Day 9: How Radical Is Your Love?
A Day In
I love
It’s a 2000-year old Roman city atop a hill, with winding cobbled roads and fortress walls. But it was St. Francis and St. Claire that has made this place extremely special some 800 years ago.
If you’ve been reading my books, you’d know that Francis has such a tremendous impact on my life. Because I was 13 years old when I read his biography, and my life has never been the same. Instantly, I wanted to pray like him, dress like him, sing like him, and serve the poor like him.
After reading his life story, I gave away my clothes to the poor, and welcomed street kids and abandoned elderly people at home–giving my mother one terrible headache after another. I also tried to mimic his “beggar look”, which didn’t make me very popular with girls, but I figured that was the idea. (I called it an anti-attraction device. As if I needed it.)
In the meantime, I lived and served in the slums. Like Francis, I preached in the streets, befriending bums, addicts, gamblers, and alcoholics. I will never forget living in a tiny room with 9 people, sharing a muddy toilet with four other families.
Eighteen years later, with my friends who also loved Francis, we built Anawim, a home for the abandoned elderly built on a 5-hectare property. I lived there with the poor for three whole years, until I finally got married. We named our Anawim chapel St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, and his brown statue is on the left side of the altar.
As you can see, Francis turned my life upside down.
Visiting his hometown–where everything took place–felt like going home.
I prayed at the tiny chapel that he built with his own hands, after he heard God tell him, “Rebuild my Church”. (Much later, Francis realized that God wasn’t referring to the tiny, rundown chapel–but the people themselves.)
Can you imagine?
Francis changed my life–and the lives of countless others who fell in love with God because of him.
One simple life, lived radically, can bless the world.
Friend, your life can do the same. By the way you live, you can change the lives of many people.
But you need to live radically.
Unless you do, nothing much will happen.
Ask yourself: How radical is my love?
Tomorrow, I ask a very difficult question.
Abangan…
I remain your friend,
Bo Sanchez
PS. I am preaching in the
June 19 7pm St. Ignatius Oxon Hill,
June 20 7pm St. Charles Borromeo,
June 21 7pm Our Lady of Victories Church. Jersey City,NJ 0734
June 22 7pm St. John Evangelist Church, Bergenfield, NJ07621
June 23 whole day 1st Day – 40th Anniversary Celebration of Charismatic
Movement, Sheraton Hotel
June 24 whole day 2nd Day – 40th Anniversary Celebration of Charismatic
Movement, Expo Center
June 25 7pm St. Mary’s Church, Rahway, NJ 07065
June 26 7pm Saint Rock Church (Hall), Staten Island, NY 10302
For more details, click here. Tell your friends to go!
PS2. Each month, I send to my partners FREE issues of Kerygma magazine plus my Life Dreams Success Journal, also for free. (The Life Dreams Success Journal is a small powerful tool I made that has already helped thousands of people fulfil their goals in life.) Yes, I give these to all KerygmaFamily members who support the ministry through a monthly love offering of at least P100 (local) or $20 (international). If you’re not yet a KerygmaFamily member, log onto http://www.kerygmafamily.com/ now and receive Kerygma magazine each month plus the Life Dreams Success Journal for FREE. Don’t miss this month’s issue! Log on now at http://www.kerygmafamily.com/
