lecture, a nun asked Hunt,
“Why aren’t you part of the Catholic Church?”
He said, “For me, communion is a symbol. A
metaphor.”
She said, “You’re a New Testament scholar,
right? You remember the Gospel about Jesus
gathering His disciples for the Last Supper. . . and
He took the loaf and said this is My body and took
the cup and said this is My blood. What don’t you
understand, Allen?”
Allen was about to speak when the nun said,
“He didn’t say this is like My body. He didn’t say
this is like My blood. He said, ‘This is My body. This
is My blood.’”
The nun continued, “Let’s open to John,
chapter 6, verses 53, 54, 55, and 56 that say, ‘Truly,
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truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the

Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in
you.’ Four times in a row.” She asked again, “What
don’t you understand?”
Hunt continued to read more about the early
Church—those who lived between the first to the
fourth century. He discovered that these early
Christians believed in the real presence of Christ
in the Eucharist. And they believed in it so much,
they were willing to die because they believed it is
literally the Body and Blood of Jesus.
He studied some more. He discovered that
the Eucharist was the center of worship for 1,500
years. He imagined that if one of those early
Christians time-traveled today and attended one
of his services in his church, the man would have
heard good music, good preaching, and met nice
people—but he would say, “When are we going to
Church? There’s no Eucharist. When is Church?”
In 2007, this megachurch pastor converted to
Catholicism. (A few years ago, Allen Hunt wrote
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the book Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How

I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic
Church.)
Many Times, We Don’t Get It
One day, a married couple went out camping.

Both found themselves awake at 3:00 a.m.,
gazing at the stars sparkling in the night sky. The
wife felt extra romantic. She squeezed her husband’s
hand and asked, “Honey, what do you see?”
The man says, “I see stars.”
“And what does that mean?” she asked,
cuddling up to him.
With the modulated tone of a professor’s
voice, he said, “Astronomically, there are one
hundred billion stars in our galaxy alone, the Milky
Way galaxy, representing one hundred billion
solar systems. And even if light travels at 299,792
kilometers per second, the nearest star is 4.3 light
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years away. So what you see now is how the stars

appeared years ago.”
The wife folds her arms and tells him icily,
“That’s not what I meant.”
Her husband frowns. “Uh . . . what did you
mean, honey?”
“Never mind. Good night,” she faces the other
way and goes back to sleep.
Sometimes, we just don’t get it.
And like the husband in the story, we don’t
get the Mass too. There’s a romantic moment there
where God donates Himself to us in great love, and
we miss it. We totally miss it. Because we only see
the ritual, the bread, the wine, the words—but not
the meaning.
A Meal Seals Friendships
What is the connection between eating and

relationships?
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This sociological phenomenon crosses all

cultural and historical boundaries. Whether it be
Chinese, or Egyptian, or Babylonian, or European
or Asian culture, you’ll find one thing in common:
When people want to strengthen a relationship,
they’ll eat together.
It’s our experience that if we eat with someone
over a meal, we break down barriers between
people.
The food somehow brings the diners together.
For example, in ancient Hebrew culture, a meal
goes beyond biological feeding. Meals were used
to seal friendships. Business deals are sealed with a
meal—because they want to depart as friends, not
just business partners.
If I invite you to a meal, I’m declaring to the
world that you’re my friend.
That was why when Jesus ate with tax collectors
and prostitutes, it was a terrible scandal—because
He was declaring to the world that He was their
friend.
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That was why when Jesus hollered to chief

tax collector Zacchaeus to come down from the
sycamore tree because he would eat in his home, it
was an outrage.
That was why when Judas broke faith with
Jesus right after the Last Supper, it was a grievous
betrayal between two friends.
That is why the Bible says, “Behold, I stand at
the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with
him, and he with Me” (Revelations 3:20, ESV).
And His meal ministry doesn’t stop, because
heaven is the eternal banquet.
What Is Communion?
Communion is a marriage proposal.

At every Mass, God is saying, “I love you. I
want you to be totally one with Me.”
Every Mass is a date with your Lover.
Every Mass is a family reunion.
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Every Mass is a party. Every Mass is designed

to deepen your relationship with God.
At Mass, He is sealing His friendship with
you.
But He doesn’t do it with an ordinary meal.
He does it in such a dramatic way because the
meal is Himself. That’s why any human analogy of
the Mass will not be enough.
I Tried to Explain the Mass to a Twelve-Year-Old
One day, a nun is teaching a kindergarten

class.
She asks the kids, “Can anyone tell me why
we should be quiet in church?”
The kids look at each other, wondering what
is the right answer. Finally, the brightest girl in the
class raises her hand.
The nun smiles and says, “Yes, Sandy. Tell the
whole class why little children should be quiet at
Mass.”
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Little Sandy says, “Because people at Mass are

sleeping?”
This story reminds me of the day I was
attending Mass with a twelve-year-old. From
the corner of my eye, I saw him dozing, his head
bobbing.
Looking around me, I saw at least six other
persons sleeping. OK, perhaps I could have been
mistaken. Perhaps they were meditating the deep
mysteries of the Trinity.
After Mass, my young friend was so thankful
it was over. That was when he asked me a big
question—a question I’m glad he asked: “Brother
Bo, who invented the Mass anyway?”
I said, “God invented the Mass. Jesus
celebrated the first Mass and He said, ‘Do this in
memory of Me’ (see Luke 22:19). So He wants us to
celebrate Mass.”
“But why does it have to be so boring?”
“Because we don’t get it. We don’t realize
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that the Mass is a Teleporter, a Time Machine, and a

Transformer.”
“What?” His eyes were as large as saucers.
1. Teleporter
In the movie Star Trek, Captain Kirk says,

“Beam me up, Scotty.”
And from whatever planet he is in, he is back
in his spaceship in a blink of an eye.
How does he do it? It’s called teleportation.
Nightcrawler, one of the X-Men, can teleport.
Loki, likewise, can teleport from Asgard to Earth.
Too bad, that is all fiction. Yet fiction is great
because it expresses our innermost desires, our
deepest aspirations.
But there is real teleportation in the real
world. It’s called prayer. Prayer is the only real
teleportation in existence. Hebrews 4:16 says,
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with
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confidence.” And at Mass, this teleportation is even

more special, because it’s God’s command: “Do
this in memory of Me.” That’s why in the Mass, we
pray, “Now with angels and archangels, and the
whole company of heaven, we sing the unending
hymn of Your praise . . . Holy, Holy, Holy . . . .”
Scott Hahn says when you attend Mass, the
eyes of your faith shouldn’t anymore see the ceiling
of the building. The eyes of your faith should see
the ceiling opening up. You should see the clouds
dividing, like two curtains pulled apart to expose
a grand stage, and you should see an explosion
of brilliant light—and then, you should see God
seated on His throne, surrounded by millions of
saints and angels.
2. Time Machine
Remember the movie Back to the Future?

