Daily, we awaken to news of another action by government officials that defy our Catholic Social Teachings. Certainly, our pope and bishops are to be applauded for standing up to many of these actions. Environmental protection, healthcare for the poor, disabled, and elderly, mental health care for veterans, the arrest, detention and deportation of immigrants and refugees without due process, the increase of nuclear weapons, and the list goes on.

As individuals and communities of faith, how can we voice our concerns to promote justice and goodness? In my three decades in government, I have learned that the voices of the people can counter the power and dominance of the power-hungry, the wealthy elite, and the major corporations.

In my three decades in government, I have learned that the voices of the people can counter the power and dominance of the power-hungry, the wealthy elite, and the major corporations.

Here is a list of suggestions:

• ​Schedule a meeting with your elected officials. Be polite, and non-threatening, and focus on one or two topics. Let them know you are a constituent. Follow up with a handwritten thank you note.
• Written correspondence: emails or letters? Both work! But I, as a legislator for 28 years, always paid more attention to brief, hand-written letters. They come from the heart. State your position and give an example of the issue's impact. Ask for a reply. Again, no threats and no name-calling.
• Attend public meetings of elected officials. Half of success is showing up. Don’t expect others to carry the message for you. Post the scheduled meetings on social media and bring friends and family members. Take photos and post them on social media after the event. Speak up at the meetings. Always be kind.
• Attend rallies and protests. Howard Zinn, the Harvard professor of history used to say, “Vote. But after you vote, hit the streets!” You might be just one voice in the crowd, but all those “just one voice” people make a crowd. Elected officials notice crowds.
• Stir up some “good trouble”, such as refusing to participate in the injustice. The more “good trouble” you make, the more those in power notice. Remember: “good trouble” was the term used by the late Congressman John Lewis to describe Rosa Parks’s type of non-violent activism, like refusing to ride the back of the bus. “She inspired us to find a way, to get in the way, to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” (John Lewis)
• Write opinion pieces and letters to the editor for local newspapers and other media. Keep them short and to the point. Use a personal story. Again, no name-calling! Be firm but clear and to the point.

Thomas Merton wrote in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, “Gandhi pointed out … that our feeling of helplessness in the presence of injustice and aggression arises from ‘our deliberate dismissal of God from our common affairs.’ Those who relinquish God as the center of their moral orbit lose all direction and, by that very fact, lose and betray their [humanity]. . . We are not responsible for more than our own actions, but for this, we should take complete responsibility (emphasis his)….

​"We have only to judge whether the act is right and just, and accords with truth and love here and now, because we ‘believe in the good’ and are therefore convinced that, whatever the consequences that follow, they will certainly be good ones, beneficial to ourselves and to society.”(p. 121)

As individuals and communities of faith, it is time to act. Let us push back, promote justice and goodness, and stir up some Rosa Parks-style “good trouble”. 

Jim Wayne is a psychotherapist and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing District 35, from 1991 until 2019. He has been involved in pastoral ministry at St. Agnes Passionist Parish, Louisville KY, for many years and is a staunch advocate for the rights and needs of the most vulnerable in society. ​

Let your Governor know that you are a Catholic concerned about climate change and environmental policy in your state. Your voice matters.

In 2010, the United Nations proclaimed the 24th of March each year as International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and the Dignity of Victims. This date was chosen in memory of Roman Catholic bishop Oscar Romeo of El Salvador, who was assassinated on March 24, 1980, after denouncing violations of human rights.

Anne Marie O'Connor (pictured third from left) is Director of Passionists International at the United Nations, where she works with other religious communities on interconnected issues affecting human rights and human dignity: security and humanitarian needs in Haiti and Gaza; the harmful effects of the extractive industry on land, ecosystems and people; the rights of Indigenous People and environmental defenders; the equality and empowerment of women and girls; gender-based violence; and the promotion of peace and security.

Read recent stories of refugees and immigrants collected by the United Nations Refugee Agency. Include those fleeing violence and oppression in your prayers.