RESTORE
This chapter from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new "Expression" of God’s Love to RESTORE the Truth.
Chapter 33 from the BFG Handbook (Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching) presents the gospel through a new “Expression” of God’s Love to RESTORE people to the Truth.
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Chapter 33: Self-Awareness
Knowing others is knowledge 1
But knowing yourself is true wisdom
Mastering others is strength 2
But mastering yourself is true power
To be content, you are truly rich 3
To be faithful, you have willpower 4
To be deeply rooted, you will endure 5
To die but not perish, is to live eternally 6
Seeing Yourself in God’s Light
“Knowing others is knowledge
But knowing yourself is true wisdom”
Chapter 33 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and inner strength, aligning closely with Christian teachings on humility, self-control, and spiritual wisdom. The chapter begins with the idea that knowing others is important, but knowing oneself is true wisdom. In Christianity, self-awareness is not about self-centeredness but about understanding one’s identity in Christ. This resonates with Paul’s call to examine ourselves in 2 Corinthians 13:5, encouraging believers to reflect on their faith and relationship with God. True wisdom, according to Proverbs 2:6, is a gift from God, and knowing oneself means recognizing both one’s strengths and weaknesses in the light of God’s grace.
The first line names something we all do well. We are often experts on other people. We can read a room, spot a coworker’s mood and name a friend’s blind spot in seconds. That is real knowledge, and it can help us love well. But the chapter says it is not yet wisdom. Wisdom begins when we turn the same honest eyes on our own heart.
“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
Matthew 7:3ESV
Jesus is not shaming us here; He is freeing us. We cannot see ourselves clearly by staring inward alone, because our hearts are good at excuses. So the psalmist does not only look at himself. He asks God to look, and to show him what is really there. For a Christian, self-knowledge is something we receive in prayer, not something we build on our own.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24NRSVue
This kind of wisdom is gentle. God shows us our sins in order to heal them, and He shows us our gifts so that we will use them. The same Father who knows every weakness calls us His beloved children. When we see ourselves as He sees us, we stop living for the opinions of others and start building our lives on what is true (Proverbs 24:3-4).
“Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons.”Catechism 357
“To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves. Here, another book is opened: the book of life.”Catechism 2706
The Church links knowing ourselves with giving ourselves: we come to know who we are so that we can offer that self to God and to others.
Think about the group chat after a hard week. Everyone has an opinion about the boss, the ex, the neighbor, the referee. We can talk for an hour about what is wrong with other people and never once ask what is going on inside us. Chapter 33 gently turns the camera around: “Knowing others is knowledge, but knowing yourself is true wisdom.” Why did that comment sting so much? Why do I reach for my phone every time I feel lonely? God is not afraid of those answers, and with Him, you do not have to be either.
Try this today: Tonight before you sleep, pray, “Lord, show me one thing in my heart I have not wanted to see,” and stay quiet for a moment.
The Power to Master Yourself
“Mastering others is strength
But mastering yourself is true power”
The chapter further asserts that mastering others is a form of strength, but mastering oneself is true power. In Christianity, self-mastery is seen as the fruit of the Holy Spirit, particularly in the areas of love, patience, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus taught that true strength comes from humility, as exemplified in His own life (Matthew 11:29). He showed that power is not found in domination over others but in the ability to submit to God’s will and to serve others selflessly (Matthew 20:26-28). In this sense, self-mastery is the true measure of strength, as it requires the courage to live according to God’s commands.
The world knows the first half of this pair well: “Mastering others is strength.” We see it in the boss who controls every meeting, the friend who always wins the argument, the influencer everyone copies. That kind of strength is real, but it is fragile. It depends on other people staying beneath us. The chapter points to a power that no one can take away.
“One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.”
Proverbs 16:32NRSVue
In the passage this line points to, St. Paul describes the apostles not as masters but as “servants of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1). They were mocked and treated badly, and still they answered with blessing. That is not weakness. It takes far more strength to bless someone who curses you than to win the fight. Only a person who has mastered himself can do it.
