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 65 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 65: Simplicity of Life
In ancient times, devout messengers of God used their wisdom not to enlighten people
But rather to be the way and the truth and the life 1
People become difficult to govern 2
Due to their excessive cleverness
Therefore, governing people with cleverness
Brings thieves among the people
Governing people without cleverness
Brings blessings upon the people
Know these two basic principles 1
Forever knowing these principles
Is a profound understanding of the Mystic Spirit
The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching 3
It returns all things to their natural state of perfect harmony 4
To Be the Way, Not Just Explain It
“In ancient times, devout messengers of God used their wisdom not to enlighten people
But rather to be the way and the truth and the life”
Chapter 65 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching highlights the wisdom found in simplicity, humility, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. The opening lines draw attention to the way God’s messengers throughout history did not use worldly cleverness to lead people but rather embodied the truth itself. This ultimately points to Christ, who declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Unlike the religious leaders of His time who relied on intellectual superiority and legalism, Jesus led with divine wisdom that was accessible to all, including the humble and childlike (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).
Notice the contrast in the very first line. The messengers had wisdom, yet they did not use it mainly “to enlighten people,” as if faith were a lecture to pass along. They used it “to be the way and the truth and the life.” Their lives were the message. Only Jesus can say those words fully about Himself. Everyone else who carries God’s wisdom does it by pointing to Him and walking in His steps.
“Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.”
James 3:13NRSVue
St. James is very practical here. Wisdom is measured not by how much we know or how well we explain it, but by a good life and humble deeds. St. Paul says the same about his own preaching. He did not lean on persuasive words, so that faith would rest on God’s power and not on human skill.
“and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:4-5ESV
That is freeing. You do not have to be the smartest person in the room to share your faith. A patient answer, an honest apology or a quiet act of kindness can show the Way more clearly than any clever argument.
“Faith in the Son introduces the disciples into the knowledge of the Father, because Jesus is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life.’ Faith bears its fruit in love: it means keeping the word and the commandments of Jesus…”Catechism 2614
“…a person’s perfection is measured not by the information or knowledge they possess, but by the depth of their charity.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 37
Your teenager rolls their eyes when you start another speech about faith. A coworker has heard every argument for and against God online. More words will not reach them. But they notice things: how you talk about people who are not in the room, whether you stay calm when the deadline slips, whether you pray before a meal even when it feels awkward. Chapter 65 says God’s messengers chose “to be the way and the truth and the life,” not just to explain it. Your ordinary day is already preaching.
Try this today: Skip one speech today and instead do one quiet thing that shows Jesus, like a patient answer or a kind word about someone who is not there.
Too Clever for Our Own Good
“People become difficult to govern
Due to their excessive cleverness”
The passage warns against excessive cleverness, as it often leads to corruption and oppression. Matthew 23:1-7 illustrates this principle, where Jesus condemns the Pharisees for burdening people with religious rules while seeking personal gain. When leaders govern with manipulation or selfish ambition, they create division and invite dishonesty. However, those who lead with sincerity, humility, and wisdom from God bring peace and blessings to those they serve. This aligns with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 3:19 that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” True wisdom does not come from human intellect but from a heart surrendered to God.
This line speaks first about the people themselves. Cleverness is not only a problem at the top. Any of us can become “difficult to govern,” not because we are truly free, but because we always have a way around the truth: an excuse ready, a loophole found, a reason why God’s word applies to everyone except us.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”
Proverbs 3:7NRSVue
Jesus saw this in the experts of His day. Many of them knew the Scriptures well, yet they could not receive Him, while fishermen, children and sinners could. Instead of being frustrated, He thanked His Father for it.
“…I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children”
Matthew 11:25ESV
The point is not that thinking is bad. God gave us minds to seek the truth. The trouble is a mind that uses its sharpness to stay in control instead of to listen. A childlike heart is not a simple mind; it is a teachable one.
“A healthy and humble use of reason in order to reflect on the theological and moral teaching of the Gospel is one thing. It is another to reduce Jesus’ teaching to a cold and harsh logic that seeks to dominate everything.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 39
“Gnosticism is one of the most sinister ideologies because, while unduly exalting knowledge or a specific experience, it considers its own vision of reality to be perfect.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 40
You know the routine. Someone at work suggests a better way, and you already have three reasons it will not work. A friend gently points out a habit, and your comeback is ready before they finish. Your spouse asks a simple question, and you answer a different one. None of it feels like a big sin, but it adds up to a heart that is hard to reach. Chapter 65 calls it “excessive cleverness.” The cure is not to stop thinking but to start listening, to people and to God.
