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 50 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 50: To Die is Gain
From birth to death 1
Three in ten are followers of life
Three in ten are followers of death 2
Three in ten live life and quickly step into death 3
Why is this so?
Because they strive excessively for worldly life 4
I heard whoever loses his life will find it 1
When traveling the roads they encounter no rhinos or tigers 5
When going into battle they are not harmed by weapons
Rhinos have nowhere to drive their horns
Tigers have nowhere to thrust their claws
Soldiers have nowhere to lodge their blades
Why is this so?
Because death no longer has mastery over them
From Birth to Death: Three Ways to Walk
“From birth to death
Three in ten are followers of life
Three in ten are followers of death
Three in ten live life and quickly step into death”
Chapter 50 of the Christian edition of the Tao Te Ching explores profound themes of life, death, and the eternal perspective offered by Christ. It begins by observing that from birth to death, people are divided into three groups: one-third follow the path of life, another third follow the path of death, and the final third seem to live life but quickly step into death. The underlying reason for this, as the chapter explains, is that many strive excessively for worldly life. This reflects the Christian teaching that those who live for the things of this world—materialism, power, and success—ultimately find themselves disconnected from true life, which is in Christ. In 1 John 2:15-17, believers are warned not to love the world or the things in it because the world’s desires are fleeting, and those who pursue them will not find lasting fulfillment. Similarly, Romans 12:2 urges believers not to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
The three groups are not a head count. They are three ways of walking through the same years. The first walk toward God. The second walk away from Him. The third are the saddest, because they start well. The footnote for that line points to Jesus’ parable of the sower, where some seed springs up with joy and then withers.
“And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”
Luke 8:13-14ESV
That is what it means to “live life and quickly step into death.” Nobody plans it. Faith is simply crowded out by worry, money and pleasure until nothing is left growing. St. Paul, in another passage this chapter points to, explains that every life is a kind of harvest. What we keep planting, we will one day gather.
“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”
Galatians 6:7-8NRSVue
This is not a verdict on anyone else. Only God sees the heart, and while there is breath there is hope. The question the chapter puts to each of us is personal: which road am I on today, and which seeds am I sowing?
“He rebels against death because he bears in himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to sheer matter.”Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes 18
“Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet conscience…”Catechism 1014, quoting The Imitation of Christ
From birth to death we carry a seed of eternity. The Church invites us to live each day ready to meet God, not in fear, but with a clear conscience.
Picture three friends from high school, years later. One kept her faith simple and steady through college, marriage and a hard diagnosis. One walked away and says he does not miss it. The third was on fire after a retreat, posting verses every morning, and then a demanding job, a mortgage and busy weekends slowly crowded it all out. No big decision, just drift. Chapter 50 names that third path: “Three in ten live life and quickly step into death.” Most of us can feel its pull. The good news is that roots can still grow today.
Try this today: Name one worry, pleasure or goal that is crowding out God this week, and give Him the first few minutes of tomorrow instead.
Why? Striving Too Hard for the World
“Why is this so?
Because they strive excessively for worldly life”
The chapter stops to ask, “Why is this so?” Its answer is honest: “Because they strive excessively for worldly life.” The key word is “excessively.” God made the world good, and He wants us to work, provide, build and enjoy. The trouble starts when worldly life becomes the whole of life, and we pour everything into what cannot last.
“For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”
Mark 8:36NRSVue
Jesus told a story about a rich man whose harvest was so big that he planned bigger barns and an easy life. He had striven well for worldly life. But God told him that his life would be demanded from him that very night. The warning Jesus gave before that story still fits our feeds and our wish lists.
“…Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Luke 12:15NRSVue
Striving for the world wears us out because it never ends; there is always one more thing. Living for God is different. He gives rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28), and He knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).
“It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards ‘having’ rather than ‘being’…”Saint John Paul II, Centesimus Annus 36
“Neither individuals nor nations should regard the possession of more and more goods as the ultimate objective… the exclusive pursuit of material possessions prevents man’s growth as a human being and stands in opposition to his true grandeur.”Saint Paul VI, Populorum Progressio 19
Your phone buzzes with a work email at nine at night, and you answer it. You scroll past a friend’s new kitchen and start pricing a remodel. You pick up extra shifts for a bigger car, and you miss another family dinner. None of it feels evil, and most of it is not. But add it all up and you may find a life spent almost entirely on what this world can offer. Chapter 50 calls it striving “excessively.” The cure is not laziness. It is putting God first and letting everything else find its place.
Try this today: Pick one evening this week to turn off work notifications and spend that time with God and the people you love.