Hollywood is fascinated by time travel.
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Believe it or not, the Mass is the real time

machine.
When Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me,”
He wasn’t just talking about a mere remembering
of what happened before, like flipping through a
photo album or walking through a museum.
When you’re at Mass, and the host and cup
are being raised in consecration, spiritually, you’re
brought back in time two thousand years ago—
when Jesus, as a human being, gave Himself to you.
In the Mystery of the Mass, the past becomes present.
You’re transported back into that event, time, and
place.
Here’s what it means: At every Mass, the altar
table becomes Golgotha, the broken host becomes
His broken Body, the poured out wine becomes His
Blood gushing from His wounds.
So why does God choose to become a tiny
biscuit? Why does God choose to become so
helpless? So powerless? To remind you of what
He did on the Cross. The helpless, powerless Criminal
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hanging on Calvary is the same helpless, powerless wafer

melting on your tongue.
3. Transformer
One day, a family from the barrio—a couple

and their little boy—visited a mall for the very first
time in their life. What a shock it was for them. Upon
entering, the wife ran off by herself, overwhelmed
by the shops.
The father and son walked more cautiously.
In the middle of the mall, they saw something
mysterious to them: two shiny, silver doors that
moved apart and back together. Above, there was
a blinking light.
The boy asked his father, “What is that, Papa?”
“Some type of machine. I don’t really know
what it is, son,” he answered. “Let’s just see what
will happen.”
As they spoke, an old woman walked through
the shiny doors. Before the doors closed, the old
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woman turned around and faced them. They were

able to see her tired, wrinkled face, the gnarled
hands holding her cane. She smiled at them,
revealing a few missing teeth. And then the doors
shut.
Above the doors, the light blinked a number of
times. And when the doors opened, lo and behold,
out came a sexy, young, beautiful woman. Their
jaws dropped in total shock.
After a few moments, the father grabbed his
boy’s shoulder and said, “Quick! Go find your
mother!”
That’s what you call a transformer. Obviously,
there’s no such thing. Or is there?
The Mass Should Change You Because . . .
Friend, the Mass should be a transformer. It

should change lives. Why? Because the essence of
Mass is God’s love. And love is the only thing that
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can change us. Nothing else can do that miracle. At

its core, the Mass is really a love meal for sinners.
When the father embraced his swine-smelling
prodigal son and told his servants to kill the fattened
calf so they could have a feast for him, that was an
early picture of the Mass.
I repeat: The Mass, at its essence, is a love meal
for sinners.
Sometimes, people think that the Mass is for
holy people. No, it isn’t. If it were, then there will
be no priest holy enough to celebrate the Mass.
Holiness cannot change anyone. Only love can! The
Mass is for sinners. My friend Arun Gogna says it
this way: “Jesus is giving His broken Body for His
broken people.” So tell me: If you receive the Mass
as God’s love, how can you not change?
The Kiss of God
We believe that the Eucharist is your highest

point of union with God on earth. Sacramentally,
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it’s the closest we can ever get to God here on planet

Earth.
The Eucharist is the kiss of God.
The Eucharist is the most eloquent expression
of His affection for you.
The Eucharist is God’s sweetest serenade.
The Eucharist is His warmest embrace.
The Eucharist is to be ravished by God.
Tell me: How can you not change?
Literal Meaning
What is the host?

A piece of wafer, made of flour and water, cut
and shaped into one-inch-diameter circles, baked
for thirty minutes at 350 degrees in massive ovens,
and then placed in plastic containers, sold in the
shelves of religious stores.
Approximate price for each wafer? Ten
centavos. Be honest with me. If you see a ten-
centavo coin on the sidewalk, would you actually
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stop, bend over, and pick it up? I don’t think so.

That wafer, financially, is worth nothing.
But that ten-centavo wafer becomes the Flesh
and Blood of Jesus—Alpha and Omega, the First
and Last, the Beginning and the End. It becomes
the Author of Life, the Lion of Judah, the Bright Star
of the Morning, the Lamb of God, the King of kings
and Lord of lords.
Why do I believe this? The Bible says
so. Protestants claim to believe in the literal
interpretation of the Bible. Except for this verse. In
this passage, it’s the Catholics who believe in the
literal interpretation of the Word when Jesus said,
“This is My Body, this is My Blood.” We believe the
Eucharist is not a symbol of Jesus.
It is Jesus.
No Apologies
When Jesus spoke about people eating His

Body, the Bible says the crowds left in droves (see
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John 6:22-59). Why? Because Jews thought Jesus

was talking about cannibalism.
Think with me: If the bread were merely
a “symbol” of Christ’s Body, it wouldn’t have
caused an outrage. When the crowds were leaving,
Jesus could have said, “Wait a minute! You’ve
misunderstood Me. What I was trying to say was
the bread symbolized My Body.”
But He didn’t do that.
And for the first one thousand years of Church
history, no one questioned the True Presence of
Jesus in the Eucharist.
If God Can Change Bread into His Body . . .
Did you know?

There was a time when the bread offered at
Mass was baked by the parishioners, and the wine
was pressed and bottled by the churchgoers.
Imagine a family where the father buys the
flour, the mother pours it onto a pan, the kids knead
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it together and put it in the oven. And they wrap it

in brown paper, bring it to church, and present it to
the priest at the altar.
In a very tangible sense, it was really the
offering of their lives.
It wasn’t just bread. It was their bread. The
ingredients weren’t just flour and water—but their
hands, their effort, their time, their laughter, their
stories, their love.
Their life has been baked into the bread.
We don’t have that sense of offering the bread
anymore today, because the wafers were bought
from a store.
But at least, think of it in that way. Remember
that the bread was originally our offering to God.
It symbolized our ordinary lives, including our
weaknesses.
But in a blink of an eye, that bread becomes
Jesus.
Through the Mass, Jesus is telling me that my
ordinary life—like that bread—can become holy
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and beautiful and glorious, too.

Here’s the message of the Mass: If God can
change ordinary bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of Jesus, He too can change your ordinary life into the
image and likeness of Jesus.
That is why the Mass is the essence of the
entire Gospel.
The Mass is saying, “Jesus will transform your
life.”
And that, my friends, is the greatest miracle in
the world.
You Know You Went to Mass If . . .
One day, someone asked me, “Bo, I don’t

know whether or not I went to Mass this morning.”
What a strange question. I asked, “Why?”
“Because I arrived late. I arrived at the tail end
of the Gospel. And someone told me that if a person
arrives before the Gospel, then his Mass is valid. So
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I don’t know if I went to Mass or not this morning.”