Try this today: In one conversation today, listen all the way to the end before you answer, and ask God what He might be telling you through it.
When Leaders Play Clever Games
“Therefore, governing people with cleverness
Brings thieves among the people”
Now the chapter turns to those who lead. “Governing people with cleverness” means leading by angles: spin, half-truths, rules bent to suit ourselves, pressure dressed up as care. It may work for a while. But the chapter names what it really produces: “thieves among the people.” Jesus described leaders who loaded others down while keeping their own hands free.
“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”
Matthew 23:4ESV
When the people in charge play games, everyone learns the game. Workers cut corners because the boss does. Children learn to manipulate because they were manipulated. Clever leading teaches people to take, and what gets stolen is often bigger than money: trust, honesty, joy and peace. Jesus names the one behind every such theft, and He offers the opposite.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:10ESV
“Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged.”Catechism 2287
“…we cannot claim that our way of understanding this truth authorizes us to exercise a strict supervision over others’ lives.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 43
Think of the office where the manager promises a raise to keep you quiet and then “forgets.” Or the club where the rules apply to everyone except the leader’s friends. Or the home where one person wins every argument by twisting words. Soon people start hiding things, padding hours and saying only what the boss wants to hear. Chapter 65 put a name to it long ago: “governing people with cleverness brings thieves among the people.” If you lead anyone, even one child, your honesty or your games will be copied.
Try this today: If you lead anyone, even at home, find one place where you have used pressure or spin, and replace it today with a plain, honest word.
Plain Hearts Bring Blessing
“Governing people without cleverness
Brings blessings upon the people”
Then comes the good news: “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.” Leading without cleverness does not mean leading without thought. It means leading without tricks. Jesus gave His followers a simple pattern for their words, one that leaves no room for games.
“…Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:37NRSVue
A plain yes and a plain no build something precious: trust. When people know their leader means what he says and wants their good, they can relax, grow and give their best. That is the blessing the chapter promises. And Jesus turned the whole idea of leading upside down.
“The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 23:11-12NRSVue
This is the way for every Christian who leads, from a parent at the kitchen table to a manager, a coach or a pastor. Serve first. Speak plainly. Keep your word. Blessings follow, not because we are clever, but because God honors humble hearts.
“Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity.”Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 3
“The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth.”Catechism 2464
Picture the coach whose players would run through a wall for him, not because he yells but because he is fair and keeps his word. Or the grandmother whose house everyone wants to be in, because there are no games there, only honesty and a warm plate. Or the teacher who admits when she does not know. People flourish around leaders like that. Chapter 65 says “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.” Whoever looks to you, a whole team or one toddler, can receive that blessing.
Try this today: Give one person who looks to you a plain, honest word of thanks today, and keep one promise to them exactly as you made it.
Two Paths, Known Forever
“Know these two basic principles
Forever knowing these principles
Is a profound understanding of the Mystic Spirit”
The chapter then speaks of knowing two fundamental principles—governing without cleverness and embracing simplicity. This reflects the deep wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who does not operate through deception or control but through truth and transformation (1 Corinthians 2:9-11). The Spirit’s work is not limited to mere knowledge but reaches deep into the hearts of people, bringing them back to their natural state of harmony with God. This restoration is ultimately fulfilled through Christ, who reconciles all things to Himself (Hebrews 12:22-24).
Look closely at the word “forever.” It is not enough to learn these two principles once, the way we memorize a fact for a test. They have to be known again every day, in every choice. Scripture has always put it this way: two paths lie before us, and God pleads with us to choose the one that leads to life.
“…that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live”
Deuteronomy 30:19ESV
The chapter calls this lasting knowledge “a profound understanding of the Mystic Spirit.” It is not secret knowledge for a few experts. St. Paul says it belongs to every believer: the Spirit lets us see things the way Christ sees them, so that we can tell clever from wise and choose well.
“But we have the mind of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 2:16
“According to Scripture the Law is a fatherly instruction by God which prescribes for man the ways that lead to the promised beatitude, and proscribes the ways of evil.”Catechism 1975
“…true Christian wisdom can never be separated from mercy towards our neighbour: ‘The greatest possible wisdom is to share fruitfully what we have to give…’”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 46
Every day brings small forks in the road. You can pad the expense report or report it straight. You can forward the screenshot that makes someone look bad or delete it. You can answer your mother with a clever dig or with patience. Nobody announces these as big moral moments, but they are. Chapter 65 says “Forever knowing these principles is a profound understanding of the Mystic Spirit.” Knowing them forever simply means choosing the honest, humble path again today, with the Spirit’s help.