Lose Your Life to Find It
“I heard whoever loses his life will find it”
The chapter then turns to the paradox that whoever loses his life will find it, echoing the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:39, where He says, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” In Christian theology, this paradox highlights the call to die to oneself and the world’s desires in order to truly live in Christ. It is in surrendering one’s life to God that the believer gains eternal life, which transcends earthly death.
Jesus used a picture from the farm to explain this. A seed that stays safe in the bag never grows. Only when it is buried in the ground does it break open and become a plant full of new seeds. He was speaking first about His own death, and then about ours.
“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:24-25NRSVue
“Hates their life” does not mean despising ourselves or the gifts God gave us. It means loving Christ more than our comfort, our plans and our image. St. Paul lived this. He said he had been crucified with Christ, and yet he had never been more alive. That is why this chapter carries the title To Die is Gain.
“For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
Philippians 1:21NRSVue
Losing our life for Jesus usually happens in small ways long before it happens in big ones: giving up our way in an argument, our free afternoon for a lonely neighbor, our need to look good for the sake of the truth. Each time, we find something better than what we gave.
“Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return.”Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for the Inauguration of his Pontificate
“Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ’s Passion by dying to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life…”Catechism 1988
You planned a quiet Saturday, and then your sister calls in tears because the babysitter cancelled. You could say no. Instead you go, and you spend the day with two toddlers, a sticky kitchen floor and no time for yourself. By evening you are tired, but something in you is strangely full. That is a small taste of “whoever loses his life will find it.” Every time we let go of our own way for love of Christ, He gives back more than we gave: peace, joy and a life that is truly ours.
Try this today: Give up one thing you wanted for yourself today so that someone else can have what they need, and offer it to Jesus.
No Rhinos, No Tigers, No Blades
“When traveling the roads they encounter no rhinos or tigers
When going into battle they are not harmed by weapons
Rhinos have nowhere to drive their horns
Tigers have nowhere to thrust their claws
Soldiers have nowhere to lodge their blades”
The chapter goes on to explain that those who embrace this path of surrender encounter no harm, even when facing dangerous situations. When traveling, they are not harmed by the wild beasts, and when going into battle, they are not affected by weapons. This symbolizes the protection and peace that come to those who have died to themselves and live for God. John 5:24-26 speaks of this idea of spiritual life and death, stating that those who hear the Word of God and believe in Him who sent Jesus have eternal life and will not be judged but have crossed over from death to life. This spiritual transformation means that death no longer has dominion over them. Similarly, in Romans 6:1-10, Paul explains that believers, through baptism, die with Christ and are raised to live a new life, free from the power of sin and death.
These pictures are not a promise that believers never get sick, never get hurt or never die. Jesus told His friends plainly that some of them would be betrayed and even put to death. Then, in the same breath, He made a promise that sounds impossible.
“…and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish.”
Luke 21:16-18NRSVue
That is the secret of the horns, claws and blades. They can reach the body, but they cannot reach the life that is “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). There is simply nowhere for them to land. The psalm of God’s protection sings the same trust: His angels guard us on every road.
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways… You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
Psalm 91:11, 13ESV
The early martyrs lived this. Some faced real wild beasts, and yet the Church remembers the day of their death as their birthday into heaven. The beasts took their bodies, but not their faith, their love or their life in Christ. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28).
“Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”St. Basil the Great, quoted in Catechism 336
“Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death… ‘Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God.’”Catechism 2473, quoting St. Ignatius of Antioch
St. Ignatius of Antioch faced real wild beasts without fear, because all they could do was bring him closer to God.
The roads you travel may not have tigers, but they have their own threats: layoff rumors at work, a scary call from the doctor, a cruel comment that spreads online, a bank balance that will not stretch. It is easy to lie awake running every worst case. Chapter 50 does not say none of this can happen. It says the things we fear have “nowhere to drive their horns” in the life we have in Christ. They can shake our plans, but they cannot touch who we are in Him or take Him from us.
Try this today: Name the threat that worries you most, and pray: “Lord, this cannot take You from me. Guard me on this road.”
Death Has Lost Its Mastery
“Why is this so?
Because death no longer has mastery over them”
The passage concludes with a powerful image of those who no longer fear death because they have transcended it through their faith in Christ. In Revelation 2:10-11, believers are encouraged to remain faithful, even to the point of death, because “the one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” This is a reminder that those who live for Christ, who have surrendered their worldly desires and found life in Him, are not subject to the fear or power of physical death. They are promised eternal life, and in this eternal perspective, death loses its sting and cannot harm them.
The chapter asks its question a second time, “Why is this so?”, and its last line answers by echoing St. Paul almost word for word. Writing to the first Christians in Rome about the risen Jesus, Paul said something that changes how every believer faces the grave.