I smiled and answered, “You know you went
to Mass not by how you came but by how you left.
You went to Mass if you left the Mass a little more like
Jesus. Perhaps a little less judgmental. A little less
critical. A little less greedy. A little less selfish.”
Friend, people in the world are looking for
Jesus. Will you be one?
I remember one of our authors, Fr. Joel Jason,
sharing this question. He asked his congregation,
“What is the most important part of the church?”
A lot of people said altar and pulpit and
tabernacle.
His answer floored them. He said, “The most
important part of the church is the door.”
Why the door? Because in the Mass, God is
saying, “In the same way that you received Jesus,
so now, go through those doors and become Jesus
to the world.”
The word Mass comes from the Latin word
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Missa, which means “to send.” The entire meaning

of the Mass is to be commissioned, anointed,
knighted.
A Deeper Meaning of “Do This . . .”
Let me tell you the deeper meaning of Jesus’

words, “Do this in memory of Me.”
He wasn’t only speaking about repeating the
ritual of the Mass. He was speaking about repeating
the love of the Mass.
“Do this in memory of Me” means:
“I gave My life to you. Do the same.”
“I died for you. Do the same.”
“I sacrificed Myself for love. Do the same.”
“I washed the feet of My disciples. Do the
same.”
“I offered Myself in total love. Do the same.”
The Mass is always a call to die for others, to be

broken bread for those who are hungry and drink
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for those who are thirsty. How can you recognize

the presence of Jesus in a piece of bread when you
cannot recognize His presence in the poor, the sick,
the prisoner, in a difficult person?
You become what you eat.
Eat Jesus. Become Jesus.
Connected with this love meal of sinners is
another sacrament.
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Reason 6
Because of Our Loving

Encounters with Sinners
“The Lord never tires of forgiving.
It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness.”
– Pope Francis
Jesus had a teaching ministry, a healing ministry,

and a deliverance ministry, but one of His most
powerful ministries is His meal ministry. The Last
Supper—the first Mass in the universe—is the
culmination of that meal ministry. He ate with the
prostitutes and tax collectors to tell them they’re
now His family (see Matthew 9:10-12).
This story of Jesus hanging out with sinners
is also the basis of confession, also called the
sacrament of reconciliation. It’s not very popular
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Because of Our Loving Encounters with Sinners
today, but Jesus was the first confessor, and the first
confessional boxes were the house of Matthew and
the house of Zacchaeus and the well of Jacob where
He talked to the Samaritan woman.
Here’s my five-word definition of confession:
Jesus hanging out with sinners.
And here are three reasons why confession is
important.
1. Because God Wants Us To
Some ask me, “Why go to a priest when you

can go to God directly?”
My answer, “We should go to God directly
and ask for His forgiveness. But if we should get
everything directly from God, why have a preacher?
Just read your Bible. Why have pastors? Just get
pastored by God when you pray in your bedroom.”
If God thinks you need preachers and pastors,
I believe He thinks you need confessors too.
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The Catholic faith says you must confess to

God directly.
Every day!
But the Bible also encourages us to go to
another human being and receive the healing that
comes from Someone who loves us despite our
sins: “Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective” (James 5:16, NIV).
Here’s a second reason we don’t think much
about.
2. Because We Need to Reconcile with the

Community
Every sin is a sin against humanity.

Even the most private sin, done in isolation
and darkness, impacts the entire universe.
Because we’re all spiritually connected to one
another, my every thought, word, and deed blesses
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or curses, heals or hurts, unites or divides.

Because of this, there is no such thing as a
private sin. So we need to ask forgiveness from the
community.
That’s where this sacrament comes in. The
priest is not only a representative of Christ; he is
also a representative of the community. By asking
forgiveness in confession, we receive the forgiveness
from both Christ and the Body of Christ.
3. Because We’re Human Beings

Who Need Each Other
Confession isn’t uniquely Catholic.

In 2007, the Lutheran Church’s second largest
branch in America revived the rite of confession,
encouraging their members to confess to a priest,
even if it was ignored for more than a hundred
years.
C.S. Lewis, brilliant author and an Anglican,
regularly practiced confession.
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I also notice that Evangelicals, even if they

won’t accept confession as a sacrament, are
reviving certain parts of it for their church life. They
call it by different names, such as “accountability
relationships,” discipleship, one-on-ones. Some
churches go extreme and practice public confessions
before their congregations.
Why? We’re human beings. We need one
another. We need another person to know us
through and through, in our worst condition, and
still accept us, love us, and give us hope that we can
change.
If another human being can accept us in our
sins, emotionally, it’s easier to believe that God
accepts us despite our failures.
I have experienced this firsthand. For many
years, I had a porn addiction that I couldn’t remove.
I tried everything spiritual—from more prayer to
casting out demons to memorizing a ton of Bible
verses. Nothing worked. What healed me was
regular sacramental confession plus a small group
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of friends who knew my struggle. Regularly, I

would update them of my progress—whether I fell
or whether I overcame. The accountability helped.
But I think, more than that, it was their love that
healed me because at the end of the day, only love
heals.
God’s Embrace
Sadly, some priests don’t get the spirit of

confession. They just stick to the letter of the law.
They forget that the sacrament is rooted in Jesus
hanging out and extending His friendship with
the public sinners of His time—the tax collectors,
drunkards, and prostitutes.
One day, a man came up to me after The
Feast and told me a sad story. He said he went to
confession and the priest screamed at him. The man
felt so bad, he never went to confession or Mass for
years.
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But one day, he had a crisis in his life that forced

him to go back to God. He went to confession again
and relayed why he left the Church. This time, the
priest, who mirrored grace, asked forgiveness in
behalf of the priest who offended him. And the
man sobbed on the priest’s shoulder. Today, that
man has returned to the faith and is serving at The
Feast.
Go to Mass. Go to confession.
God wants to embrace you.
Friend, I don’t know what sin you’ve
committed. I don’t know where you’ve come from.
God is here. He wants to hang out with you—
because you’re family.
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Reason 7
Because of Our
Heavenly Family
“We’re on the field and the stands are packed with the
saints who are constantly rooting us on.”
– Father John Riccardo
What is essential for a car to go from point A to

point B? The entire engine, the wheels, the steering
wheel, the pedals, and the basic metal frame to hold
them together. That’s it.
The air-conditioning? Not essential. Seats?
You could sit on a wooden box. Seat belts? Just hold
on really tight and pray hard. Rearview mirrors
and side mirrors? No need. Just keep turning your
head left and right. Horn? Just shout really loud.
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Because of Our Heavenly Family
All these things are not essential to bring you

from point A to point B. But if I drive a car, I want
all those stuff there. It makes life easier.
That’s like Mary and the saints. I could follow
Jesus without them. But if God is giving them to
me, why not receive them?
Mary can be a rich gift to your relationship
with Jesus.
We just need to discern and reject wrong
beliefs about Mary.
One day, a woman came up to me and asked
me, “Brother Bo, have you prayed to Our Lady of
Fatima? She’s powerful. Years ago, I was praying
to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and it was OK.
But when I switched to Our Lady of Fatima, all my
prayers get answered.”
Gee. Really? That conversation was weird.
Do you want to hear something weirder?
Here’s another weird story I heard from a
homily of a priest. He said one day, Jesus was
standing in front of the gates of heaven, rejecting
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a lot of souls who wanted to go in but were not

