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 1: Mystery of God
If you can talk about it 1
It is not the Eternal God
If you can name it 2
It is not the Eternal Name
The nameless, is the origin of Heaven and Earth 3
The nameable, is the mother of all things 4
Free from desire, one observes the Spirit 5
Filled with desire, one observes the flesh
The two emerge and become one of the same body 6
Yet differ in name
This unity is the Mystery of God
Mystery of mysteries
The gateway to wonders
The God Beyond Our Words
“If you can talk about it, it is not the Eternal God.
If you can name it, it is not the Eternal Name.”
Chapter 1 of the Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching invites us into the greatest mystery of all — the mystery of God.
It teaches that God’s infinite nature can never be fully contained by human language, concepts, or names. The opening lines remind us that if God could be spoken or named in full, He would not be the Eternal God; His essence always remains greater than our understanding. Yet God graciously reveals Himself throughout salvation history — so He is at once revealed and hidden.
Jesus Himself reveals this mystery:
“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
Matthew 11:27
Likewise, Christ prays:
“Righteous Father, the world does not know You, but I know You.”
John 17:25
These passages remind us that God’s true nature is beyond full human comprehension. Faith is therefore not merely acquiring knowledge about God, but entering into a living relationship with Him.
“Even when he reveals himself, God remains a mystery beyond words: ‘If you understood him, it would not be God.’”Catechism of the Catholic Church 230, quoting St. Augustine
“The invisible God out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends and lives among them, so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself.”Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 2
The Church holds both truths together: God is beyond us, and God comes close to us. Chapter 1 opens with the first truth so that we can receive the second as a gift.
It is midnight and you are still scrolling, looking for something you cannot name. You can ask your phone anything: the weather, a recipe, the meaning of a word. But when life gets heavy — a hard diagnosis, a breakup, a child who will not talk to you — no search bar has the answer you need. Chapter 1 tells the truth: God is bigger than anything we can type into a box. And yet He is not far away. He is closer than your phone, and He wants to talk with you like a friend.
Try this today: Tonight, before you check your phone one last time, say one honest sentence to God instead.
The Nameless and the Named
“The nameless, is the origin of Heaven and Earth.
The nameable, is the mother of all things.”
The chapter begins by distinguishing between the Nameless and the Named. The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth — God’s eternal and transcendent nature, the divine source that existed before creation itself. The Named is the mother of all things — the visible, manifest world through which God’s glory becomes known.
Genesis begins with this same movement:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1–2
God exists before creation. Creation exists because of God. The invisible Creator makes Himself known through His visible creation. As St. Paul writes,
“Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature … has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.”
Romans 1:20
Thus the visible world continually points beyond itself toward its invisible Creator.
“It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name… he is the ‘hidden God’, his name is ineffable, and he is the God who makes himself close to men.”Catechism 206, on the name “I AM”
“Starting from movement, becoming, contingency, and the world’s order and beauty, one can come to a knowledge of God as the origin and the end of the universe.”Catechism 32
“Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 84
Think about your day: alarm, screen, coffee, screen, car, screen, work, screen. Many of us can go a whole week without really looking at the sky. Yet the same God who made the stars made the person next to you on the bus, the dog that greets you at the door, the friend who calls at just the right moment. Chapter 1 says the visible world is how the invisible God gets our attention. Every good thing around you is a note from Him.
Try this today: Step outside for two minutes today, look up, and thank God for one thing you can see.
Free from Desire and Filled with Desire
“Free from desire, one observes the Spirit.
Filled with desire, one observes the flesh.”
Lao Tzu contrasts two ways of seeing reality — being free from desire and being filled with desire. Within the Christian life these represent two different spiritual dispositions.
When our hearts are free from disordered desires, we become open to the movement of the Holy Spirit and begin to perceive God’s presence. When we are consumed by selfish desires, our attention stays fixed on the temporary things of the flesh — a metaphor for the sinful nature that draws us away from God’s will. St. Paul describes this same reality:
“Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
Romans 8:5
The Christian journey is therefore a continual transformation — moving from a life led by selfish desire toward a life led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9–18).
