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 75 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 75: Materialism
People suffer from famine 1
Because their rulers enforce heavy taxation
That is why they starve
People are difficult to govern 2
Because their rulers interfere too much
That is why they are difficult to govern
People think little of death 3
Because their rulers demand too much of life
That is why they think little of death
The treasures of life are gained by those who let go 4
And missed by those who hold on
Heavy Loads and Empty Tables
“People suffer from famine
Because their rulers enforce heavy taxation
That is why they starve”
Chapter 75 of the Tao Te Ching critiques the effects of excessive materialism and oppressive leadership, drawing parallels to the hardships and suffering caused by such systems. From a Christian perspective, this chapter can be seen as a reflection on the dangers of prioritizing material wealth and earthly power over spiritual values. The first part, “People suffer from famine because their rulers enforce heavy taxation,” speaks to the injustice that arises when leaders impose burdens on the people, leading to poverty and suffering. In the Christian tradition, Scripture frequently warns against the oppression of the poor (Luke 6:24-25; Psalm 49:12), emphasizing that God hears the cries of the oppressed and that leaders are responsible for the well-being of those entrusted to them (Proverbs 31:8-9).
Jesus gave this line a face in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man “dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day,” while Lazarus lay hungry at his gate, longing for scraps (Luke 16:19-21). The rich man never struck him. He simply never noticed him. The warning Jesus gives in the verse this line points to is sobering, and it is meant to wake us up, not to shame us.
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry”…”
Luke 6:24-25ESV
The Psalm this line points to adds a quiet truth: wealth gathered at the cost of others does not last. Whatever is squeezed out of hungry people slips through the fingers in the end, because no one carries it past the grave. The ruler who taxes his people into famine gains nothing that endures.
“…he is like the beasts that perish.”
Psalm 49:12ESV
Most of us are not rulers, but all of us have people who depend on us. So this line asks each of us: Am I a weight on someone, or a help? Do the people in my care have enough to live well? The Church teaches that authority exists for exactly this: to make sure people have what they need for a truly human life.
“Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 53
“…it is the proper function of authority to arbitrate, in the name of the common good, between various particular interests; but it should make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture…”Catechism 1908
“Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society. This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to their aid.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 187
Rent went up again. Groceries cost more than they did last year. A young dad picks up extra shifts, and his manager keeps adding tasks without adding pay or help. He comes home too tired to play with his kids, and he lies awake doing math. That is a modern famine of time, rest and peace, and it often comes from decisions made far above him. Chapter 75 reminds us that God sees every heavy load. And it asks those of us who hold even a little power to lighten loads, not add to them.
Try this today: Think of one person who depends on you at home or at work, and take one task off their plate today.
Leaders Who Make Room
“People are difficult to govern
Because their rulers interfere too much
That is why they are difficult to govern”
The next section, “People are difficult to govern because their rulers interfere too much,” speaks to the overreach of authority. This can be interpreted as a warning against the excessive control of others, a theme that resonates with Christian values of freedom and humility. Jesus taught that leadership should be servant leadership, not domineering but serving others with love and compassion (Mark 10:42-45). Rulers who “interfere too much” stifle the freedom and autonomy of the people, while God calls for just governance that reflects His love and justice.
The passage this line points to shows what overreach looks like. When Moses asked Pharaoh to let the people go and worship God, Pharaoh answered by tightening his grip. He took away their straw but kept the same quota of bricks, and he gave his overseers this order:
“Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
Exodus 5:9ESV
Pharaoh thought more control would keep the people quiet. Instead, it made them cry out, and God heard them. Control that crushes never wins hearts. It breeds resentment, hiding and pushback, which is just what the chapter means by “difficult to govern.” Fear can force obedience for a while, but it can never make people free or willing.
God governs in a completely different way. He gives clear commands, but He also gives freedom, and He trusts us with real responsibility. He would rather be loved freely than obeyed out of fear. St. Peter passes that same way of leading on to every shepherd in the Church.
“shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”
1 Peter 5:2-3ESV
“The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention. It aims at harmonizing the relationships between individuals and societies.”Catechism 1885
“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern.”Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est 28
The Church calls this subsidiarity: let people, families and small groups do what they can do well, and step in to help when they truly need it. It is a good rule for homes and workplaces too.