just worthy. After rejecting thousands of souls, He
walked into heaven and, to His shock, saw some of
the people He just rejected walking around. Jesus
sighed, shook His head, walked to the back door of
heaven where Mama Mary was letting in the souls
outside. “Quick! Come in, come in.”
It’s a cute story. But it’s totally wrong.
Mary is not more merciful than Jesus.
Whatever love Mary has in her heart comes from
God. Mary reflects God’s love.
Who is Mary?
Mary’s whole purpose is to bring us closer to Jesus.
If, at any time, she draws us away from Jesus, that’s
not Mary. That’s a fake Mary. Mary is the first
disciple of Jesus. And she wants you to become a
disciple of her Son.
In the miracle of Cana, Mary told the servants,
“Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5, GNT). I
believe that’s the entire message of her life. She
wants you to follow Jesus. So that when God
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calls you, you too can say with her, “Behold the
maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according
to your word” (Luke 1:38, NKJV).
Why Pray to Mary and the Saints?
Someone came up to me and said, “Why pray

to Mary? Why pray to the saints? Why not pray
directly to God?”
Answer: You should pray directly to God.
You’re not required to pray to Mary and the
saints. But why did God give us Mary and the
saints? Because when you follow Jesus, He always
brings along His family. This family is found on earth
and in heaven. And Mary and the saints are part of
that big family.
Many Protestants don’t know this, but
Martin Luther, the man who started the Protestant
Reformation, continued to practice a strong
devotion to Mother Mary. He even accepted the
Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, something
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that was yet to be explained two hundred years

after him. Other Protestant Reformers, like Calvin,
Zwingli, and Cranmer, accepted Marian doctrines
such as her perpetual virginity.
Jesus Is Giving You His Mother and His Friends
From the cross, Jesus gave you a very special

gift. The Bible says, “Jesus saw his mother and
the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to
his mother, ‘He is your son.’ Then he said to the
disciple, ‘She is your mother.’ From that time the
disciple took her to live in his home” (John 19:26-
27, GNT).
The Gospel of John is filled with metaphors.
This is not just a historical event. This has a
profound message to the Church. The disciple
John represents all those who follow Him, and that
includes you and me.
So, God is giving you His own mother. Will
you take her into your home and heart?
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Let me digress. I’ve long learned that if you

want to raise your kids well, you also have to raise
the friends of your kids. In today’s generation, this
is crucial. So, I’ve told my two sons, “Bring your
friends over to the house anytime.” (Parents, I just
have to warn you: Next to buying a house, this could
be your biggest expense. Because young people
will eat everything edible in your house. Except for
the potted plants, everything else will be eaten. But
I love it when they come because I can talk with
them, laugh with them, and pray for them.)
Jesus gave me His mother. Mary didn’t give
birth to me. But she adopts me now because I’m her
Son’s friend.
Jesus is giving me His family in heaven—the
saints—to be my brothers and sisters. What a gift! I
can count on them for inspiration and intercession.
Jesus Is Giving You Intercessors
When I’m going through a difficulty, and
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a friend tells me, “Bo, I’m praying for you,” it

comforts me. One day, someone wrote to me, “Bo,
I pray for you every day.” My heart leapt for joy.
Here was this person who prayed for me every
single day. That’s wild.
I know someone else is praying for me every
day. Her name is Mary. Why do I know? Because
I asked her to. I’ve also asked St. Francis of Assisi
and St. Benedict and St. Ignatius of Loyola to pray
for me every day. I thank God I have friends in high
places. The Bible says, “The prayer of a righteous
person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV).
Some Protestants get very uncomfortable
when they hear this kind of talk. Because for them,
Jesus is the only mediator between God and man.
And I agree.
There’s only one High Priest and His name is
Jesus (see Hebrews 4:14). But the wonderful thing
about God is that He wants us to share in His work.
He calls us to be a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and
a kingdom of priests (Revelations 5:10). That’s why
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we evangelize in His name, we serve the poor in

His name, and we pray for others in His name.
I believe our prayer ministry doesn’t stop after
death. Because love doesn’t stop after death. The
Book of Revelations gives a beautiful image of the
prayers of the saints as incense: “The four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls
filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s
people” (Revelations 5:8, GNT).
God Is Not Insecure
As Catholics, we believe in God’s

“noncompetitive transcendence.” That’s a fancy
term of saying that God isn’t insecure. He doesn’t
compete with His creation, but delights in involving
us in His work and sharing His glory with us.
Let me share with you an analogy I first heard
from Scott Hahn. Imagine two palaces. The first is a
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palace that is rich, resplendent, filled with colorful

banners, thick carpets from the East, and gorgeous
curtains from floor to ceiling. The court of the king
is filled with his servants, all dressed in beautiful
robes. His dukes and knights are attired regally. The
queen is beside the king, totally lovely to behold.
The second palace is bare. Unpainted concrete
walls and ceiling, bare cement floor, and a totally
unadorned throne room. No servants. No dukes.
No generals. No queen. It’s occupied only by the
king.
Some religious people imagine God to be
alone in His throne room. Their call is to “focus on
Jesus alone.” Yes, there might be seasons in one’s
spiritual journey when there’s a need for this kind
of spirituality. But from my experience, God is a
generous God and He wants to share His glory. As
Catholics, we believe in the first palace. God loves
to honor His family.
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If God Honors Her, Why Shouldn’t I?
Mary honored God by her obedience and

humility. And it was God who honored her even
more. How? He made her the mother of Jesus. This
woman carried in her womb the second person of
the Trinity.
Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, honored
her: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the
baby moved within her. Elizabeth was filled with
the Holy Spirit and said in a loud voice, ‘You are the
most blessed of all women, and blessed is the child
you will bear!’” (Luke 1:41-42, GNT).
If God honors her, why won’t I honor her?
If I go to a painter’s gallery and admire his
masterpiece, no artist in his right mind will say,
“Stop looking at my painting. Look at me!”
I believe God is a Painter and we’re all God’s
masterpieces. We’re all made in His glorious image.
But I also believe that some images are more like
God, that is why we honor Mary and the saints.
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Mary has no light of her own. Mary reflects

the glory of God, like the moon only reflecting the
light of the sun. And so do the saints.
Today, I invite you to receive this beautiful
gift from your Heavenly Father: a heavenly family
that’s praying for you, cheering you on, and loving
you night and day.
And the next reason why I’m Catholic?
We have a spiritual father on earth.
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Reason 8
Because of the Rock

Jesus Built Us On
“You are Peter, and on this rock
I will build my Church.”
– Jesus Christ
Peter’s old name was Simon.

