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.
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 people to the Truth.
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Chapter 49: The Good Shepherd
The Son of God has an open mind 1
He embraces the mind of others as His own
He is righteous to the righteous 2
He is righteous to the unrighteous
Thus, the virtue of righteousness
He is faithful to the faithful 3
He is faithful to the unfaithful
Thus, the virtue of faithfulness
He lives in peace with everyone 4
And merges His mind with the minds of the people 1
The people follow Him with their eyes and ears 5
He loves them all as His children 6
An Open Mind Like Christ’s
“The Son of God has an open mind
He embraces the mind of others as His own”
Chapter 49 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching paints a powerful picture of Christ as the Good Shepherd, exemplifying His perfect righteousness, faithfulness, and peace. It begins by stating that the Son of God has an open mind and embraces the minds of others as His own. This mirrors the Christian teaching in Philippians 2:1-8, where Paul encourages believers to have the same mind as Christ, characterized by humility and a willingness to serve others. Christ, as the Good Shepherd, not only accepts but actively seeks to understand and embrace those around Him, demonstrating perfect compassion and empathy.
An open mind, in this chapter, is not an empty mind. Jesus never stopped being “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He knew exactly who He was, and that is why He could listen without fear. He let the Samaritan woman tell her story, He asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” and He stayed at the table with people others avoided.
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:3-4NRSVue
To embrace “the mind of others as His own” is the humility St. Paul describes in this same passage. The Son of God “made himself nothing,” taking on our nature, our worries and our limits from the inside. We cannot do that by effort alone. The Holy Spirit gives us Christ’s mind, so that we begin to care about what others care about and to see their lives the way He sees them.
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
Romans 15:7ESV
“It is impossible to keep the Lord’s commandment by imitating the divine model from outside; there has to be a vital participation, coming from the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God. Only the Spirit by whom we live can make “ours” the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.”Catechism 2842
“The Church will have to initiate everyone… into this “art of accompaniment” which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other…”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 169
“The ability to sit down and listen to others, typical of interpersonal encounters, is paradigmatic of the welcoming attitude shown by those who transcend narcissism and accept others, caring for them and welcoming them into their lives.”Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti 48
An open mind in Christ does not mean giving up the truth. It means letting His love make room in us for the other person.
Your brother-in-law posts something you strongly disagree with, and you feel your blood pressure rise. A coworker pitches an idea you think is silly. Your teenager explains why the rule is unfair. The quick move is to decide what they mean before they finish talking, and then fire back. Chapter 49 shows a different way: “The Son of God has an open mind. He embraces the mind of others as His own.” Jesus listened to people all the way down to what they were afraid of. You can hold on to the truth and still hear the person in front of you.
Try this today: In your next disagreement, repeat back what the other person said in your own words before you share your view.
Righteous to the Righteous and the Unrighteous
“He is righteous to the righteous
He is righteous to the unrighteous
Thus, the virtue of righteousness”
The chapter continues by emphasizing that Jesus is righteous both to the righteous and the unrighteous. In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus teaches His followers to love even their enemies, showing that His righteousness is impartial, extending to all people regardless of their actions. Similarly, Christ’s faithfulness is extended to both the faithful and the unfaithful, reflecting His unconditional love and commitment to His people, even when they fall short. This is reflected in 2 Timothy 2:13, which affirms that “if we are faithless, He remains faithful.” Christ’s faithfulness is not dependent on human faithfulness but is a constant, ever-present source of hope.
Look closely at the verse behind these lines. Jesus says the Father “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good.” God does not hold back the sunlight from people who ignore Him. His goodness is not a prize for good behavior. It is simply who He is, and Jesus asks us to become like Him.
“…for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Matthew 5:45-46NRSVue
Being righteous to the unrighteous does not mean calling wrong right. Jesus never excused sin. But He treated sinners with justice and dignity, ate with them and called them home. St. Peter sums it up in one phrase from this chapter’s own footnotes: Christ died “the righteous for the unrighteous.”
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God…”
1 Peter 3:18NRSVue
That is “the virtue of righteousness.” It is not a scoreboard of who deserves what, but the steady goodness of God that reaches everyone. When we stay fair to people who are unfair to us, we show the world what our Father is like.
“Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or “justice”) here means the rectitude of divine love.”Catechism 1991
“Jesus gave scandal above all when he identified his merciful conduct toward sinners with God’s own attitude toward them.”Catechism 589
“Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe.”Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 21
A coworker takes credit for your idea in the meeting. An ex spreads a version of the story that makes you the villain. A driver cuts you off and then honks at you. Everything in us wants to give people exactly what they deserve, and maybe a little extra. Chapter 49 says Jesus is “righteous to the unrighteous.” That does not mean pretending it was fine. It means you stay fair, honest and kind even when they were not, because that is how your Father treats you.
