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 27: Essential Wonder of God
Good travelers do not leave tracks 1
Good orators do not seek errors 2
Good reckoners do not use counters 3
Good rulers need no bars 4
Thus no one can open it
Good binders need no ropes
Thus no one can untie it
Therefore, God saves others 5
And abandons no one
God saves all things
And abandons nothing
This is called following the light of God
Therefore, good men are teachers of bad men 6
Bad men are lessons for good men
If you fail to value and learn the lessons from your teachers
Then intelligence counts for nothing
This is the essential wonder of God’s love 7
Goodness That Leaves No Tracks
“Good travelers do not leave tracks
Good orators do not seek errors
Good reckoners do not use counters”
Chapter 27 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching highlights the humility and mercy found in the nature of God and the example set by Christ. The chapter begins by describing qualities of virtuous people, such as travelers who leave no trace, orators who avoid seeking errors, and rulers who need no barriers. These descriptions emphasize how true goodness operates without force or outward displays. Similarly, God’s actions are not coercive or manipulative but are marked by grace and mercy. As described in 1 Peter 3:18, Christ “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,” demonstrating the selfless nature of divine mercy. Just as a ruler might not need bars or ropes to govern, God’s authority is not about domination but about saving and restoring, as He “abandons no one” and “saves all things.”
Look closer at the first three pictures. “Good travelers do not leave tracks.” Jesus sent His disciples out with a staff and sandals and little else (Mark 6:8-9). They carried no baggage, and they left no trail of self-promotion behind them. Their goodness pointed to God, not to themselves.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1NRSVue
“Good orators do not seek errors.” A good speaker is not the one who wins every argument by catching the other person in a mistake. Jesus warned, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37). Christian speech looks first for what is true and good in the other person, and corrects, when it must, with love.
“Good reckoners do not use counters.” A counter was a small token for keeping a tally. When Peter wanted a limit on forgiveness, Jesus answered, “not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). God’s mercy keeps no ledger, and neither does the love He pours into us.
“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs”
1 Corinthians 13:4-5NRSVue
“To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it.”Catechism 2478
“There is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness…”Catechism 2845
You spot a typo in a coworker’s email to the whole team and feel the itch to hit “Reply all.” A friend cancels again, and you add it to the mental list of every time they have let you down. You help a neighbor, then mention it, casually, more than once. Chapter 27 gently names all of it: “Good travelers do not leave tracks. Good orators do not seek errors. Good reckoners do not use counters.” God is inviting you to let the typo go, put the list down, and let your goodness stay quiet.
Try this today: Stop replaying one item on your mental list of other people’s failures, and pray for that person by name instead.
Held Without Bars or Ropes
“Good rulers need no bars
Thus no one can open it
Good binders need no ropes
Thus no one can untie it”
Next the chapter turns to rulers and binders: “Good rulers need no bars. Thus no one can open it.” A ruler who must lock everything down has already lost the hearts of his people. What a good ruler keeps is safe without bars, because it is guarded by trust. Jesus showed this kind of authority.
“They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”
Mark 1:22NRSVue
Jesus had no army, no palace and no prison, yet people left everything to follow Him. He trapped no one. He invited, healed and taught, and His word carried a weight no scribe could match. The deepest authority comes from truth and love, not from force.
“Good binders need no ropes. Thus no one can untie it.” Ropes can be cut, but love is a bond that holds. God speaks this way through the prophet Hosea. He does not drag His people; He draws them. And nothing in all creation can untie the bond of His love (Romans 8:38-39).
“I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.”
Hosea 11:4ESV
“The truth cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance into the mind at once quietly and with power.”Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis Humanae 1
“The New Law is a law of love, a law of grace, a law of freedom.”Catechism 1985
Rules and boundaries still matter. The point is that God’s law is fulfilled from the inside, by love poured into our hearts, not by fear.