Why did Jesus change his name?
If you look at the Bible, you’ll notice that God
changes someone’s name because He’s giving him
a new mission. Abram became Abraham, Judah
became Israel, Saul became Paul, and Simon became
Peter.
God changed the name of Simon to Peter
because Peter literally means rock. Peter’s new
mission was to be the Rock that the Church would
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Because of the Rock Jesus Built Us On
be built on: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this
rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades
will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew
16:18-19, NRSV).
I remember talking to someone who was
anti-Catholic. He said, “Peter is not the Rock of
the Church. In the original Greek, it says, ‘You are
Petros and on this petra, I will build My Church.’
Petros means small rock and petra means big rock.
So Peter isn’t the Rock. Jesus is the Rock.”
Of course, Jesus is the Rock.
But Bible scholars say that the Gospel of
Matthew was one of the few New Testament books
that was not written originally in Greek but in
Aramaic. And Jesus Himself spoke Aramaic, not
Greek. In Aramaic, Jesus used the same word,
kepha. He said, “You are Kepha and on this kepha, I
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will build My Church.” Meaning? Peter was the Rock

where Jesus built the Church.
This makes people uncomfortable. Why
would Jesus build His entire Church on one frail
human being? It doesn’t make sense.
But if you read the Church Fathers—the
leaders of the Church in the first three hundred
years—they understood this passage in only one
way: Jesus built the Church on Peter.
If people still doubt that Jesus made Peter the
Rock of the Church, just read the next line.
Peter Has the Keys
After telling him that Peter was going to head

the Church, Jesus said, “I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19, NRSV).
If you lived in ancient times, you’d understand
this very well. The number two official of the empire
literally holds the keys. And if you hold the keys,
that meant you represented the king.
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Because of the Rock Jesus Built Us On
And in the next line, Jesus explains what He

meant by the keys. He said, “Whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew
16:19, NRSV). Again, ancient people are familiar
with these words. This is rabbinic language. A
rabbi could bind, declaring, “This act is forbidden,”
or a rabbi could loose, declaring, “This act is
permissible.”
That’s the authority that Jesus gave to Peter.
Which brings me to something that bothers a lot of
people...
Jesus Chose a Sinner for a Purpose
God chose a human being to head the Church.

And not just any human being, but a fumbling,
stumbling, bumbling human being like Peter—the
same Peter who denied Jesus three times.
In fact, some Bible scholars believe that Peter
and Judas committed the same sin—betrayal. Same
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degree of gravity. The only difference, is after falling

into sin, Judas ran away from God and Peter ran
towards God. This is how scandalous God’s love is:
God chose a broken, wounded, sinful man to become our
first Pope.
I love the fact that Peter became the first pope,
not John, who seemed holier than Peter. God chose
Peter so that we can identify with his scars.
You want another example of God’s scandalous
love? You don’t have to look too far. Look at me. I’m a
huge sinner. Bigger than you can ever imagine. Yet
here I am being used by God to be His messenger.
This is just how He works. His modus operandi.
So, don’t ever say, “I’m too big a sinner,” or
“I’m not worthy!”
He has big plans for you.
If you say yes to Him, you’ll be surprised at
what God will do through you. Just like Peter.
In the next chapter, I’ll share with you another
reason why I love being Catholic: Because of how
we read Scriptures.
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Reason 9
Because of How We
Read the Bible
“The very Bible which Protestants use to try and tear
Catholics to threads was given to them
by the Catholic Church.”
– Michael Cumbie, Catholic convert
“The most overlooked part of the Bible, apologetically

speaking, is the table of contents. It tells us that
the Bible is a collection of books, and that implies a
Collector. The identity of the Collector is what chiefly
distinguishes the Protestant from the Catholic.”
– Karl Keating, Catholic apologist
Sadly, many Catholics don’t read their Bible.

For many, the Bible isn’t daily bread, but
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Because of How We Read the Bible
cake. Because we only read it for special occasions.

Oh, we have so much to learn from our Protestant
brethren. They love the Word and we need to do
the same.
My preacher friend told me, “You easily know
if your audience is Catholic. If no one is carrying
a Bible, they’re Catholic.” This must change. For
almost thirty years now, we’ve been publishing
Bible guides for Catholics, such as the Companion,
Didache, Gabay, and Sabbath, to help Catholics read
their Bible daily. Today, we’ve put most of these in
our Feast app (download it) so people can read it
on their phones.
Catholics should read the Bible ardently and
passionately. After all, we gave birth to it.
About Sola Scriptura
Yes, as crazy as this may sound to our

Protestant friends, we believe the Bible came from
the Catholic Church. We believe that when Jesus
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ascended to heaven, He didn’t leave behind a book, He

left behind a Church.
Catholics define God’s Word as both Sacred
Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. As I mentioned in
the previous chapter, this understanding has been
there since the Church Fathers (the leaders of the
Church after the Apostles).
Our Protestant friends, however, believe that
the Bible is the only infallible authority. They call it
sola scriptura.
Nevertheless Catholics believe that sola
scriptura is not something the Bible teaches. To
support sola scriptura, they will quote Hebrews 4:12
and 2 Timothy 3:16. But all these verses say is that
the Bible is an authority—it doesn’t say it’s the only
authority.
There’s a bigger problem with sola scriptura . . .
How Was the Bible Formed?
One day, I was talking with a former Catholic
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who is now Born Again. He said he found Jesus

and his life has changed forever. But in an effort
to bring his Catholic friends to Jesus, he’d attack
different Catholic practices, calling them pagan.
I told him, “I’m very happy that you found
Jesus. I’m not here to convince you to go back to the
Catholic Church. I just wish that you respect your
former faith.”
“But God is not in the Catholic Church,” he
said.
“But where did the Bible come from?” I asked.
“Duh. God gave us His Word.”
“Of course, He did,” I said. “But like everything
else, He must have used people.”
He beamed a smile and said, “Yes. Moses,
Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke,
John, Paul, Peter . . . .”
“Very good answer. But who gathered their
writings and declared, ‘This is the Bible’”?
“The Holy Spirit,” he proclaimed.
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He didn’t understand my question, so I just

explained my point. “In the early Church, there
was no New Testament as we know it today. There
were just a collection of books—or scrolls to be
more accurate. Some Gospels and some Epistles
were accepted by some churches and rejected by
some. For example, some churches accepted the
Gospel of Thomas, the Infancy Gospel of James, 1
and 2 Epistles of Clement to the Corinthians, and
many more—books that aren’t in the Bible today.
And then there were some local churches who
rejected the Book of Revelations—a book that is in
our Bibles today.”
He asked, “So?”
“So who decided that the twenty-seven books
in our New Testament are the final list? They
needed to appeal to another authority, not the
Bible, because there wasn’t any. That authority
was the Apostles and their successors. After much
heated debate, it was the Councils of Hippo in 393
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and Carthage in 397 and 419 where the bishops

finally decided, ‘These are the twenty-seven books
included in the New Testament.’”
He was deep in thought. He asked, “What
about the Old Testament? Why does the Catholic
Bible have seven more books that are not in the
Protestant Bible?”
“That’s right,” I said, “Sirach, Wisdom,
Tobit, Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees are in
the Catholic Bible but not in the Protestant Bible.
Because in the time of Jesus, there were two official
lists of the Old Testament. The Palestinian Canon,
which is identical to the Protestant Old Testament,
and the Alexandrian Canon, which is identical to
the Catholic Old Testament. Why did the Catholic
Church choose the Alexandrian Canon? Because the
Apostles chose it. And for the next 1,500 years, the
Bible included those books.”
“So who removed them?”
“It was Martin Luther, in 1534, who published
the Bible in German and decided to follow the
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Palestinian Canon, removing seven books in the

