Social Justice – Political Institutions and My Responsibility

On April 7, Robert Rossman published a reflection on the St. Malachi website titled “Is Social Justice My Responsibility?” (http://www.stmalachi.org/feed/). One statement he makes is, “In understanding that our religious and political institutions are not perfect and are in need of reform to survive their mistakes and act with justice. (Our support is important.)”

 Our support is important.

 Criticism is easy – and tempting, especially when mistakes are evident, repeated over and over again, and the injustice is great. It is important to know that honest, loving criticism (note the adjectives – they are important) is a way to offer support. Even unloving criticism can be helpful, if one can recognize the truth, although the unloving nature of the criticism makes it less likely to be accepted or motivate reform.

 Unfortunately, support often ends at criticism. The temptation is to wait for someone (else) to “fix” the problem(s) or to disengage because of the mistakes and injustice “until it gets fixed” (according to one’s own measure, whatever that may be.) For some, leaving is permanent. As the song says, they “just walk away” and never come back. I submit that ending support with our criticism is irresponsible.

 But our support – support that goes beyond criticizing — is important. It is part of our faith.

 For political institutions:

“Catholics have the duty to vote, to participate in the political arena, and to help shape society in light of Catholic teaching.” (U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, p.381)
 “The members of the Church seek to transform society not by power but by persuasion and by example. Through participation in political life – either as voters or as holders of public office – they work for increasing conformity of public policy to the law of God as known by human reason and Divine Revelation. This they do especially by showing the coherence of Catholic teaching with the fundamental yearnings and dignity of the human person.” (U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, p.501)

 Practical ways of doing this:

• Pray: for a Christian, this should always come first, last, and in-between. “God bless the United States of America” has become a political cliché, a tag-line conclusion at the end of speeches. There is much to pray for.

Do I pray for my country? State? City? Neighborhood? President? Congress? Courts? Safety Forces? Governor? Legislature? Commissioners? Mayor? Council? Civil servants? Armed forces? Issues being proposed, debated, voted on the national, state, local level? Do I pray when deciding about candidates or issues? Before voting? About what’s in the news?

• Be informed: a democratic form of government presumes an informed citizenship. Being informed means more than “reading the headlines” or listening to the “sound bites” on a particular event, issue or candidate. A great many individuals rely on this level of “being informed” which is actually to be uninformed most of the time and about most issues. To cite one example, in the recent health-care legislation, there are a very large number of Americans who both were opposed to the legislation and were strongly in favor of many of the most important provisions of the legislation. Apparently, they did not know what the legislation they were opposed to actually contained.

How well do I keep myself informed of current issues? Nationally? Locally? Do I study issues and seek out details, or only “the big picture”? Do I seek out a variety of perspectives and opinions or do I tend to read/listen to those with whom I agree?

• Vote: Voting is the fundamental way for citizens to support and participate in political institutions. The U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults calls it “a duty.” Yet in a Presidential election, barely a majority of eligible voters cast a ballot; in other years, the percentage of registered voters is far lower and the percentage of voters for primary elections is lower still. (This does not even consider the great number of citizens who are not even registered to vote).

Do I vote regularly? In annual elections? Primary Elections? Special Elections? Do I study candidates and issues, so mine is an informed vote? Have I voted or will I vote in the upcoming Primary?

• Participate: Voting does not end a person’s political responsibility. A healthy government – and especially efforts to reform or improve government requires greater engagement. Office-holders know that far more individuals share a viewpoint about a given issue than ever contact them. As a result, every personal telephone call, email or fax (as opposed to a petition or mass-market effort) has a “multiplier” effect; it represents a more people than just the person who made contact. Participation is also a way to hold a person accountable; it lets the office-holder or public official know that people are paying attention – and they care.

Do I know who my representatives are (City Council, State Representative and Senator, Congressional House Representative and Senators)? Have I ever contacted a legislator about an issue? Have I ever worked on behalf of (or in opposition to) an issue? A political campaign?

• Act locally: One principle of Catholic Social Justice teaching is the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity calls for decision-making and action to be done at the lowest level of an organization (i.e. government) that can be effective. For example, the Federal Government should not be coordinating city traffic lights; the city should. The principle of subsidiarity also suggests that the level of engagement at which a person can be most effectively engaged is the local level. We have the most knowledge about our local situation. Because we know people in our own area, it is easiest to seek and build support at the local level.

Is there an association in my building and/or block club on my street? Do I participate? Do I get involved in neighborhood issues? Does my Council representative know who I am?

• Think and act for the long term: Significant change, true reform generally does not happen easily or swiftly. National health care legislation was introduced during President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration; it passed in 2010. The Civil Rights movement has continued for more than a century and its work is still not completed. Yet without the efforts of countless people, who never lived to see the work completed, these changes would never have happened.

Have I the patience, perseverance and hope to work for change I may not live to see?