Try this today: Think of someone who treated you unfairly, and do one fair, decent thing for them or say one good word about them.
Faithful When We Are Not
“He is faithful to the faithful
He is faithful to the unfaithful
Thus, the virtue of faithfulness”
The next lines follow the same pattern, now with faithfulness. Being faithful to the faithful comes easily; we all keep promises to people who keep theirs. The surprise is the second line. Jesus keeps faith with people who have broken faith with Him. Scripture shows it again and again, as God keeps calling back a people who keep wandering away.
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23NRSVue
Peter is the clearest picture. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter swore he did not know Him. After the Resurrection, Jesus did not shame him. He cooked him breakfast by the lake and asked, “Do you love me?” Then He gave Peter work to do: “Feed my sheep.” The Good Shepherd trusted His flock to the friend who had failed Him.
“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.””
John 21:17ESV
This is “the virtue of faithfulness.” God’s faithfulness does not depend on ours, and it gives us a way back every time, above all in Confession. As we receive it, we learn to be faithful too: to keep our word, to show up for people and to stay loyal when it costs us something.
“The divine name, “I Am” or “He Is”, expresses God’s faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men’s sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps “steadfast love for thousands”.”Catechism 211
“Fidelity expresses constancy in keeping one’s given word. God is faithful.”Catechism 2365
“Jesus Christ himself is the “Amen.” He is the definitive “Amen” of the Father’s love for us.”Catechism 1065
You promised yourself you would pray every morning, and it lasted until the busy week hit. You said you were done with that habit, and last night you went back to it. You swore you would never talk to your mom like that again, and you did. It is tempting to think God is as tired of you as you are of yourself. Chapter 49 says the opposite: “He is faithful to the unfaithful.” The Shepherd does not unfollow you when you fall. He comes after you. Turn around and let Him carry you home.
Try this today: Tell God honestly about one place you have been unfaithful, then look up a Confession time near you in Church Finder.
Peace That Enters Our Hearts
“He lives in peace with everyone
And merges His mind with the minds of the people”
Moreover, the chapter describes Christ as living in peace with everyone and merging His mind with the minds of the people. This is reminiscent of Romans 5:1, where Paul writes, “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s peace transcends all understanding, and through Him, believers can experience reconciliation with both God and each other. In Acts 10:36, Peter declares that “God sent the word to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” Christ’s peace bridges the gap between humanity and divinity, offering peace to all who will receive it.
The peace Christ gives does not stay between us and God. It spills over into how we live with each other. St. Paul says Jesus tore down the wall between groups who had distrusted each other for generations. When we belong to Him, we cannot keep building new walls of our own.
“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us”
Ephesians 2:14NRSVue
Then the chapter says He “merges His mind with the minds of the people.” In becoming man, the Son of God took on a human mind and a human heart. He knows from the inside what it is to be tired, misunderstood, tempted and afraid. Nothing we feel is foreign to Him.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:15ESV
That is why His peace is never cold or distant. He does not make peace by ignoring how people feel, but by entering in. Our peacemaking starts the same way: we listen long enough to understand, we feel with the other person, and only then do we look for the way forward together.
“…there is also a third way, and it is the best way to deal with conflict. It is the willingness to face conflict head on, to resolve it and to make it a link in the chain of a new process.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 227
“The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts.”Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes 1
“Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word “dialogue”.”Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti 198
The family group chat has gone quiet since the argument over the holidays. Two friends both want you on their side. At work the team has split into camps, and every meeting feels like a standoff. Chapter 49 says Jesus “lives in peace with everyone” and “merges His mind with the minds of the people.” He does not take sides against anyone; He enters into each person’s heart. You can be the one who reaches out first, asks how the other person is really doing, and listens without planning your comeback.
Try this today: Message one person you have drifted from after a conflict, and simply ask how they are doing.
Following the Shepherd Who Loves Us
“The people follow Him with their eyes and ears
He loves them all as His children”
The chapter concludes with the image of the people following Jesus with their eyes and ears, as He loves them all as His children. This imagery points to the intimate relationship Christ offers His followers, where they are not merely subjects to His leadership but beloved children, cherished and cared for by their Shepherd. In John 10:14-18, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep and is known by them, willing to lay down His life for them. He lovingly guides His followers, calling them to trust in His care and provision. Additionally, in 1 John 5:1-2, it is stated that everyone who loves the Father loves the children of God, emphasizing the familial bond between Christ and those He shepherds.