Think of a parent who tracks every app and reads every text, and still feels the kids slipping away. Or a manager who checks every keystroke and wonders why nobody stays. Bars and ropes can hold a body in place, but they cannot hold a heart. Chapter 27 says “Good binders need no ropes,” yet “no one can untie it.” The kids who come home and the team that stays are usually held by something stronger: someone who listened, kept their word and loved them first.
Try this today: In one relationship where you tend to control, trade one rule or reminder today for a real conversation.
The God Who Abandons No One
“Therefore, God saves others
And abandons no one
God saves all things
And abandons nothing
This is called following the light of God”
The chapter also reflects the way God’s mercy works in the world. God does not abandon anyone, no matter their faults or failures, and His love reaches all people. This understanding of mercy is rooted in the Christian belief that God’s love is all-encompassing, forgiving even the most grievous sins, as demonstrated by the sacrificial love of Christ on the cross. This is also echoed in 1 Peter 3:18, which speaks to Christ’s willingness to suffer for the unrighteous, highlighting God’s unconditional grace and mercy.
The chapter says it twice so we will not miss it: God “abandons no one,” and He “abandons nothing.” Jesus told of a shepherd who leaves the flock to search for one lost sheep. In God’s eyes no one is just a number, and no one is too far gone to be worth the search.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”
Luke 15:4ESV
“God saves all things” reaches even wider. Through the Cross, God is reconciling “all things” to Himself (Colossians 1:20) and making the whole creation new. Yet He never forces His love on us. He offers salvation to every person, and we remain free to receive it or turn away. So He keeps knocking.
“This is called following the light of God.” To follow His light is to love the way He loves: to keep looking for the lost and to keep hoping for the people we would rather give up on. Jesus is that light, and whoever follows Him does not walk in darkness.
“…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12NRSVue
“The Church prays that no one should be lost: ‘Lord, let me never be parted from you.’ If it is true that no one can save himself, it is also true that God ‘desires all men to be saved’ (1 Tim 2:4), and that for him ‘all things are possible’ (Mt 19:26).”Catechism 1058
“God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us.”St. Augustine, quoted in Catechism 1847
God abandons no one, and He also respects our freedom. That is why the Church prays for everyone, and why every person still matters.
Maybe it is the brother who has not called in years. The friend who went quiet after rehab. The classmate everyone stopped inviting. Most of us have someone we have quietly written off, and some of us feel written off ourselves. Chapter 27 does not let either one stand: God “saves others” and “abandons no one.” He has not unfriended anyone. If He is still seeking them, we can still pray for them. If He is still seeking you, you can still come home.
Try this today: Pray by name for one person you have given up on, and if you can, send them a simple “thinking of you.”
Teachers and Lessons
“Therefore, good men are teachers of bad men
Bad men are lessons for good men”
Furthermore, the chapter teaches that good men are often teachers to those who are bad, and bad men serve as lessons for the good. This dynamic mirrors the way in which Jesus taught His disciples through both parables and direct confrontation with the shortcomings of others. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus emphasizes that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, showing that both righteous and unrighteous people have something to learn from each other, through God’s guidance. Bad men are not to be despised but seen as opportunities for growth, as they teach humility, patience, and the necessity of God’s grace.
Notice that the chapter does not sort the world into winners and losers. It ties both kinds of people together. Good people teach by how they live, often without a single word. Their patience, honesty and kindness show the rest of us what is possible. St. Paul even dared to say, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
And “bad men are lessons for good men.” Their mistakes show us where the road goes wrong. But the lesson is never “I am better than they are.” Scripture tells us to restore a fallen brother or sister gently, and to watch ourselves, because we can fall too. Often the hardest lesson is finding the same fault in our own hearts.
“My brothers and sisters, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.”
Galatians 6:1NRSVue
“Jesus did not abolish the Law but fulfilled it by giving its ultimate interpretation in a divine way…”Catechism 581
“I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile.”Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate 7
“Conversion is accomplished in daily life by gestures of reconciliation… by the admission of faults to one’s brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of conscience…”Catechism 1435
Your coworker loses her temper in a meeting, and that night you catch yourself doing the same thing at home. Your dad never apologized, and now you are learning to say “I’m sorry” to your own kids. A friend’s quiet faith through chemo teaches you more than any sermon. Chapter 27 sees it all: “Good men are teachers of bad men. Bad men are lessons for good men.” God wastes nothing. The people who inspire you and the people who frustrate you can both be part of how He shapes you.