“The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.”Catechism 27
“Desire for true happiness frees man from his immoderate attachment to the goods of this world so that he can find his fulfillment in the vision and beatitude of God.”Catechism 2548
“…you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”St. Augustine, Confessions, quoted in Catechism 30
You buy the thing you wanted, and a week later you want the next thing. You post a photo and keep checking the likes. You see someone’s vacation, house or body online and suddenly your own life feels like not enough. That pull is not an accident; many apps are built to keep us wanting. Chapter 1 calls it being “filled with desire,” and says that when we live that way, we see only the flesh. God does not ask you to stop wanting. He asks you to want Him most, so everything else can find its right place.
Try this today: Pick one thing you scroll, buy or chase out of habit, and give it up for one day as a small gift to God.
The Two Become One
“The two emerge and become one of the same body,
yet differ in name.”
One of the most profound statements of Chapter 1 declares that the two — the Nameless and the Named — emerge together, yet differ in name. Together they are called Mystery.
Rather than saying they “become one of the same body,” the deeper truth is this: the two emerge from the same divine source; though distinct in name, they are united in origin and find their fullest fulfillment in Christ, where the visible and invisible, the human and divine, are perfectly united. From a Christian perspective, this mystery can be contemplated on several levels.
Body and Spirit
God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed into him the breath of life. Body and spirit are distinct, yet together they become one human person.
The Visible and the Invisible
The visible world allows us to encounter signs of the invisible God. Creation becomes a doorway leading us toward the Creator.
Divine and Human
The fullest revelation of this mystery is Jesus Christ. In Him the divine and human are perfectly united — fully God and fully man, two natures united in one Person.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
John 1:14
This mystery reveals that unity does not eliminate distinction. Rather, true unity perfects it.
“The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the ‘form’ of the body.”Catechism 365
“One and the same Christ… is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division or separation.”Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451), quoted in Catechism 467
“Christ… by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.”Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes 22
Some days we treat our body like a machine: run on caffeine, skip sleep, push through. Other days we feel ashamed of it because it does not look like the pictures online. And sometimes we pray as if our body does not matter at all. Chapter 1 says the two belong together. Your body and your soul are one you. Rest, a meal eaten with gratitude, a hug, kneeling to pray, receiving Communion: these are not small things. They are how your whole self comes home to God.
Try this today: Pray once today with your body too: kneel, make the Sign of the Cross slowly, or open your hands as you pray.
The Mystery of the Trinity
“This unity is the Mystery of God.”
Chapter 1 reaches its deepest fulfillment in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is not directly stated by Lao Tzu, yet Christians can recognize in this language a preparation for the fuller revelation given through Christ. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, yet one God.
St. Paul speaks of this same unity — of the Spirit, the Lord, and the Father, all distinct yet united in one:
“There is one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.”
Ephesians 4:4–6
He likewise describes the Church as the body of Christ, where many members make up one body (1 Corinthians 12:12–14) — a unity that mirrors God’s own: distinct in person, united in essence. And so he blesses the faithful in the name of all three:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
The same pattern echoes at every level: body and spirit are distinct yet one person; the visible and invisible are distinct yet united; Christ’s divine and human natures are distinct yet perfectly one. The Trinity is the supreme example that distinction and unity are not opposites, but expressions of perfect love.
“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself.”Catechism 234
“The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.”Second Vatican Council, Nostra Aetate 2
“The Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as ‘a preparation for the Gospel…’”Catechism 843
This is why a Christian reading of the Tao Te Ching is possible: every true glimpse of God, wherever it is found, can lead a seeker toward Christ.
Think of the family group chat after an election, or a dinner table where nobody agrees. We often think there are only two choices: everyone must think the same, or we stop talking. The Trinity shows a better way. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are truly different Persons, yet one God, perfectly united in love. That is the model for your marriage, your family, your workplace and your parish: you can be different and still be one, when love goes first.
Try this today: Reach out today to someone you disagree with, not to win, but to listen.
Mystery of Mysteries
“Mystery of mysteries.”
The chapter concludes: Mystery of mysteries. For Christians, the Trinity is the central mystery of our faith, and every other mystery flows from it:
- Creation
- The Incarnation
- Redemption
- The Church
- The Eucharist
- Eternal Life
The deeper we enter God’s mystery, the more we discover His love. Mystery is not something to solve — it is Someone to encounter.