Notice how the people follow: “with their eyes and ears.” They watched what Jesus did and listened to what He said, and the two matched. That is how the first disciples came to Him. They saw, they heard, and they could not stay away.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life”
1 John 1:1ESV
We still follow Him that way. We hear His voice in the Gospel and in prayer, and we see Him in the Eucharist and in the people He places in our path. The more we listen, the better we know His voice among all the other voices calling for our attention.
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27NRSVue
And He knows each of us by name, because “He loves them all as His children.” We are not just His followers or His fans; we are God’s own children, bought at the price of the Shepherd’s life. A Shepherd like this is worth following with everything we have.
“For the Fourth Gospel, to believe is both to hear and to see. Faith’s hearing emerges as a form of knowing proper to love: it is a personal hearing, one which recognizes the voice of the Good Shepherd…”Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei 30
“…the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.”Catechism 754
“Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us… He has loved us all with a human heart.”Catechism 478
Think about how many voices you follow in a day: podcasts, influencers, the news, your group chats and every notification that lights up your phone. We follow whatever fills our eyes and ears. Chapter 49 says “the people follow Him with their eyes and ears,” and that “He loves them all as His children.” No algorithm knows you like that. The Good Shepherd knows your name, your past and what you are carrying today, and He is not trying to sell you anything. He just wants you home.
Try this today: Before you open your phone in the morning, read a few verses of the Gospel and let His voice be the first one you hear.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
This chapter highlights Christ’s perfect example of humility, righteousness, faithfulness, and peace, offering a model for His followers to emulate in their own relationships and interactions with others. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus leads His people with love, understanding, and unwavering commitment, drawing them closer to the Father through His perfect example.
Chapter 49 is a portrait of Jesus, and it is also an invitation. Each line describes the Good Shepherd, and each line shows who we can become by His grace: open-minded without losing the truth, fair to people who are unfair, faithful when others fail, and makers of peace in a divided world.
We do not get there by trying harder on our own. We get there by following Him with our eyes and ears, staying close to Him in prayer, at Mass and in Confession, and letting Him love us as His children. Then people begin to see and hear something of the Shepherd in us.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35ESV
“The baptized cannot pray to “our” Father without bringing before him all those for whom he gave his beloved Son. God’s love has no bounds, neither should our prayer.”Catechism 2793
“The first and last point of reference of this catechesis will always be Jesus Christ himself, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life.””Catechism 1698
Picture an ordinary Tuesday lived Chapter 49’s way. You listen to your kid’s long story without checking your phone. You stay polite with the customer who is rude to you. You keep the promise you made to a friend, even though something better came up. You let a sharp comment pass instead of firing back, and later you text, “Are you okay?” None of it would make the news. But people would see and hear the Good Shepherd in you, and some of them might start to follow Him too.
Try this today: Pick one line of Chapter 49 and live it on purpose today, then thank God tonight for where you saw Him at work.
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 49 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind, and Chapter 49 shows us whose mind to put on: “The Son of God has an open mind. He embraces the mind of others as His own.” Jesus did not size people up from a distance. He listened to the leper, the tax collector and the grieving sister, and He made their worries His own. St. Paul says, “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). God’s love opens a closed mind. It teaches us to hear people out before we decide who they are.
The chapter ends with the reason Jesus thinks this way: “He loves them all as His children.” Every person you meet today, the easy ones and the difficult ones, is someone God loves as His own child. St. John writes, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). When that truth sinks in, it changes how we think about ourselves and about everyone else. No one is a stranger to the Father’s heart.
Try this: Before you reply to someone you disagree with today, ask one honest question and listen to the whole answer.
Philippians 2:5NRSVue “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”
1 John 3:1NRSVue “3 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are…”
More Scripture: Romans 15:7 · Philippians 2:3-4
A renewed mind needs somewhere to look, and Chapter 49 says where: “The people follow Him with their eyes and ears.” We follow whatever holds our attention, and today countless voices compete for it. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27, NRSVue). Our aim is to keep our eyes on the Good Shepherd and our ears tuned to His voice, in the Gospel, in prayer and at Mass, so that we follow Him and not just the loudest feed.
We can trust where He leads because He does not give up on us. “He is faithful to the faithful. He is faithful to the unfaithful.” Peter denied Jesus, and the risen Lord came looking for him by the lake and gave him a new start (John 21:15-17). St. Paul says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13, NRSVue). So when we stumble, we do not run from the Shepherd. We turn back toward Him, because He has never stopped facing us.