“and we grow weary from the work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we speak kindly…”
1 Corinthians 4:12-13NRSVue
We do not build this power alone. Self-mastery is not gritting our teeth until we are perfect. It is a gift the Holy Spirit grows in us as we cooperate, one choice at a time, and getting up after a fall is part of it. The Spirit gives us “power, love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7), and with Him we can govern our tongue, our temper and our cravings.
“Let us never forget that authentic power is service…”Pope Francis, Homily for the Beginning of his Petrine Ministry
“…either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.”Catechism 2339
“Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life.”Catechism 2342
Someone cuts you off in traffic, and before you think, your hand is on the horn and the words are already out. A comment online gets under your skin, and you are typing a reply at midnight. Your kid talks back, and you hear your own voice rise. In those moments we want to control the other person. Chapter 33 says the real victory is somewhere else: “mastering yourself is true power.” The person who can breathe, pray and answer kindly is the strongest one in the room.
Try this today: The next time your temper rises today, pause, breathe and pray, “Holy Spirit, give me self-control,” before you say a word.
Rich in What Lasts
“To be content, you are truly rich”
The idea of contentment leading to true wealth is deeply biblical. In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul speaks of being content in all circumstances, recognizing that true wealth is not material but spiritual. This aligns with the Christian understanding that contentment comes from God and is a sign of spiritual maturity. Similarly, the chapter’s assertion that being faithful requires willpower reflects the biblical concept that faith is not passive but requires endurance and discipline (Hebrews 11:24-31). True willpower, according to Scripture, is rooted in trust and obedience to God, as seen in the example of Jesus’ faithfulness to the Father’s will, even unto death.
Look again at the first of those two lines: “To be content, you are truly rich.” St. Paul says he had to “learn” contentment. It did not come naturally to him, and it does not come naturally to us. Contentment is not giving up on dreams or pretending we have no needs. It is a heart that has found its treasure in God, so it is no longer ruled by what it lacks.
“…there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.”
1 Timothy 6:6-8NRSVue
That is why a content person is truly rich. Someone with very little can be at peace, and someone with a great deal can be anxious all the time. Wealth is not measured only by what we hold, but by what holds us. The letter to the Hebrews gives the reason we can loosen our grip: God has promised never to leave us.
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””
Hebrews 13:5ESV
Gratitude is the daily road to these riches. When we thank God for what is already in our hands, our eyes open to how much He has given. And Paul’s secret was not a mood but a Person: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NRSVue).
“Wealth ensures nothing. Indeed, once we think we are rich, we can become so self-satisfied that we leave no room for God’s word, for the love of our brothers and sisters, or for the enjoyment of the most important things in life. In this way, we miss out on the greatest treasure of all.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 68
“As in the prayer of petition, every event and need can become an offering of thanksgiving.”Catechism 2638
You were happy with your phone until the new one came out. The apartment felt fine until you saw a friend’s new kitchen. The paycheck seemed good until you heard what someone else makes. So much of what we see every day is built to keep us a little unhappy, because unhappy people buy more. Chapter 33 offers a quiet way out: “To be content, you are truly rich.” Contentment does not come from finally having enough. It comes from knowing that with God, you already do.
Try this today: Before you buy anything extra today, stop and thank God for three things you already have.
Faithful When It Costs
“To be faithful, you have willpower”
Next the chapter says, “To be faithful, you have willpower.” Faithfulness is not a feeling. It is staying true to God when the feeling is gone, when it costs something, and when nobody is watching. The passage this line points to tells the story of Moses, who walked away from a palace to stand with God’s people.
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Hebrews 11:24-25NRSVue
Where did Moses get that willpower? Not from stubbornness. The letter says “he persevered because he saw him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27). His will was strong because his eyes were fixed on God. Faith fed his will, and his will kept him faithful. The same passage honors Rahab, an outsider who risked everything because she trusted the God of Israel (Hebrews 11:31).