“The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life.’”Catechism 1324
“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est 1
Think of someone you have loved for years: a spouse, a parent, a best friend. You will never “finish” knowing them, and that is not frustrating; it is beautiful. God is like that, only infinitely more. Faith is not a puzzle you solve once and put away. It is a relationship that keeps growing. That is why Mass is never just “the same thing again”: every time, the God no one can fully name comes close enough to receive.
Try this today: At your next Mass, when the Host is lifted up, quietly say, “My Lord and my God.”
The Gateway to Wonders
“The gateway to wonders.”
Lao Tzu concludes that this mystery is “the gateway to all wonders.” Jesus reveals Himself as that gateway:
“I am the gate.”
John 10:9
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6
Through Christ we enter the mystery of the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. This gateway is the path to eternal life, opening through faith in Jesus and the transformative work of the Spirit. Wonder is born not from possessing all knowledge, but from walking ever more deeply into communion with God.
“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 3
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God…”Catechism 2559, quoting St. John Damascene
When was the last time something truly amazed you? We have seen it all on video, read every review, watched every spoiler. Children still have wonder; many adults lose it. Jesus said He is the gate. When we walk through Him, ordinary things become extraordinary again: a family meal becomes a blessing, a hard day becomes an offering, a stranger becomes someone God loves.
Try this today: Tonight, name three wonders from your day, even small ones, and thank God for each.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
Chapter 1 teaches that evangelization begins not with arguments but with encounter. The New Evangelization calls us to become witnesses who lead others beyond information into transformation. Like the visible world revealing the invisible Creator, our lives should become living signs that point others toward Christ — and every witness story becomes a gateway through which others may discover the mystery of God’s love.
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”Saint Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi 41
“Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.”Saint John Paul II, Fides et Ratio
Your coworker is stressed. Your neighbor just lost someone. Your friend says, “I don’t really believe in all that.” You do not need a theology degree or a perfect answer; Chapter 1 says no one can fully explain God anyway. What people notice is how you live: calm in a crisis, kind when you could be sharp, honest about your own struggles, and full of hope. That is often what makes someone ask, “Where does your peace come from?”
Try this today: Ask one person this week, “How can I pray for you?” and then really pray for them.
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 1 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind. Chapter 1 opens with “If you can name it, it is not the Eternal Name.” God is greater than any word we have for Him, so we begin with humility and stay teachable. Jesus says no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him (Matthew 11:27), so we come to God as children, ready to be shown, not as experts who have Him figured out.
We remember that everything we see comes from a Source we cannot see, so we do not let the material world become our whole world. We notice how wanting things can cloud our view, and we choose to want God more. When life holds opposites side by side, like suffering and growth, or weakness and strength, we trust that God’s wisdom is bigger than our confusion. The chapter ends with “Mystery of mysteries,” and a mystery is not a problem to solve; it is Someone to meet. And so we keep a sense of wonder, expecting to find God in ordinary days.
Try this: When you do not have an answer, say so, and let it lead you to prayer instead of worry. Then pray: “Lord, You are greater than my words. Show me who You are.”
Job 36:26NRSVue “Surely God is great…”
Judges 13:18NRSVue “…Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful.”
More Scripture: Proverbs 3:5 · Isaiah 55:8 · Hebrews 11:3 · Psalm 19:1
A renewed mind needs a direction. The chapter shows two sides of God’s work: “The nameless, is the origin of Heaven and Earth,” and “the nameable, is the mother of all things,” the visible world He made. Creation is good, but it is not the goal; it points past itself to its Creator (Romans 1:20). We stop needing to control or fully explain God, and we set our sights on what lasts, looking through what we see toward the One we cannot see. All things were created through Christ and for Him, so we look past passing worries and keep our eyes on Him. In Him the visible and the invisible, the human and the divine, are perfectly one.