Try this today: Tonight, name one person who taught you something good and one hard moment that taught you something, and thank God for both.
When Intelligence Counts for Nothing
“If you fail to value and learn the lessons from your teachers
Then intelligence counts for nothing”
Then comes a warning: “If you fail to value and learn the lessons from your teachers, then intelligence counts for nothing.” This is not an attack on learning. God gave us minds, and the Church loves good thinking. The warning is about pride: knowing a great deal and still refusing to be taught.
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Proverbs 12:15ESV
St. Paul put it even more strongly. He imagined someone who understood every mystery and all knowledge, and he said that without love such a person is nothing. Intelligence without love and humility is like a fast car with no steering. It can go far, but not anywhere good.
“And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:2ESV
Our teachers come in many forms: parents and grandparents, priests and mentors, the saints, Scripture and the Church herself. Valuing them means more than agreeing with them. It means letting their lessons change how we live. A humble person who learns is wiser than a brilliant one who will not.
“‘If I . . . have not charity,’ says the Apostle, ‘I am nothing.’ Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, ‘if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing.’ Charity is superior to all the virtues.”Catechism 1826
“From the Church he learns the example of holiness and recognizes its model and source in the all-holy Virgin Mary; he discerns it in the authentic witness of those who live it…”Catechism 2030
You can find an answer to almost anything in seconds. You can watch a video on fixing a sink, investing money or raising toddlers. But knowing facts is not the same as being wise. Maybe your grandmother’s advice sounded old-fashioned until your own marriage hit a rough patch. Maybe a priest said something in Confession that you brushed off, and it turned out to be exactly right. Chapter 27 warns that without learning from our teachers, “intelligence counts for nothing.” Wisdom usually comes through people, not just screens.
Try this today: Call or message one person who has taught you something important, and tell them what difference it made.
The Essential Wonder of God’s Love
“This is the essential wonder of God’s love”
Finally, the chapter concludes by asserting that the essential wonder of God’s love is that it is transformative. As stated in Ephesians 2:4-10, God’s love is not only merciful but also redemptive, offering salvation to all and enabling them to walk in good works. Through His mercy, God changes lives, teaching both the righteous and the unrighteous the depth of His love and the power of His grace.
The chapter ends by naming what holds it all together: “This is the essential wonder of God’s love.” Everything before it, the traveler without tracks, the ruler without bars, the God who abandons no one, is a window into this one wonder. God loves us first, before we have done anything to deserve it.
“but God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”
Ephesians 2:4-5NRSVue
That is the surprise at the heart of the Gospel. We are not saved because we were clever, impressive or good enough. We are saved by grace, as a gift, so that no one can boast. And grace does not leave us as we were. It makes us God’s own work of art, created for the good works He has already prepared.
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10NRSVue
“Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.”Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 1
“…it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.”Catechism 218
“God’s passionate love for his people—for humanity—is at the same time a forgiving love.”Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est 10
Most of life runs on earning: grades, paychecks, followers, approval. Even with God, we can slip into thinking we have to perform before He will love us, or that one bad week cancels everything. Chapter 27 ends with a different word: wonder. “This is the essential wonder of God’s love.” He loved you before you prayed, before you cleaned up, before you got anything right. You do not earn it. You receive it, and then, like a child who has been loved well, you start to love that way too.
Try this today: Before you sleep, spend a quiet moment simply thanking God for loving you first, without asking for anything.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
In summary, this chapter exemplifies the mercy and redemptive power of God. Just as a good ruler leads without oppression, and a good teacher guides without pride, God’s love reaches out to save and transform all. The Christian teaching echoes the chapter’s message by showing how the mercy of God is extended to both the righteous and the unrighteous, offering lessons of love, humility, and grace for all.