For most of us, faithfulness looks smaller: keeping a promise, praying when we are tired, going to Mass when it is raining, staying honest at work when a shortcut is easy. Jesus says those little things matter more than we think, because they shape who we become.
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.”
Luke 16:10NRSVue
“In faith, the human intellect and will co-operate with divine grace: ‘Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.’”Catechism 155
“The moral virtues grow through education, deliberate acts, and perseverance in struggle. Divine grace purifies and elevates them.”Catechism 1839
Faith is God’s gift, and it also engages our will. Grace does not replace our effort; it lifts it and makes it strong.
You told yourself you would pray every morning this month. By the fourth day, the alarm was snoozed and the phone was already in your hand. Most of us know that feeling, with prayer, workouts, budgets or a promise to call our parents more often. Chapter 33 says, “To be faithful, you have willpower,” but it is not the willpower of a superhero. It is the willpower of someone who keeps coming back. When you miss a day, you do not quit. You start again, and God meets you there.
Try this today: Choose one small promise to God that you have let slide, and keep it today, even if only for a few minutes.
Roots That Hold in the Storm
“To be deeply rooted, you will endure”
Finally, the chapter concludes by stating that being deeply rooted will allow one to endure, and that dying without perishing is to live eternally. Jesus teaches that those who are rooted in Him, like a tree planted by streams of water, will bear fruit and endure (John 15:4-5). The idea of eternal life, where one dies yet does not perish, is central to the Christian faith, where believers are promised eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:23). This eternal life is not just an afterlife but a present reality for those who are united with Christ, enabling them to endure trials and persevere in faith, knowing that their ultimate hope is in Him.
Roots are the hidden part of a tree. No one admires them, yet everything depends on them. This line points to Jesus’ parable of the sower. Some seed springs up quickly in rocky soil and then withers, not because the seed was bad, but because there was no depth for roots to grow.
“…this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.”
Matthew 13:20-21NRSVue
Notice what makes the shallow plant fail: “trouble or persecution.” Storms do not create weak roots; they reveal them. A faith built only on good feelings, one great retreat or an inspiring video can fade when life gets hard. A faith rooted in Christ, fed by prayer, Scripture, the sacraments and a community of believers, holds.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Colossians 2:6-7NRSVue
Deep roots grow slowly and quietly. They come from ordinary things done again and again: Sunday Mass, daily prayer, a chapter read at the kitchen table, a friend who prays with us. And roots do more than hold a tree up. They feed it, so it keeps bearing fruit even in a year of drought (Jeremiah 17:8).
“Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.”Catechism 2707
“Through the liturgy the inner man is rooted and grounded in ‘the great love with which [the Father] loved us’ in his beloved Son.”Catechism 1073
Think of the friend who was on fire after a retreat and, a few months later, never mentions God anymore. Or think of your own faith after a big moment fades. That is the rocky soil, and every one of us has some. Chapter 33 says, “To be deeply rooted, you will endure.” Roots are not built at big events. They grow in small, steady habits nobody posts about: a morning prayer, Sunday Mass, a verse on your lunch break. Those are what hold when the wind comes.
Try this today: Pick one root to water this week, like a daily prayer time or Sunday Mass, and put it in your calendar now.
Dying Without Perishing
“To die but not perish, is to live eternally”
The chapter ends with its boldest line: “To die but not perish, is to live eternally.” Every human life on earth comes to an end. But for those who belong to Christ, dying is not the same as perishing. Jesus said this to Martha at the tomb of her brother, just before He called Lazarus out alive.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:25-26NRSVue
The passages this line points to show that this new life starts now. St. Paul says we “died to the law through the body of Christ” so that we might belong to the risen Lord and “bear fruit for God” (Romans 7:4). In Baptism we die with Christ and rise to a new life. St. Peter adds that we are born again of a seed that cannot perish.