Try this today: At the end of today, name one moment when you chose the simple, honest way, and thank the Holy Spirit for helping you.
The Spirit Who Sets All Things Right
“The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching
It returns all things to their natural state of perfect harmony”
The last two lines lift our eyes from our own efforts to the work of God. “The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching.” Our cleverness stays on the surface. It can manage people, but it cannot change a heart. The Spirit goes all the way down, to places we cannot see in others or even in ourselves.
“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:10ESV
And the Spirit goes far. He does not fix one corner and leave the rest. “It returns all things to their natural state of perfect harmony.” This is what God wanted from the beginning: people at peace with Him, with each other and with all He made. Christ won that peace on the Cross, and the Spirit brings it home.
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Colossians 1:19-20ESV
So when things are out of tune, in a marriage, a parish or our own heart, we do not have to force harmony with clever plans. We pray, we forgive, and we make room for the Spirit, who knows how to restore what we cannot.
“The grace of the Holy Spirit confers upon us the righteousness of God. Uniting us by faith and Baptism to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us sharers in his life.”Catechism 2017
“Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.”Origen, quoted in Catechism 817
Maybe it is the sibling you have not really spoken to since the funeral. Or the group chat that went quiet after one sharp message. Or the part of you that has grown cynical and tired. You have tried the clever fixes: the perfectly worded text, the strategic silence, pretending it does not matter. Chapter 65 offers something better: “The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching.” He can reach where your words cannot. Ask Him in, and take the one small step He shows you.
Try this today: Name one broken relationship in prayer today, ask the Holy Spirit to bring His harmony there, and take one small step toward peace.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
In the Christian walk, this chapter encourages believers to reject prideful intellect and instead embrace the simplicity of faith. Jesus did not call His followers to outwit the world but to live with purity, humility, and reliance on the Spirit (John 16:13). True wisdom is found not in human reasoning but in surrendering to God’s guidance, allowing Him to restore all things to their rightful order.
So Chapter 65 leaves us with a simple way of life. Let wisdom show in how you live, not in how clever you sound. Refuse the games, the spin and the hidden angles, at work, at home and online. Lead, wherever you lead, with plain words and a servant’s heart. And trust the Holy Spirit, who reaches deeper and further than any plan of ours.
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8NRSVue
“There can be any number of theories about what constitutes holiness, with various explanations and distinctions. Such reflection may be useful, but nothing is more enlightening than turning to Jesus’ words and seeing his way of teaching the truth. Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes…”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 63
“Even before revealing himself to man in words of truth, God reveals himself to him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his wisdom: the order and harmony of the cosmos – which both the child and the scientist discover…”Catechism 2500
Simplicity of life is not about owning less or moving to the country. It is about having nothing to hide. It looks like the dad who tells his kids, “I was wrong,” the student who does her own work when everyone else takes shortcuts, the manager who tells the team the plain truth. It feels lighter, too: no stories to keep straight, no image to protect. Chapter 65 promises that this simple, honest way brings blessings, and that the Spirit will do the deep work we cannot.
Try this today: Choose one area of your life where you have been playing it clever, and make it simple and honest today.
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 65 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts with how we think about wisdom. Chapter 65 says God’s devout messengers “used their wisdom not to enlighten people,” but “rather to be the way and the truth and the life.” Most of us were trained to win the argument, to have the best answer in the group chat, to look smart. Jesus did not come only to give us better information. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). So a renewed mind stops asking, “How do I sound?” and starts asking, “How do I live?”
The chapter warns that people become hard to lead “due to their excessive cleverness.” We know that cleverness from the inside: the ready excuse, the spin we put on a story, the way we can argue ourselves out of what our conscience already knows. St. Paul says, “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:19). This is not a call to stop thinking. It is a call to stop hiding behind our thinking, and to let God’s simple truth have the last word.
Try this: The next time you feel the urge to prove you are right, pause and ask Jesus, “How would You live this moment?”
John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
James 3:13NRSVue “Who is wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.”
More Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 · Proverbs 3:5-7
A renewed mind needs a direction, and Chapter 65 sets one: “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.” Whether we lead a team, a classroom, a family or simply a friendship, we aim to lead the way Jesus did. He warned that the clever leaders of His day “do not practice what they preach,” and then He gave the better way: “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:3, 11). Our aim is not to manage people well. It is to serve them well.