Old Testament, especially the Book of Maccabees
that had a reference to praying for the dead, which
was one of the abuses he was protesting against
the Church. Those abuses were real. Plenary
indulgences were being sold. And aside from the
seven Old Testament books, Luther also wanted to
remove six more books from the New Testament—
James, 1 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelations,
especially James. He placed all of them in the
appendix of his German Bible. Why? James talked
about the importance of faith and works. Luther
wanted to emphasize that we are saved by faith
alone.”
“Sola fidei,” he said.
“Yes. Luther based that doctrine on Romans
3:28. In Luther’s German translation of the Bible, it
says that “a man is justified by faith alone.” But if
you read this verse in the original Greek, there was
one word missing. The word alone. It wasn’t there.
That’s why today, if you open any modern Bible
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version, you won’t find the word alone in Romans

3:28. Do you know where the word alone appears in
the Bible? James 2:24 says, “You see that a person
is justified by works and not by faith alone.” It’s
the exact opposite of sola fidei. That’s why Luther
wanted to take out the book of James from the Bible.
Thankfully, his followers brought back the six New
Testament books of the Bible.”
“So Catholics don’t believe that you are saved
by faith alone?” he asked.
“We believe that we’re saved by grace alone.
That it’s only His grace working in our faith and
works that will accomplish anything.”
The Word of God Is Both Scripture and Tradition
Why do Catholics believe that the Word of God

means both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition,
as passed on by the Apostles and their successors?
Remember, during biblical times, there were
no books like what we have today. That would
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have to wait until Johannes Gutenberg invented the

printing press in the year 1440.
Even the Bible talks about Sacred Tradition: “I
praise you for remembering me in everything and
for holding to the traditions just as I passed them
on to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2 NIV).
And Paul also says, “So then, brothers, stand
firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught
by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter”
(2 Thessalonians 2:15, ESV).
If There’s a Disagreement, What Did They Do?
Have you noticed? When you get into a

disagreement with another Christian, they quote
the Bible, which leads to more argument, because
we’ve got different interpretations of the Bible.
However, in the Acts of the Apostles, the early
Christians did something else other than quote
the Bible. When Christianity was spreading to the
Gentiles, some Jews wanted to require Christian
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Gentiles to also be circumcised. This caused a huge

conflict among them. Their solution? Here’s what
they did: “So Paul and Barnabas were appointed,
along with some other believers, to go up to
Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this
question” (Acts 15:1-2, NIV).
They didn’t just appeal to Scripture; they also
appealed to the authority of the Apostles to decide
on the matter. And the Bible says, “The apostles and
elders met to consider this question. After much
discussion, Peter got up and addressed them…
’No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord
Jesus that we are saved, just as they are’” (Acts 15:6,
11, NIV).
Peter and the elders decided not to require
circumcision.
A little footnote: If they required circumcision
to the Gentiles, historians believe that Christianity
would have remained a Jewish sect with a few
thousand members to this day.
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The Need for Humility and Trust
Some two thousand years later, Catholics are

still doing this kind of consultation regarding issues
of faith. We follow the apostolic authority: the pope
and the bishops who have a direct succession line
to the Apostles. Pope Francis is the 266th pope after
Peter.
To follow this authority, you need two things:
deep humility to follow our leader and profound
trust that God will work it out even if the leader is
wrong.
Sometimes, when I talk to anti-Catholics, they
point out to me all the scandals and failures of the
Church, but I don’t debate with them. In fact, I agree
with them. I even mention more scandals they don’t
know about. I tell them, “We, the Catholic Church,
have two thousand years of unspeakable crimes. The
Church should have died in the Middle Ages when
bishops were selling their parishes to the highest
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bidder. The Church should have crashed for all the

horrific bloodshed it caused during the Crusades.
The Church should have collapsed because of the
scandals of pedophile priests in recent history.
With all the horrible failures we’ve done in
the past two thousand years, any other human
organization would have folded up and disappeared
from the face of the earth.
But today, the Church is still here. Because
it isn’t just a human organization. It’s a Church
founded by Jesus Christ which He built on a Rock.
Here’s my next reason why I love being
Catholic . . .
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Reason 10
Because of God’s Mercy

after Death
“If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but
yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping
through the flames.”
– 1 Corinthians 3:15, NIV
I know many Catholics are scared of purgatory.

they think it’s a trailer version of hell. No, it’s not. If
you really understand what it is, purgatory is one
of the most comforting news you can hear.
Because purgatory is the mercy of God.
Let me give you my picture of purgatory.
Imagine me dying, and then… hmm, wait. That’s
morbid. OK, let’s change the imagery.
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Because of God’s Mercy after Death
Imagine some other guy dying. After he dies,

he opens his eyes and sees God in the distance. God
is smiling, radiant in glory, opening His arms wide
and saying, “My son!”
Instantly, the guy runs to the Father. As he
nears Him, he notices something happening to
him. The love and light of God starts burning all his
imperfections. All his weaknesses and impurities
disappear. The more steps he takes to the Father,
the holier and perfect he becomes. And when he
reaches the Father’s full embrace, he becomes
totally perfect.
That “run” to the Father is my picture of
purgatory. Some of us may have more imperfections
than others, so perhaps some have to run a one-
hundred-meter dash, others a four-hundred-meter
dash. Perhaps I will need to do an ultra marathon.
When Mother Teresa died, she was so holy,
my guess is she must have taken just three steps to
God’s full embrace. Who knows? There’s one thing
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I’m sure of. It’s God’s mercy that heals, washes, and
perfects us completely.
Why do I believe in purgatory?
Because I believe in a loving God.
Here’s my suggestion: Don’t wait for death.
While on earth, allow God’s unconditional love to
purify you, sanctify you, and change you now.
The Mercy of God
When I attend a wake of someone who’s

not Catholic, I pray for everyone—the family, the
friends, and the visitors. But I can’t pray for the
one who died. At least, not publicly. And I feel so
stumped.
The reason? Many non-Catholics don’t believe
in purgatory. They believe that once a person
dies—snap! They go to heaven or they go to hell.
Period. No ifs. No buts. No more forgiveness. No
more purification.
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But as Catholics, we believe that some sins

can be forgiven after death. Please note: According
to Catholic teaching, mortal sins can no longer be
forgiven after death, but venial sins can be forgiven.
So only venial sins can be purified in purgatory.
But whether someone died with mortal sin or
venial sin is up for God to decide. I won’t say, “It’ll
be useless to pray for that dude. That guy’s in hell.
Burning. Crispy.” I’ll always presume that God’s
love can reach down to every person who dies.
Purgatory in the Bible
Some people say purgatory is not in the Bible.