“For “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”…”
1 Peter 1:24-25NRSVue
So there are two kinds of dying in this line. There is the daily dying to selfishness, pride and sin, which makes room for Christ to live in us (Galatians 2:20). And there is the death of the body at the end of our earthly life. Neither one is the end. In Christ, both become doorways into a life that does not end.
“Hence Baptism is a bath of water in which the ‘imperishable seed’ of the Word of God produces its life-giving effect.”Catechism 1228
“Christ will raise us up ‘on the last day’; but it is also true that, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ.”Catechism 1002
“The Christian who unites his own death to that of Jesus views it as a step towards him and an entrance into everlasting life.”Catechism 1020
Most of us try not to think about death. We scroll past the news, change the subject at the funeral lunch and keep busy. But grief finds us anyway: a grandparent, a friend, a hard diagnosis. Chapter 33 does not ask us to pretend death is small. It tells us it is not the end: “To die but not perish, is to live eternally.” A Christian can stand at a graveside with tears and hope at the same time, because the One who said “I am the resurrection and the life” keeps His word.
Try this today: Pray today, by name, for someone who has died, and thank Jesus that in Him death is not the end.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
Thus, this chapter underscores the Christian values of humility, self-discipline, contentment, and eternal life, all of which are deeply connected to knowing oneself through God’s grace and living in alignment with His will.
Put together, Chapter 33 draws a path that runs from the inside out. It begins with knowing yourself in God’s light and moves to mastering yourself by His Spirit. It grows into contentment, faithfulness and deep roots. And its last line shows where the path leads: a life that death cannot end.
None of this is self-improvement for its own sake. We come to know ourselves so we can repent and be healed. We master ourselves so we can serve. We are content so we can give. We stay faithful and rooted so others can lean on us. And because our life is safe with Christ, we can spend it freely for others.
“for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3NRSVue
“…the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit.”Catechism 1458
“The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus.”Catechism 2016
Picture an ordinary Tuesday lived the Chapter 33 way. You notice your own impatience before you blame anyone else. You hold your tongue in the tense meeting. You thank God for lunch instead of wishing for a better one. You keep the small promise you made. You pray a little before bed, even though you are tired. None of it looks dramatic. But that is how roots grow, and that is how you become someone others can lean on when their own storm hits.
Try this today: Plan a visit to Confession soon, and use Church Finder to look up a Confession time near you.
RENEWAL
The Trinitarian M.A.P. is the method for RENEWAL, where God’s Love shapes our MINDSET, Trust in the Son directs our AIM, and Faith in the Holy Spirit guides our PRACTICE.
This chapter offers a new “Method” for the New Evangelization to RENEW our hearts and minds through the Trinitarian M.A.P. Bring this chapter into your day with the BFG Companion App. Pick Chapter 33 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind, and Chapter 33 starts with the mind turned inward: “Knowing others is knowledge, but knowing yourself is true wisdom.” Many of us avoid looking inside because we are afraid of what we will find. But the Father’s love changes that. He already knows every corner of our heart, and He loves us still. So we can pray with the psalmist, “Search me, God, and know my heart,” not in fear but in trust, and let Him show us who we really are.
Love also changes how we measure our lives. Chapter 33 says, “To be content, you are truly rich.” The world tells us we are what we earn, own and post. God’s love tells us we already belong to Him, and that is the greatest wealth there is. A mind shaped by that love can enjoy good things without being owned by them, and can face a tight month without panic, because the Father has promised to provide.
Try this: Each time you catch yourself wanting something more today, pray, “Father, You are enough,” and name one gift you already have.