A mom checks her teenager’s location over and over, reads every text and plans every hour of his week. A manager rewrites every email his team sends and wants to approve every small decision. Both mean well. Both are worried. And both are surprised when the people they love start pulling away, hiding things or pushing back. Chapter 75 says it plainly: people are “difficult to govern because their rulers interfere too much.” Love guides, protects and helps, then steps back and trusts. That is how God treats us.
Try this today: Choose one decision you would normally make for someone else, and let them make it this week.
When Life Is All Demands
“People think little of death
Because their rulers demand too much of life
That is why they think little of death”
The third line, “People think little of death because their rulers demand too much of life,” critiques a materialistic focus on accumulating wealth and power, which often leads to the devaluation of life itself. This echoes the Christian teaching that life’s purpose is not in the accumulation of worldly goods but in seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). When people become consumed with material pursuits, they lose sight of the eternal life that is promised in Christ. As Paul writes in Philippians 1:21, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain,” demonstrating that life’s true value is found in spiritual richness rather than material excess.
Jesus told a story about a man who built bigger barns for his crops and planned to take life easy for many years. God’s answer was startling: “This very night your life will be demanded from you” (Luke 12:20). The man spent his life meeting demands and storing goods, and he never asked what his life was for. When life is only a list of demands, we stop thinking about death at all, until it comes.
The verses this line points to answer with a different way of living. Our lives are not private projects, owned and spent by us alone, and no boss, bill or schedule has the final claim on them. They belong to the Lord, in life and in death, and that gives every ordinary day its worth.
“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
Romans 14:7-8ESV
That is why St. Paul could face death without fear. It was not because he thought little of life. It was because Christ had become his life. St. John says the same: “And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God abide forever” (1 John 2:17, NRSVue).
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20ESV
“Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day. … In spite of economic constraints, public authorities should ensure citizens a time intended for rest and divine worship. Employers have a similar obligation toward their employees.”Catechism 2187
“It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us.”Catechism 2280
The alarm goes off before sunrise. Email, school drop-off, meetings, lunch at the desk, more messages, dinner, homework, laundry and one last scroll in bed. The weeks blur together. Then someone you know gets a hard diagnosis, and for a moment everything stops. You realize you have been so busy keeping up with life that you forgot to ask what it is for. Chapter 75 says people “think little of death because their rulers demand too much of life.” God gives us Sunday, rest and prayer so we remember that we belong to Him.
Try this today: This Sunday, set aside unhurried time for Mass, rest and the people you love, and leave the to-do list alone.
Open Hands, True Treasure
“The treasures of life are gained by those who let go
And missed by those who hold on”
Finally, the chapter asserts that “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go, and missed by those who hold on.” This aligns closely with the Christian teachings on self-denial and the importance of not clinging to the things of this world. Jesus taught that whoever seeks to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for His sake will find it (Matthew 16:25-26). True treasure is found not in material wealth but in a life surrendered to God, where one’s heart is focused on heavenly rather than earthly riches (Matthew 6:19-21).
Jesus is clear that we cannot keep one hand on God and the other gripping our money. Sooner or later, one of them becomes our master. Money makes a demanding ruler: it always asks for more time, more worry and more of our heart, and it never says, “That is enough.” God asks for our heart too, but He gives it back free.
“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Matthew 6:24NRSVue
The Gospels show both sides of the chapter’s last line. A rich young man heard Jesus invite him to let go, and he “went away sad, because he had great wealth” (Matthew 19:22). Zacchaeus, a tax collector who had grown rich on heavy taxes, met Jesus and let go with joy, giving to the poor and paying back those he had cheated (Luke 19:8-9). One held on and missed it. The other let go, and salvation came to his house.
Jesus Himself went first. He let go of heaven’s glory and was born poor in a stable, so that we could share His riches. He held nothing back, not even His own life. Letting go, then, is not losing. It is making room in our hands and hearts for what only God can give.
“For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9NRSVue
“The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above all things.”Catechism 1728
“Money must serve, not rule! The Pope loves everyone, rich and poor alike, but he is obliged in the name of Christ to remind all that the rich must help, respect and promote the poor.”Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 58
Think about your closet, your garage or the storage on your phone, full of things kept “just in case.” Or think of the grudge you keep replaying, the image you work hard to protect, or the savings that never feel like enough. Holding on feels safe, but it keeps our hands too full to receive anything new. A woman clears out her closet and drops the coats at a shelter, and she drives home lighter than she has felt in a long time. Chapter 75 says it: “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go.”