“We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.”
Romans 6:9ESV
What is true of Christ becomes true of us through Baptism. We were buried with Him and raised with Him (Romans 6:4), so death is no longer our master. It is still real and still sad. We still grieve, and Jesus Himself wept at His friend’s tomb. But death is now a doorway, not a wall.
“…that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
Hebrews 2:14-15ESV
Many people live in that quiet slavery. It shows up as fear of getting older, fear of missing out, fear of losing control. Christ came to set us free from all of it. The answer to the chapter’s question, “Why is this so?”, is a Person: Jesus, risen and alive.
“Death is transformed by Christ… The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing.”Catechism 1009
“Baptism… efficaciously signifies the descent into the tomb by the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new life.”Catechism 628
Think about how much of our culture is built around not thinking about death: anti-aging creams, endless distractions, never mentioning it at the dinner table. Yet it comes to every family. Maybe you stood at a graveside recently, or sat in a hospital room holding a hand. Chapter 50 does not ask us to pretend it does not hurt. It gives us a stronger hope: “death no longer has mastery over them.” For those who belong to Jesus, the last word is not the funeral. It is the Resurrection.
Try this today: Pray today for someone who has died, and thank Jesus by name that He has conquered death.
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
This chapter, when viewed through the lens of Christian faith, reinforces the paradox of the Gospel: that in losing our life for Christ, we gain true life. It invites believers to look beyond the temporal, material world and to embrace the eternal life offered through surrender to God. This surrender leads to spiritual protection and peace, freeing believers from the fear of death and aligning them with God’s eternal purpose.
So how do we live Chapter 50? We loosen our grip on the world before it loosens its grip on us. We stop striving “excessively for worldly life” and put God first. We look for small ways to lose our life for Jesus each day. And we let the hope of the Resurrection make us brave.
“Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:2-3NRSVue
People who are no longer ruled by the fear of death are free in a way the world cannot explain. They can give generously, forgive quickly, speak the truth kindly and sit with the dying without running away. They know that, in Christ, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ.”Saint John Paul II, Homily for the Inauguration of his Pontificate
“It would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time—the before and after—no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense…”Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi 12
Imagine living one ordinary week without the low hum of fear: fear of missing out, of not having enough, of getting older, of the phone call that changes everything. You would still go to work, pay the bills and care for your family. But you would do it with open hands. You might give more, rest more, call your aging parents more and say “I love you” more often. That is the freedom Chapter 50 describes. It does not come from controlling life. It comes from belonging to the One who holds life and death in His hands.
Try this today: Do one generous thing this week that only makes sense if eternal life is real.
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 50 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts in the mind. Chapter 50 opens with a long view: “From birth to death.” It looks at a whole life at once and sorts people by where they are heading: “Three in ten are followers of life, three in ten are followers of death.” Most of us think about this week, this bill, this goal. God’s love invites a bigger view. He made us for Himself, and each day is His gift. “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart” (Psalm 90:12, NRSVue). A loved heart can face the whole road without fear.
Then the chapter asks, “Why is this so?” and answers, “Because they strive excessively for worldly life.” Notice the word “excessively.” Work, money and success are not evil, but when they become everything, they start to rule our thoughts. St. John says plainly that “And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever” (1 John 2:17, NRSVue). A mind shaped by the Father’s love stops measuring life by the next promotion or purchase. It rests in being loved, and so it can hold worldly things loosely.
Try this: When you feel the push to do more and have more today, stop and pray: “Father, You are enough for me.”
Psalm 90:12NRSVue “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.”
1 John 2:15, 17NRSVue “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world… And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever.”
More Scripture: Romans 12:2 · 1 Timothy 6:6-7
A renewed mind needs a direction, and Chapter 50 points it with Jesus’ own words: “I heard whoever loses his life will find it.” Jesus said it plainly: “whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). The aim is not to lose ourselves in nothing. It is to lose ourselves in Him. St. Paul counted every gain as loss “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). That is why this chapter is called To Die is Gain: “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NRSVue).
Then the chapter describes people who walk the roads unafraid: “When traveling the roads they encounter no rhinos or tigers.” Life still has its dangers, and Jesus never pretended otherwise: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our aim is to keep our eyes on Him on every road we travel: the commute, the hospital hallway, the first day at a new job. When we look to the Son, fear loses its grip, because we know who walks beside us.
Try this: Before you head out today, pray: “Jesus, I give You this road and everything on it.”