But it’s there.
In the book of Revelations, the Bible talks
about who can go to heaven: “Nothing impure will
ever enter it” (Revelations 21:27, NIV). The Bible
also says that God is “pure and cannot stand the
sight of evil” (Habakkuk 1:13, NLT).
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Yes, I know God forgives us completely. But

salvation is different from sanctification. Yes, we’re
saved. But it takes a lifetime of sanctification to
become like Jesus perfectly.
We believe purgatory starts here on earth.
While you’re alive. Purgatory is the Holy Spirit
transforming you. Every single day, God is
sanctifying you, purifying you, cleansing you so
you become more like Jesus. Every time you win
over temptation, or you say yes to God’s call, or
you die to yourself for love, you are becoming more
like Jesus.
But when we die, not all our weaknesses would
have been removed. So, we believe purgatory
continues after death. Before we enter heaven, God
still needs to perfect us through His fiery love. Paul
describes purgatory in this passage: “For no one
can lay any foundation other than the one already
laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on
this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones,
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wood, hay, or straw, their work will be shown for

what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It
will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the
quality of each person’s work. If what has been
built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If
it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet
will be saved—even though only as one escaping
through the flames”(1 Corinthians 3:11-15, NIV).
This is why we pray for the dead. We send our
love for those who have gone before us, praying
that they will find complete peace with God, with
all their imperfections washed away. In the book
of Maccabees, we read about praying for the dead.
(This book is not found in the Protestant Bible.) “If
he had not believed that the dead would be raised,
it would have been foolish and useless to pray for
them. In his firm and devout conviction that all of
God’s faithful people would receive a wonderful
reward, Judas made provision for a sin offering
to set free from their sin those who had died” (2
Maccabees 12:44-45, GNT).
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Here’s another reason to believe in purgatory:

The Church Fathers believed in Purgatory—Origen
(184 A.D.), St. Irenaeus (130 A.D.), St. Ambrose
(333 A.D.), St. Augustine (354 A.D.), St. Jerome
(347 A.D.). They saw purgatory in their readings of
Scriptures.
Once again, I invite you to keep studying your
Catholic faith.
I hope you don’t study just to fill your mind
with information, but so you can fill your heart
with a desire to love Jesus more.
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Epilogue
The Ship We’re

Sailing On
There are many other reasons why I love being
Catholic.
Too many to write in one book.
For now, let me end with this fascinating story
from Fr. Mike Schmitz, an American priest from the
Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota.
A long time ago, there was a master ship
builder who built a massive ship. He had a captain
who organized the ship and hired a crew, and from
the crew, he selected one of them to be first mate.
The captain then announced to everyone:
“Come, ride the ship! Everyone is invited!”
Many passengers climbed onboard.
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Epilogue
The other thing the master ship builder and

captain did was outfit the ship with everything
it needed to reach its destination, such maps
and compasses and other tools. They also stored
everything the passengers needed to become
strong and healthy in this long journey, such as
food, water, and medicine.
As the ship was about to sail, the captain
said, “I’m not going with you. The first mate that I
selected will lead you in my place.”
And the ship sailed off.
It was a very long journey. As the years went
by, the first mate died. They replaced him with
another one. The crew members died, and they
were replaced too. The passengers died, and they
brought new ones on board the ship.
Sometimes, the first mate, the crew, and the
passengers were great. Sometimes, the first mate
was not so great. Sometimes, the crew were awful.
Sometimes, the passengers were horrible.
But the ship stayed on course.
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Other Ships Were Built
There were times when some passengers

didn’t like the first mate, or didn’t like the crew, or
didn’t like the other passengers on the ship.
And they said, “I’ll build a new ship!”
But people asked, “We’re in the middle of the
ocean. Where will they get the materials to build a
new ship?”
There was only one place: They would get
materials from the original ship. Some got the
compass, others got the maps, some got the food. As
the years went by, more and more people wanted to
build their own ships. But all their materials came
from the original ship. Some would get this thing
but not that thing. They would select only what
they liked and bring it to their small ship.
And some of those small ships were wonderful.
For example, some of those boats only had the maps
and nothing else. Because of that, they studied and
mastered those maps inside and out. And they
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Epilogue
knew more about the maps than those who were

on the original ship!
If you look at the ocean, you’ll see a fleet of
ships. The ships that stay beside the original ship
are going toward the same destination, but there
are some ships that are so far away from the original
ship, they’re in danger of being lost in the ocean.
You Belong to the Church Founded by Jesus
Jesus is the center of the Catholic faith.

Jesus Christ, historically speaking, in the year
33 A.D., founded the Church. He assembled the
crew called the Apostles and chose His first mate,
Peter. He equipped the Church with everything
people need for the long journey—the sacraments,
the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit.
There have been times when the Pope was bad,
when the priests were awful, and the lay Catholics
were horrible. But by the mercy of the Holy Spirit,
the Church stayed its course.
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As the years went by, some people built other

churches. But all the materials they used to build
their churches came from the Catholic Church.
Where did they get the Bible? From the Catholic
Church. Where did they get the doctrine of the
Trinity? From the Catholic Church. Where did they
get the doctrine of the Incarnation—that Jesus is
both God and Man? From the Catholic Church.
Dear Catholic, the ship you’re riding on is the
Church established by Jesus. By the way, did you
know that He prayed for you?
He Prayed for Unity of His Family
He prayed specifically that you stay united to

His Church: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray
also for those who will believe in me through their
message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as
you are in me and I am in you” (John 17:20, NIV).
I got this reflection from Matthew Kelly,
founder of Dynamic Catholic. He said some
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Epilogue
Catholics ask, “Why should I stay in Church?”

Here’s one fantastic reason: Because Jesus prayed you
would stay.
Unity is our most powerful evangelistic tool. If
you have unity, Jesus said, “Then the world will
know that you sent me and have loved them even
as you have loved me” (John 17:23, NIV).
Love your Family.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
P.S. Do you want to deepen your understanding of

the Catholic faith? Download The Feast app from
App Store or Google Play, and click on Dive Talk.
The Feast app also carries a truckload of materials
for your daily spiritual nourishment.
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Appendix
Join a Local Church

“For just as the body is one and has many members,
and all the members of the body, though many,
are one body, so it is with Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:12
You need a family and a family needs you.

Have you met people who love God but hate
the church? They want to make their faith a very
private matter. They don’t want to attend church
at all. One person told me, “For me, I don’t need
church. My church is my bedroom. That’s where I
talk to God.”
And in one sense, they’re right: Faith must
be uniquely personal. The core of our faith is a
personal relationship with Jesus. Indeed, God has
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Appendix
no grandchildren. No one can have faith for you.