Try this today: Give away one thing you are keeping “just in case,” and pray: “Lord, You are my treasure.”
Living the Chapter
The whole chapter, put into practice
In summary, Chapter 75 of the Tao Te Ching underscores the importance of releasing the grip on materialism and power, trusting in God’s provision, and recognizing that true life and treasure are found in spiritual devotion, not in the pursuit of worldly gain. This aligns with the Christian teaching that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) and that God’s Kingdom calls for humility, service, and a focus on eternal values.
So how do we live Chapter 75 this week? We look honestly at the loads we place on others and lighten one. We trust people instead of hovering over them. We guard time for rest and prayer, so life stays a gift and not a list of demands. And we open our hands and give freely, because our true treasure is safe with God.
“They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.”
1 Timothy 6:18-19NRSVue
Above all, we follow the One who is the opposite of the rulers in this chapter. He does not tax us, smother us or use up our lives for His own gain. He gave His life for us, and He still says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NRSVue).
“Love of God leads to participation in the justice and generosity of God towards others. Loving God requires an interior freedom from all possessions and all material goods: the love of God is revealed in responsibility for others.”Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi 28
“Charity goes beyond justice, because to love is to give, to offer what is “mine” to the other; but it never lacks justice, which prompts us to give the other what is “his”, what is due to him by reason of his being or his acting.”Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate 6
A small business owner could squeeze a little more out of her workers. Instead, she pays fairly, closes early before the holidays and asks how their families are doing. A dad stops checking his son’s grades every day and starts asking about his friends. A college student gives up a night out to serve dinner at a shelter. None of this makes the news. But each one takes Chapter 75 seriously: lift the load, give people room, let go, and you will find the treasures of life.
Try this today: Choose one way this week to give something away, whether time, money or control, and offer it quietly to God.
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 75 and an area of your life, and get Guidance made for you.
Renewal starts with how we see the people around us. Chapter 75 opens with a hard picture: “People suffer from famine because their rulers enforce heavy taxation.” Most of us are not kings, but we all hold some power: over a budget, a team, a classroom, a household. A renewed mind notices the weight it puts on others. The prophet Micah sums up what God asks: “act justly and love mercy.” So before we ask what others owe us, we ask a quieter question: Who is carrying a heavy load because of me, and how can I make it lighter?
The chapter also warns, “People think little of death because their rulers demand too much of life.” When life becomes one long list of demands, it stops feeling like a gift and starts feeling like a bill that never gets paid. Jesus says, “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Our worth is not our output. God made us to be loved, not only to produce. A renewed mind receives each day as His gift first, and only then asks what it can do with it.
Try this: Today, ask one person you lead or live with, “Is anything I ask of you too heavy right now?” and really listen to the answer.
Micah 6:8NRSVue “He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
Luke 12:15NRSVue “…Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
More Scripture: Proverbs 31:8-9 · Psalm 127:2
A renewed mind needs a direction. Chapter 75 says, “People are difficult to govern because their rulers interfere too much.” Control can look like care, but too much of it crushes trust. Jesus aims us another way: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). He gave His disciples real work, sent them out, and let them learn. So we aim to lead like Him: clear about the goal, generous with trust, close enough to help, and humble enough to step back.
Our aim also reaches past this life. When rulers “demand too much of life,” people lose sight of where life is going. St. Paul kept his eyes on the finish line: “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NRSVue). Death did not frighten him, because Christ was already his life. So we set our sights higher, on “things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). That aim does not make us careless about today. It frees us to live today well.
Try this: Pick one task you usually hover over, hand it to someone you trust, and let them do it their way.
Mark 10:45NRSVue “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Colossians 3:2NRSVue “Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth”
More Scripture: 1 Peter 5:2-3 · Philippians 1:20-21
Renewal becomes real in our hands. Chapter 75 ends with its key: “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go.” Letting go is a practice, not a feeling. It looks like giving before we feel rich enough, forgiving before we feel ready, and handing God the plans we keep gripping. St. Paul passed on the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Every open hand makes room for a gift God wants to place there.