Matthew 10:39NRSVue “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
Philippians 1:21NRSVue “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
More Scripture: Philippians 3:7-8 · John 16:33
Renewal becomes real in daily life. Chapter 50 says, “Three in ten are followers of life.” Following life is a daily practice, and the Holy Spirit leads it. St. Paul uses the picture of a farmer: “whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). Every small seed counts: a prayer before the screen, a kind word when you are tired, an honest answer when a lie would be easier. We do not become followers of life in one big moment. We become them one Spirit-led choice at a time.
The chapter ends with freedom: “Because death no longer has mastery over them.” The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in those who belong to Him (Romans 8:11). So we can practice a brave, generous life. We can forgive first, give without fear of running short, speak about Jesus without worrying what people think, and face hard news without despair. Fear of loss rules much of our day. The Spirit teaches us, little by little, to live as people death cannot hold.
Try this: Do one good thing today that fear has been stopping you from doing, and ask the Holy Spirit to go with you.
Galatians 6:8NRSVue “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh, but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”
Romans 8:11NRSVue “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”
More Scripture: Galatians 6:9 · Romans 6:4
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. From birth to death, let God’s love free you from striving for the world, aim at Christ by losing your life to find it, and let the Spirit teach you to live as one over whom death has no mastery.
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 50 describes people who travel the roads and go into battle unharmed, because “death no longer has mastery over them.” That freedom is not meant to be kept safe at home. People who are no longer afraid of losing their lives are free to give them away. Whoever loses his life for Christ will find it, and can help others find it too.
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 50 shows why: a world that strives “excessively for worldly life” and hides from death needs fresh words about the life that death cannot touch.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 50 says, “I heard whoever loses his life will find it.” The fire grows in a heart that has stopped clinging to itself.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 50 speaks of rhinos, tigers and blades; use the threats of our own time, like deadlines, diagnoses and debt, to show where Christ meets people.
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 50 says the dangers have “nowhere to drive their horns” in those who belong to God. Our tools do not remove trouble; they help people stand firm in Christ in the middle of it.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 50 speaks of rhinos, tigers and blades; use the threats of our own time, like deadlines, diagnoses and debt, to show where Christ meets people.
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 “whoever loses his life will find it,” what did you let go of for Jesus, and what did you find?
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 50 says the dangers have “nowhere to drive their horns” in those who belong to God. Our tools do not remove trouble; they help people stand firm in Christ in the middle of it.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 50, To Die is Gain, helps anyone worn out by chasing success, or quietly afraid of death and loss.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 50 when someone is burning out from striving, or is facing loss, illness or the fear of death). 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: “What does Jesus mean when He says whoever loses his life will find it?”
Pray the Rosary with a guided voice, the daily mysteries and beads that follow along. Pray it with someone, even over the phone. In every Hail Mary we ask Mary to pray for us “now and at the hour of our death,” and the Glorious Mysteries show why Chapter 50 can say death no longer has mastery.
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 Jesus gives us the Bread of Life, the life that Chapter 50 says death can no longer master.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. Morning, midday and evening, a reminder turns us from striving “excessively for worldly life” back to the life that lasts.
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 50 says some “live life and quickly step into death”; the friend who seems fine but is slowly drifting may be right next to 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 Chapter 50 and ask: “What are we chasing too hard, and what would we gain by letting it go?”
- 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: “I heard whoever loses his life will find it.”
- 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 50, To Die is Gain.
- 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 50 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 grieving or facing a scary diagnosis, sit with them, and when the moment is right, share that for those in Christ “death no longer has mastery.”
- Visit the sick, the elderly and the lonely; pray the Rosary with them.
- Serve at a food bank.
- Welcome newcomers at Mass.
- Join your parish evangelization team.
- Ask shops, cafés and offices to display a BFG card with a QR code.
- Offer a short lunch talk on faith at work.
- Business owners: offer the Companion to staff as a free gift, never a requirement.
- Go where people already gather, and be the friendly one who listens.
- Pray quietly for the people around you.
- When a talk turns real, share a Guidance or the chapter song.
- Wear or carry a simple sign of your faith, like a cross or a rosary, that can start a conversation.
- At the gym, where people work hard to stay young and strong, be the friend who also talks about the life that never wears out.
- Host a Chapter 50 “To Die is Gain” 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: “Because death no longer has mastery over them”
- 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 faces death and asks what lasts, so Chapter 50 opens a door to the One who rose from the dead.
- 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 feel the pull to play it safe, to protect your time, your comfort and your reputation. But Chapter 50 says “whoever loses his life will find it,” and promises that for those in Christ “death no longer has mastery.” Go without fear. Go with open hands. Go together. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now sends you, to spend your life for others and find it in Him.
Lord of life, who conquered death, 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.