We aim for what the Spirit wants over the pull of the flesh, choosing what serves God and others over comfort or applause. In conflict or hard seasons, we look for the good God can bring out of it. The chapter calls this mystery “the gateway to wonders,” and Jesus says, “I am the gate” (John 10:9). And we aim to stay grateful, seeing God’s fingerprints in nature, in people, and in small kindnesses, as Christ leads us to the Father.
Try this: Before a big choice, ask: does this point me toward Christ, or only toward what I want right now? Christ is the gateway; aim every choice through Him.
Genesis 1:1ESV “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
John 14:6NRSVue “…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
More Scripture: Colossians 1:16 · Matthew 6:24 · 1 Corinthians 1:25 · Romans 11:33 · Ephesians 3:20
Renewal becomes real in daily life. The chapter names two ways of seeing: “Free from desire, one observes the Spirit. Filled with desire, one observes the flesh.” St. Paul says the same: those who live by the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). So we practice letting go. We practice humility by listening more than we speak, asking for God’s guidance instead of forcing our own plans, and putting the needs of others first. We make time for prayer and Scripture so God stays at the center of what we do.
Before decisions, we pause, pray, and listen for the Holy Spirit, letting go of the chase for money, status, or approval. The chapter also shows that what is distinct can still be united, like body and spirit in one person, or many members in the one Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12), so we pray with body and soul together and stay close to the Church. When setbacks come, we see them as part of God’s refining, not as failure. And we slow down to marvel at God’s work all around us.
Try this: Take one quiet moment each day to thank God for something you would normally rush past. Then name one want you can let go of today, so you can notice the Spirit.
Romans 8:5NRSVue “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 6:19NRSVue “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God…”
More Scripture: Galatians 5:16 · James 4:10 · Matthew 6:33 · Proverbs 11:2
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Before the Mystery of God, stay humble about what you cannot name, look through what is seen to the One unseen, and let go of desire so the Spirit can lead.
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. When God changes a heart, He sends it out. Chapter 1 teaches that no one can fully name God, and that is good news for every missionary: you do not need all the answers. You only need to have met Him, and to help others meet Him too. Mystery is not something to solve; it is Someone to encounter. The chapter ends at “the gateway to wonders,” and Jesus is that gate (John 10:9). Every person you meet is invited through it.
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 1 shows why: no word can ever hold God, so every generation needs fresh words that point to the same Mystery.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 1 says, “Free from desire, one observes the Spirit.” The fire grows when we want God more than anything else.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 1 reminds us that no word can fully hold God, so you do not need perfect words. You need honest ones.
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 1 teaches that the visible world points to the invisible God. Our tools are visible things too: a page, a song, a phone, each one pointing past itself to Christ.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 1 reminds us that no word can fully hold God, so you do not need perfect words. You need honest ones.
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 “gateway to wonders,” what do you notice now that you missed before?
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 1 teaches that the visible world points to the invisible God. Our tools are visible things too: a page, a song, a phone, each one pointing past itself to Christ.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 1, Mystery of God, is a gentle first step for anyone who says, “No one can explain God.”
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 1 when someone feels God is far away or hard to understand). 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: “If no one can fully name God, how can we know Him?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. Each mystery of the Rosary is a doorway into the Mystery of God that Chapter 1 points to.
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 the Eucharist, the God no one can name comes close enough to receive.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going, with a heart kept free for the Spirit.
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 1 calls God “the origin of Heaven and Earth,” so there is no place you can go where He is not already waiting.
- 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 1 together and ask: “What is one word for God that is too small?”
- 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: “Mystery is not something to solve; it is Someone to encounter.”
- 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 1, Mystery of God.
- 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 1 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- Ask, “What do you think God is like?” Then share the first lines of Chapter 1.
- 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.
- A sunset at the park or a great game can lead to “Who made all this?” Chapter 1 says the Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth.
- Host a Chapter 1 “Mystery of God” 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: “If you can name it, it is not the Eternal Name.”
- 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.
- Chapter 1 speaks to people of every faith, a good first step where Christ is not yet known.
- 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 say it perfectly. No one can name God fully. But the world is not waiting for perfect words; it is waiting for witnesses on fire with love. Go with humility. Go with joy. Go together. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you. Chapter 1 ends at “the gateway to wonders.” Go and open that gate for someone.
God beyond every name, 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.