The last line is a gentle warning: the treasures of life are “missed by those who hold on.” We can hold on to money, but also to control, to an old grudge, to our image, or to a schedule with no room for God. Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NRSVue). So we practice small releases: one purchase skipped and given away, one evening set free for family, one worry handed back to the Father in prayer.
Try this: Find one thing you own but do not need, and give it today to someone who will use it.
Matthew 6:19-21NRSVue “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Acts 20:35NRSVue “…remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
More Scripture: Matthew 6:24 · 1 Timothy 6:18-19
In short: think humbly, aim at what is eternal, live by the Spirit. Lift the loads you place on others, trust people instead of smothering them, receive life as God’s gift and not a list of demands, and open your hands, because the treasures of life are gained by those who let go.
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 opens our hands, He also sends us out. Chapter 75 shows a world weighed down by heavy loads, too much control and lives that are all demand, and it ends with good news: “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go.” A missionary goes out with open hands, not to take from people but to give. We do not add to anyone’s burden; we bring them to the One whose burden is light.
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 75 shows why: people today are squeezed by debt, deadlines and nonstop demands, and they need fresh words about a God who gives life instead of taking it.
Ardor is the fire of a heart that has been loved by God. People feel it before they hear a single word. Chapter 75 says the treasures of life are “missed by those who hold on.” A heart that clings to comfort grows cold; a heart that lets go catches fire.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 75 warns against rulers who “interfere too much,” so share your faith as an invitation, never as pressure.
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 75 warns against those who “interfere too much.” Our tools never push or nag; they offer, and they leave each person free to answer God.
Use the words people use today: simple, honest and personal. Share your story, not a lecture. Chapter 75 warns against rulers who “interfere too much,” so share your faith as an invitation, never as pressure.
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 line about letting go, what did you once hold tightly that God asked you to release, and what did you find on the other side?
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 75 warns against those who “interfere too much.” Our tools never push or nag; they offer, and they leave each person free to answer God.
Every chapter has its own song and is written in a language people of every faith can understand. A doorway for dialogue. Chapter 75, Materialism, helps anyone who feels squeezed by money, crushed by demands, or stuck holding on to more than they need.
A friend shares a struggle. Together, pick a chapter and an area of life (start with Chapter 75 when someone feels buried by bills and demands, or cannot stop holding on to money, control or things). 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: “Why does Jesus say we find our life by letting it go?”
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, Jesus lets go of everything, even His life, and shows us the treasure that is “gained by those who let go.”
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, at every Mass, Jesus gives Himself away completely, the clearest picture of the chapter’s promise that treasure is found by letting go.
Morning, midday and evening prayer reminders, a daily streak and a steady prayer rhythm help a new believer keep going. A short pause reminds us that life is a gift, not a list of demands.
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 75 begins with people carrying heavy loads, so look around you: the coworker buried in tasks or the neighbor stretched thin may need your help first.
- 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 75’s last two lines and ask: “What is one thing our family could let go of this month?”
- 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: “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go.”
- 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 75, Materialism.
- 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 75 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 drowning in demands, share the line about rulers who “demand too much of life,” and remind them that God does not measure them by their output.
- 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, everyone talks about losing weight; share that Chapter 75 says “the treasures of life are gained by those who let go,” and some weight is carried in the heart.
- Host a Chapter 75 “Materialism” 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: “The treasures of life are gained by those who let go”
- One post can reach someone you will never meet.
- Join a parish or diocese mission trip.
- The Companion speaks 48 languages, so you leave behind something that keeps speaking after you go home.
- Every culture knows the weight of heavy taxes, harsh rulers and endless work, so Chapter 75 opens a door to Christ, who came to serve and to lift our burdens.
- Your parish ministries, the Legion of Mary, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, prison, hospital and campus ministries, and mission groups.
- Bring the BFG tools to their work.
You will be tempted to hold on: to your time, your money, your comfort, your control. But Chapter 75 promises that “the treasures of life are gained by those who let go.” Go with open hands. Lift loads instead of adding them. Trust people instead of smothering them. The same Spirit who renewed you now sends you, to give freely what you have freely received.
Lord of every true treasure, 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.