Try this: When you fail today, do not hide from God. Say, “Jesus, You are faithful even when I am not,” and start again.
John 10:27NRSVue “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”
2 Timothy 2:13NRSVue “if we are faithless, he remains faithful— he cannot deny himself.”
More Scripture: John 10:14-15 · Hebrews 10:23
Renewal shows up in how we treat people. Chapter 49 says, “He is righteous to the righteous. He is righteous to the unrighteous.” Jesus does not save His goodness for those who earn it. He tells us, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45). The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to be fair and kind to the coworker who took the credit, the relative who hurt us and the stranger who was rude.
Then the chapter says, “He lives in peace with everyone,” and He “merges His mind with the minds of the people.” Living in peace is not pretending everything is fine. It is refusing to keep the war going in our hearts and in our words. St. Paul gives the practice: “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18, NRSVue). With the Spirit’s help we listen until we understand, and we “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15, ESV).
Try this: Pray by name for one person who has wronged you, and do one fair or kind thing for them this week.
Matthew 5:44-45NRSVue “But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”
Romans 12:18NRSVue “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
More Scripture: Romans 12:15 · 1 Peter 3:18
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Put on Christ’s open mind and see every person as God’s child, keep your eyes and ears on the Good Shepherd who stays faithful when we are not, and let the Spirit make you fair to all and a maker of peace.
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 stop with us. The Good Shepherd who found us now sends us after others. Chapter 49 shows how He goes: He “embraces the mind of others as His own,” He is “faithful to the unfaithful,” and He “lives in peace with everyone.” People still “follow Him with their eyes and ears,” and today many of them are watching us. Let them see and hear the Shepherd in how you love.
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 49 shows why: in a world that cancels, unfollows and gives up on people, they need fresh words about a Shepherd who is “faithful to the unfaithful.”
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 49 says Jesus “loves them all as His children.” That is the fire: we go out because the people we meet are already loved by Him.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 49 says “the people follow Him with their eyes and ears,” so let what people see in you match what they hear from you.
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 49 says the Son of God “has an open mind,” so we start by listening, not by winning the argument. Our tools can help, but the listening has to be ours.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 49 says “the people follow Him with their eyes and ears,” so let what people see in you match what they hear from you.
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 Shepherd who is “faithful to the unfaithful,” when did God stay with you even though you had walked away?
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 49 says the Son of God “has an open mind,” so we start by listening, not by winning the argument. Our tools can help, but the listening has to be ours.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 49, The Good Shepherd, helps anyone who feels they have let God down, or who is struggling to love someone who is hard to love.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 49 when someone feels they have been unfaithful to God, or is stuck in a conflict they cannot seem to end). 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 Jesus stay faithful to me when I keep failing Him?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. In the Sorrowful Mysteries we watch the Good Shepherd lay down His life, “the righteous for the unrighteous,” and Mary teaches us to stay close to Him.
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. There, in Confession, the Shepherd who is “faithful to the unfaithful” welcomes us back, and at Mass He feeds His flock.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A daily call to turn our eyes and ears back to the Good Shepherd.
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 49 says He “merges His mind with the minds of the people,” so start with the people whose worries you already know.
- 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 49 at dinner and ask: “Who is hard for us to love right now, and how can we be fair to them this week?”
- 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: “He is faithful to the faithful. He is faithful to the unfaithful.”
- 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 49, The Good Shepherd.
- 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 49 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- When a friend feels they have blown it with God, share the line “He is faithful to the unfaithful,” and tell them how Jesus found Peter by the lake.
- 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 a game day where rival fans trade insults, be the one who “lives in peace with everyone,” and let your kindness do the talking.
- Host a Chapter 49 “The Good Shepherd” 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: “He loves them all as His children”
- 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.
- Every culture knows what a shepherd is and what a parent’s love is, so Chapter 49’s Good Shepherd, who loves all as His children, speaks across every border.
- 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.
Some people will disagree with you. Some will let you down. Some will not want to hear it. But Chapter 49 shows a Shepherd who is “righteous to the unrighteous” and “faithful to the unfaithful,” and He goes with you. Go with an open mind. Go in peace. Go together. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you, to love every person you meet as a child of the Father.
Good Shepherd, faithful when we are not, Holy Spirit, set my heart on fire. Jesus, send me to the one You love. Father, make me Your witness today. Amen.
NRSVue © 2021 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.