Psalm 139:23-24NRSVue “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
1 Timothy 6:6NRSVue “…there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment”
More Scripture: 2 Corinthians 13:5 · Proverbs 2:6
A renewed mind needs a direction, and we find it in Jesus. Chapter 33 says, “Mastering others is strength, but mastering yourself is true power.” Jesus could have commanded crowds and armies, yet He chose to serve. He was “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29), and in the garden He mastered His own fear and said yes to the Father. We aim at Him: not at winning, but at the quiet strength of a heart ruled by love.
The chapter goes on, “To be faithful, you have willpower.” Moses chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying a palace, because “he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:26). That is the secret of a faithful will: where we look. When our eyes are on Christ, the hard choice becomes possible. So we fix our aim on Him, and let His faithfulness to the Father strengthen ours.
Try this: When you face a hard choice today, picture Jesus in front of you and ask, “Lord, what would faithfulness look like right now?”
Proverbs 16:32NRSVue “One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.”
Hebrews 11:26NRSVue “He considered abuse suffered for the Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward.”
More Scripture: Matthew 11:29 · Luke 16:10
Renewal becomes real in daily life, and the Holy Spirit is the gardener. Chapter 33 says, “To be deeply rooted, you will endure.” The Spirit grows our roots through ordinary things repeated with love: a short prayer in the morning, Scripture on the bus, Sunday Mass, Confession, friends who share our faith. St. Paul tells us to live “rooted and built up in him.” None of it looks impressive, but it is what keeps us standing when a storm comes.
Then the chapter gives its great promise: “To die but not perish, is to live eternally.” The Spirit who raised Jesus lives in us now. Each time we die a little to pride, anger or selfishness, His life grows stronger in us. This is how eternal life begins already today, and why death will not have the last word. So we practice small surrenders, trusting that in Christ every one of them leads to new life.
Try this: Choose one small daily root, like a morning prayer, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you keep it all week.
Colossians 2:6-7NRSVue “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
John 11:25NRSVue “…I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live”
More Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7 · Romans 7:6
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Know yourself in the Father’s love, find true power in serving like the Son, and let the Spirit root you so deeply that not even death can uproot you.
RESPOND
Renewal brings the transformation of our spirit with ardor, empowering us to RESPOND to the call of holiness and make disciples of all nations. This encourages meaningful dialogue to embrace shared truths that transcend cultural and religious boundaries.
Renewal does not stay inside us. When God changes a heart, He sends it out. Chapter 33 shows what kind of person He sends: someone who knows himself, masters himself and is “deeply rooted,” so they can stand steady while helping others. People do not need us to have every answer. They need us to be real, humble and faithful. Know yourself in His light, and you will help others find theirs.
In 1983, Saint John Paul II called the Church to an evangelization that is “new in its ardor, new in its methods, new in its expression.” The Gospel never changes. The way we carry it must be alive for our time. Chapter 33 shows why: a world that studies everyone else and rarely looks within needs fresh words about the wisdom of knowing yourself in God’s light.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 33 says, “To be faithful, you have willpower.” The fire is kept alive by faithful, everyday choices, not by one big feeling.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 33 says “mastering yourself is true power,” so speak with calm and kindness, especially when a conversation gets heated.
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 33 says “knowing others is knowledge,” so take time to really know the person in front of you, and let them see that you are still learning about yourself too.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 33 says “mastering yourself is true power,” so speak with calm and kindness, especially when a conversation gets heated.
What my life was like before I really met Jesus.
How He met me, and the moment things began to change.
What is different now, and the hope I carry. Like the chapter’s “knowing yourself is true wisdom,” what did God show you about your own heart that changed how you live?
Meet people where they are: on the phone in their hand. The BFG Handbook and the BFG Companion turn one conversation into a path to Christ and His Church. Chapter 33 says “knowing others is knowledge,” so take time to really know the person in front of you, and let them see that you are still learning about yourself too.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 33, Self-Awareness, helps anyone who feels out of control, never satisfied, or worn down by a faith that keeps fading.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 33 when someone is struggling with self-control, feels they never have enough, or keeps starting over in faith). In seconds: a reflection, the M.A.P., a saint, a prayer, Scripture, a song and a church nearby. Send it by email, PDF or a share link.