Chapter 27 gives us a way to live that the world rarely shows. We travel light and do good without leaving tracks. We stop hunting for errors and counting wrongs. We lead and love without bars or ropes. And we refuse to give up on anyone, because God “abandons no one.”
We also stay teachable. We learn from the good people God puts in our path, and from the hard lessons of other people’s mistakes and our own. All of it flows from one source and leads back to it: “the essential wonder of God’s love,” which reached us first and now wants to reach others through us.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39ESV
“Mercy is the very foundation of the Church’s life… The Church’s very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.”Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus 10
“In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice.”Catechism 1785
Picture an ordinary week lived this way. You let a coworker’s mistake go without a comment. You stop bringing up the old argument with your sister. You check in on the neighbor nobody visits. You ask your mom for advice and actually take it. You give, and you do not post about it. No one may notice, and that is fine: “Good travelers do not leave tracks.” But slowly the people around you feel what you have felt, that someone has not given up on them. That is God’s love, reaching them through you.
Try this today: Choose one line of Chapter 27 to live today, put it on a note or your lock screen, and come back to it at midday.
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 27 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind. Chapter 27 opens with a quiet picture: “Good travelers do not leave tracks.” Jesus sent His disciples out with almost nothing, “no bread, no bag, no money in your belts” (Mark 6:8). They traveled light, and they did not need to be noticed. So much of our thinking runs on being seen: who saw the post, who knows what we did, who gave us credit. A renewed mind lets that go. God sees the good done in secret, and that is enough.
The chapter adds, “Good orators do not seek errors,” and “Good reckoners do not use counters.” A mind that is always hunting for other people’s mistakes, or keeping a running tally of every hurt, slowly turns hard. Jesus says, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged… Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). When Peter asked how often he had to forgive, Jesus gave him a number too big to keep track of. Love “keeps no record of wrongs.” So we let God renew our minds until we stop keeping score.
Try this: The next time you notice someone’s mistake today, find one thing they did right before you say anything.
Mark 6:8-9NRSVue “He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.”
Luke 6:37NRSVue “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven”
More Scripture: Matthew 18:21-22 · 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
A renewed mind needs a direction, and Chapter 27 points to a different kind of strength: “Good rulers need no bars,” and “Good binders need no ropes,” yet “no one can untie it.” When Jesus taught, the crowds were amazed, because He “taught them as one who had authority” (Mark 1:22). He did not need force. His love held people more firmly than any lock. So we aim to lead at home, at work and among friends the way He does: by serving, by keeping our word, and by binding hearts with love instead of control.
Then the chapter shows us God’s own aim: He “saves others” and “abandons no one.” Christ “suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). He came after us when we were far away. That becomes our aim too. We look for the person left out of the group chat, the coworker nobody eats lunch with, the relative everyone has given up on. We cannot save anyone, but we can refuse to abandon them, because God never abandoned us.
Try this: Think of one person who has been left out or written off, and reach out to them today with a short, kind message.
Mark 1:22NRSVue “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”
1 Peter 3:18NRSVue “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God…”
More Scripture: Luke 22:26 · Hosea 11:4
Renewal becomes real in daily life. Chapter 27 says, “Good men are teachers of bad men,” and “Bad men are lessons for good men.” Every day is a classroom. A patient grandmother teaches us more than she knows. A rude driver, a harsh boss or our own worst moment can teach us too, if we let them. St. Paul says the failures recorded in Scripture “were written down as warnings for us” (1 Corinthians 10:11). So after every hard encounter we practice asking, “Lord, what are You teaching me here?” and we learn without looking down on anyone.
The chapter warns, “If you fail to value and learn the lessons from your teachers, then intelligence counts for nothing.” We can know a lot and still learn nothing, because “knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). So we practice staying teachable: taking a parent’s advice, a priest’s homily, a friend’s honest word to heart. And we remember where it all leads: “This is the essential wonder of God’s love.” We are “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Love, not cleverness, is the goal.
Try this: Ask one person you respect for a piece of advice this week, and actually put it into practice.