I love the old Charismatic songs that talk about
this relationship: “Walking with Jesus, walking
every day, walking all the way . . . walking in the
sunshine, walking in the shadows . . . walking with
Jesus today.” It’s such a lovely picture: you and
Jesus walking together toward the sunset.
But the picture is inaccurate. Do you know
what will happen? Sooner or later, because Jesus
is Jesus, He’ll bring other people with Him. And
you’ll be walking in a crowd! You’ll be walking
with other imperfect, pesky, annoying, irritating
people. Sooner or later, you’ll be singing another
song, “Walking with Jesus, walking with Roy, Kay,
Felipe, May, Bamby, Lei . . . .”
St. Paul said that Jesus is the head and the
Church is His Body. So you can’t have a love affair
with the head and throw away His Body. You can’t
cut off the head of Jesus because Jesus has this
terrible habit of bringing along His Body wherever
He goes. He’s never a head floating around.
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That’s why Jesus said there are two greatest

commandments—loving God and loving your
neighbor. Both are inseparable and indivisible, like
two sides of the same coin.
My point? To love God, you need a spiritual
family.
This is why I invite you to join a small spiritual
community. Grow together. Serve together. Join
the parish where you belong, and find yourself a
smaller group where you can find a home.
If you’re having difficulty finding one, you’re
welcome to join us at The Feast nearest you. Visit
www.LightFam.com or download The Feast app at
the App Store or Google Play.
You can also start your own Feast in your
home, school, or office. For more details, visit www.
TheFeastVideo.com
Keep following Jesus.
133
About the Author
Bo Sanchez is a preacher, leader, and entrepreneur.

He is the author of over fifty bestselling books and
publisher of seven periodicals. Bo has a weekly TV
show, a daily radio program, and a daily Internet
TV show. He travels extensively around the world
as a powerful speaker. So far, he has addressed
audiences in fourteen countries, including thirty-
six cities in North America.
He founded many organizations, including
Anawim, a special home for the abandoned
elderly, and Shepherd’s Voice, a media group that
publishes the widest read inspirational literature in
the country. He is also the founder of the Light of
Jesus Family, a spiritual community.
He was also cited as one of The Outstanding
Young Men (TOYM) in 2006.
Privately, Bo is a successful entrepreneur.
He frequently teaches and writes about financial
literacy, believing that poverty is hugely a product
of people’s low financial I.Q. He focuses on subjects
134
such as debt management, saving, investing, and

entrepreneurship.
In another endeavor he’s very passionate
about, Bo started the Catholic Filipino Academy
(www.catholicfilipinoacademy.com) to help
parents who want to homeschool their children.
But above all these, Bo believes that his first
call is to be a loving husband to his wife, Marowe,
and a devoted father to his sons, Benedict and
Francis. They live in Manila, Philippines.
For more information, log on to his
website www.bosanchez.ph or e-mail
him at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.com.
135
Appendix B: 31 Faith Declarations
136
By Joining the
Kerygma Family,
You Will Receive a Mountain
Load of Blessings
for Your Spiritual Life
Here’s what will happen to you when you join the Kerygma
Family:
1. You’ll receive daily Bible reflections for your spiritual
growth.
2. Each month, you’ll get to read an online copy of Kerygma,
the #1 Catholic inspirational magazine in the Philippines.
3. You’ll belong to a borderless, global, nonphysical
community spread all over the world connected through
prayer and the desire for personal growth.
4. You shall have the special privilege of supporting this
expansive work of the Lord (totally optional!), which
includes Anawim, a ministry for the poorest of the poor, the
abandoned elderly; and Shepherd’s Voice, a media ministry
that uses TV, radio, print, and the Internet to broadcast
God’s love to spiritually hungry people worldwide.
5. You and your intentions shall be included in our intercessory
team’s prayers.
To join the Kerygma Family,

log on to www.kerygmafamily.com
137
Are You Catholic?
You Must Read This Book.
Why I Love
Being
Catholic
Bo Sanchez wants to help you love Jesus more. When
he was twelve years old, Bo found Jesus in his Catholic
faith. And his life was changed forever. Through this
eye-opening book, Bo also wants to help you appreciate
your Catholic faith more. He’ll explain, in the simplest
way possible, the ten amazing reasons why he loves
being Catholic. Read this book and you’ll never see your
Catholic faith the same way again.
When you purchase this book, you also become a blessing to others since Bo
donates the royalties from his books to his many dynamic ministries.
Bo Sanchez is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, and one of the

best communicators in the country. He has written more than fifty
bestselling books and has given talks around the world. He also has
founded many ministries that serve the poorest of the poor. Bo dreams
of helping a million people grow spiritually by building Feasts around
the world. He also dreams of helping good people become financially
free through his TrulyRichClub.
Connect with him through:

www.BoSanchez.ph
Facebook.com/BrotherBoSanchez ISBN 978-971-007-212-5
Instagram.com/BrotherBoSanchez
www.kerygmabooks.com
138

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Why I Love

ENJOY YOUR AGE

GET READY FOR MORE (Special Citation,

JOIN THE FEAST

For more life-changing books, visit www.kerygmabooks.com

Copyright © 2018 by Eugenio R. Sanchez, Jr.

Published By Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc.

Address requests for information to:

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

Cover Design by Paolo S. Galia

Preface: Can I Tell You My Story? i

10 Reasons Why I Love Being Catholic 1

Reason 9: Because of How We Read 105

Epilogue: The Ship We’re Sailing On 125

Can I Tell You My Story?

1. I want Catholics to love Jesus more. I found

2. I want Catholics to appreciate their Catholic

3. I want our dearest Protestant friends to respect

By the way, I hope you don’t mind. I sprinkled

May your dreams come true,

P.S. Do you want to deepen your understanding of

How I Met Jesus

As a kid, I remember my dad putting his arm around

a Catholic school. So I knew about Jesus. Sort of.

It was another Friday night, and my mother

but when my mom wanted me to join them, I told

My First Prayer Meeting

My father, however, was a stubborn man.

“Sit!” my father commanded, and so I did. He

and casually placed his hand on top of my head. He

So my father’s face turned white, and in panic,

OK, I exaggerated the story to make you laugh.

“do you pick up the phone and dial his number

My Mission and Passion

So growing up as a teen, Jesus became real to

was a beautiful foundation. And the moment I got

One day, three guys were convicted of a serious

building for ten years, I feel awesome!”

What the Catholic Faith Is All About

For the Catholic faith to mean anything to

Catholic who tells me that “all Catholics will go to

So what is the Church? It’s a spiritual family

Do you know of a Catholic who left the Church

But sadly, a few Protestants don’t think

They Remind Us of What We Already Have

Thankfully, not all Protestants are like that

the guitar. He was only seven years old when I

Because all of these elements are within the

But let’s change the scenario.

when a Protestant starts looking down at us like we

Learn from One Another

One day, I watched Bene play the guitar and I

My leaders and I regularly join various pastors

Unity is possible between Christians. I’ve

thing because we all love Jesus. And He is the

Because of Our Roots

Rick Warren is the pastor of the megachurch

“Because you have more shows that relate to

Our Catholic Faith Is 2,000 Years Old

Cardinal John Henry Newman, a former

A.D.), you’ll realize that early Church was already

Of Course, You Can Reject These Gifts

When I was a teenager, I was invited to preach

of the school thanked me and said, “Bo, how will