Hard question? Ask it together. Answers are grounded in Catholic teaching, the saints and the BFG Handbook. Talk or type. Try asking together: “How can I really know myself without getting lost in my own head?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. Praying the Rosary day after day is one of the quiet ways roots grow deep, just as Chapter 33 promises: “To be deeply rooted, you will endure.”
Catholic churches near anyone, with Mass and Confession times, directions, and one tap to add a time to the calendar. Every conversation can end at a church door. In Confession we see ourselves honestly in the light of God’s mercy, and at Mass we are fed by the One who makes us “live eternally.”
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A daily rhythm of prayer is how “deeply rooted” faith grows.
Free to start, no card needed. Read aloud in 48 languages.
One tool that walks with a person from the first question to the church door.
Jesus sent His apostles first to Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Start where you are. Chapter 33 starts with “knowing yourself,” so your mission starts with your own heart, then reaches the people right around you.
- Pray the Rosary together on Pray My Rosary.
- Bless your children at bedtime.
- Share a Guidance with a spouse or child who is struggling.
- Find Sunday Mass times together with Church Finder.
- Read Chapter 33 at dinner and ask: “What is one thing we already have that we are thankful for?”
- Text a verse from your Guidance.
- Ask, “How can I pray for you?” and pray right then.
- Invite a friend to Mass, then go for coffee.
- Send the line: “To be content, you are truly rich.”
- Be the calm, kind one.
- Pray on your lunch break with a reminder.
- Start a small chapter group that meets once a week. Begin with Chapter 33, Self-Awareness.
- Respect the rules: invite, never push.
- Listen for the moment: “Things have been hard.”
- Offer: “Can I send you something that helped me?”
- Share the Chapter 33 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- When a friend is losing their temper over something they cannot control, share the line “Mastering yourself is true power,” and offer to pray with them.
- Visit the sick, the elderly and the lonely; pray the Rosary with them.
- Serve at a food bank.
- Welcome newcomers at Mass.
- Join your parish evangelization team.
- Ask shops, cafés and offices to display a BFG card with a QR code.
- Offer a short lunch talk on faith at work.
- Business owners: offer the Companion to staff as a free gift, never a requirement.
- Go where people already gather, and be the friendly one who listens.
- Pray quietly for the people around you.
- When a talk turns real, share a Guidance or the chapter song.
- Wear or carry a simple sign of your faith, like a cross or a rosary, that can start a conversation.
- At the gym, where people train their bodies with discipline, share that Chapter 33 says “mastering yourself is true power,” and the soul can be trained too.
- Host a Chapter 33 “Self-Awareness” night, a Handbook chapter night, a Rosary night or an “Ask Anything” faith night.
- Show the Companion on a big screen and let people try it.
- We did this at our free conference, The New Evangelization in the Age of AI, at Christ Cathedral.
- Share a Guidance, a chapter song or a Scripture card. Try: “To be deeply rooted, you will endure.”
- One post can reach someone you will never meet.
- Join a parish or diocese mission trip.
- The Companion speaks 48 languages, so you leave behind something that keeps speaking after you go home.
- The call to know yourself and master yourself is understood in every culture, a natural bridge to Christ who makes us truly free.
- Your parish ministries, the Legion of Mary, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, prison, hospital and campus ministries, and mission groups.
- Bring the BFG tools to their work.
You will not always feel strong. Some days the storm will be loud and your roots will feel thin. But Chapter 33 promises, “To be deeply rooted, you will endure,” and “to die but not perish, is to live eternally.” Go with humility. Go with self-control. Go rooted in Christ. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you, to stand firm and to help others put down roots of their own.
Lord, who knows me better than I know myself, Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire. Jesus, send me to the one You love. Father, make me Your witness today. Amen.
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