Proverbs 27:17NRSVue “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.”
1 Corinthians 8:1NRSVue “…Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.”
More Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:11 · Ephesians 2:10
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Travel light and leave no tracks, stop hunting for errors and counting wrongs, lead with love instead of bars, abandon no one, and learn from every teacher God sends, because this is the essential wonder of God’s love.
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 27 shows how: like “good travelers” who “do not leave tracks,” we go without needing to be noticed, and like God, who “saves others” and “abandons no one,” we go looking for the people others have given up on. You do not need bars or ropes to bring someone home; love holds them, and God never lets go.
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 27 shows why: in a world that keeps score, hunts for errors and writes people off, the news that God “abandons no one” needs fresh words people can hear.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 27 calls it “the essential wonder of God’s love.” The fire grows every time we remember that He never gave up on us.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 27 says “Good orators do not seek errors,” so begin with what is good and true in the other person, not with what is wrong.
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. Like the “good binders” of Chapter 27 who “need no ropes,” our tools never pressure anyone; they offer, they wait, and they let love do the holding.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 27 says “Good orators do not seek errors,” so begin with what is good and true in the other person, not with what is wrong.
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. Chapter 27 says “good men are teachers”; who was the person whose quiet goodness first taught you about 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. Like the “good binders” of Chapter 27 who “need no ropes,” our tools never pressure anyone; they offer, they wait, and they let love do the holding.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 27, Essential Wonder of God, helps anyone who feels written off, or who is worn out from keeping score with the people around them.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 27 when someone feels abandoned or beyond forgiveness, or cannot stop counting the wrongs done to them). 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 God abandons no one, why do I still feel left behind?”
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 walk with Jesus, the righteous One who suffered “for the unrighteous,” so that no one would be abandoned.
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, God shows what Chapter 27 means: He “abandons no one,” and He keeps no counters on the sins we bring Him.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A daily reminder that God “abandons no one,” not even on our worst 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 27 says God “abandons no one,” so the person you pass every day without a word is someone He is still seeking, maybe through you.
- Pray the Rosary together on Pray My Rosary.
- Bless your children at bedtime.
- Share a Guidance with a spouse or child who is struggling.
- Find Sunday Mass times together with Church Finder.
- At dinner, read the line “Good reckoners do not use counters,” and let each person name one hurt they are ready to stop counting.
- 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: “God saves all things and abandons nothing.”
- 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 27, Essential Wonder 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 27 song.
- Ask good questions and really listen.
- Share your three-part story.
- Open Ask BFG together when a question comes up.
- When a friend says they have messed up too badly, share the line “And abandons no one,” and tell them God has not given up on them.
- Visit the sick, the elderly and the lonely; pray the Rosary with them.
- Serve at a food bank.
- Welcome newcomers at Mass.
- Join your parish evangelization team.
- Ask shops, cafés and offices to display a BFG card with a QR code.
- Offer a short lunch talk on faith at work.
- Business owners: offer the Companion to staff as a free gift, never a requirement.
- Go where people already gather, and be the friendly one who listens.
- Pray quietly for the people around you.
- When a talk turns real, share a Guidance or the chapter song.
- Wear or carry a simple sign of your faith, like a cross or a rosary, that can start a conversation.
- At the gym, the park or a game day, notice who is always left on the sidelines and quietly include them; good travelers leave no tracks, only kindness.
- Host a Chapter 27 “Essential Wonder 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: “God saves others and abandons no one. This is the essential wonder of God’s love.”
- 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.
- In every culture people know the pain of being cast out, so Chapter 27’s God who “abandons no one” speaks a language everyone understands.
- 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 of the people you meet will feel written off by everyone, even by themselves. Go to them anyway. Chapter 27 says God “saves others” and “abandons no one,” and that the strongest bonds need no bars or ropes, only love. Go lightly, leaving no tracks of pride. Go gently, seeking no errors. Go together. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you, to show the essential wonder of God’s love to everyone you meet.
God who abandons no one, 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.