The opposite is just as clear: “governing people with cleverness brings thieves among the people.” When a boss plays games, the team learns to play games. When a parent fibs to get out of a promise, the kids learn that words are cheap. Clever leading steals trust, time and peace. So we aim for the wisdom St. James describes, “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate… impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Plain words, kept promises and no hidden agenda are where blessings begin.
Try this: Today, keep one small promise exactly as you said it, and if you cannot, say so plainly.
Matthew 23:11-12NRSVue “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
James 3:17NRSVue “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits…”
More Scripture: Philippians 2:3 · Proverbs 10:9
Renewal becomes real in daily practice. Chapter 65 says, “Know these two basic principles,” and then adds, “Forever knowing these principles.” Clever or simple, spin or truth, grabbing or serving: this choice is not made once. It comes back in every meeting, every text and every argument at home. So we practice choosing, again and again. St. Paul says we have received “the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us” (1 Corinthians 2:12). We never choose alone.
The chapter ends with a promise: “The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching,” and “It returns all things to their natural state of perfect harmony.” The Spirit reaches places our cleverness never could: an old grudge, a cold silence in the family, a heart tangled in its own excuses. Our part is to cooperate. We take the first step toward peace, we listen before we answer, and we let the Spirit do the deep work. Jesus calls such people blessed: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9).
Try this: Think of one relationship that is out of tune and pray, “Holy Spirit, go deep here and bring Your harmony,” then take one small step toward peace.
1 Corinthians 2:12NRSVue “Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.”
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
More Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 · Romans 12:18
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Let wisdom be a way you live rather than a way you shine, lead with plain honesty instead of cleverness, and let the Holy Spirit return every broken thing to God’s harmony.
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 end with us. Chapter 65 says God’s devout messengers “used their wisdom not to enlighten people,” but “rather to be the way and the truth and the life.” That changes how we go out. We are not sent to out-argue anyone or to dazzle them with clever answers. We are sent to live the Way, Jesus Christ, so plainly that people can see Him. People are not won by our cleverness; they are blessed by a life that simply shows the Way.
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 65 shows why: a world full of spin, clever marketing and endless hot takes needs fresh, honest words that point to the One who is the way and the truth and the life.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 65 says “The Holy Spirit runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching.” That is the fire we carry: not our own cleverness, but the Spirit who reaches hearts we never could.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 65 warns against “excessive cleverness,” so keep your words simple, honest and warm; a plain yes and a kept promise speak louder than a brilliant argument.
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 65 says “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.” Our tools follow the same rule: no tricks and no pressure, just an honest, open door.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 65 warns against “excessive cleverness,” so keep your words simple, honest and warm; a plain yes and a kept promise speak louder than a brilliant argument.
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. When did someone’s simple honesty, not their clever words, show you the way to God?
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 65 says “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.” Our tools follow the same rule: no tricks and no pressure, just an honest, open door.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 65, Simplicity of Life, helps anyone tired of spin and mind games, anyone who leads others, and anyone who has tried to outthink God.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 65 when someone feels manipulated at work or at home, or keeps overthinking a decision instead of trusting God). 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 lead my family or my team without playing games?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. The Rosary is wisdom without cleverness: simple prayers repeated with love, as Mary leads us to Jesus, who is the way and the truth and the life.
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 and at Mass, the Holy Spirit does what the chapter promises: He “returns all things to their natural state of perfect harmony.”
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A simple daily rhythm, because “Forever knowing these principles” means choosing God’s way every day.
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 65 says governing “without cleverness brings blessings upon the people,” so the people around you are blessed first by how honestly you treat them.
- 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.
- At dinner, read Chapter 65 and ask: “Where did we choose simple and honest today, and where did we try to be clever?”
- 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: “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.”
- 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 65, Simplicity of Life.
- 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 65 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 worn out by a boss who plays games, share the line “governing people with cleverness brings thieves among the people,” and pray with them for a plain, honest way forward.
- 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, cheap tricks spoil the fun for everyone; share that Chapter 65 says cleverness “brings thieves among the people,” while honest play brings blessings.
- Host a Chapter 65 “Simplicity of Life” 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: “Governing people without cleverness brings blessings upon the people.”
- 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 the pain of clever, crooked leaders and the blessing of honest ones, a natural bridge to Jesus, who is the way and the truth and the life.
- 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 be tempted to win people with clever words, quick comebacks or a little spin. Chapter 65 shows a better way: live the truth so simply that others can see the Way. Go honestly. Go humbly. Go together. The same Spirit who renewed you, the Spirit who “runs deep-penetrating and far-reaching,” now sends you to help Him return all things to God’s harmony.
Holy Spirit, deep and far-reaching, 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.