Auspice Maria Ep. 12: Justice, Mercy and Evangelization
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Transcript:
Welcome back to the Auspice Maria podcast. I'm Bishop James Ruggieri of the Diocese of Portland in Maine and I'm grateful that you're here with me for episode 12 of our journey entitled Justice, Mercy and Evangelization.
I'd like to begin as always invoking the Holy Spirit just to inspire us and to open our hearts to his wisdom, his understanding and counsel. May we be courageous witnesses to our faith as we pray:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth, O Lord, your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
If you've been following the series somewhat, you'll know that I've been exploring the great mission entrusted to the Church: to proclaim Jesus Christ, to lead people into communion with him, and to build the kingdom of God here and now.
In past episodes, I've spoken about the heart of evangelization, the call to conversion, and the role of vocation and mission. Today, I'd like to look at something that flows naturally from what I've said so far: justice, mercy, and evangelization.
And you might ask, well, what does this matter, or how is it related?
Because the mission of the church obviously is not only words, it's life. It's about proclaiming the gospel concretely, leading people to an encounter with the merciful Christ and building up the kingdom of God as we work for justice and change in our society.
When the church serves the poor, visits the sick, forgives offenses, comforts the sorrowful, or advocates for the dignity of the vulnerable — that is evangelization in action. It's the gospel lived.
The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are not an optional extra credit for Catholics. They are at the very heart of how we share Christ.
Today, we'll explore:
The heart of Catholic social teaching — its core principles and why they matter for evangelization.
How justice and mercy together reflect the gospel and lead to true encounter with Christ.
What it means to evangelize through works of justice and mercy in our own homes, parishes, and communities.
The first area of investigation and discussion: the heart of Catholic social teaching.
Catholic social teaching is the gospel in action. It's how the truth we profess on Sunday is lived on Monday. It reminds us that faith is never just private. It shapes how we live, vote, work, raise our families, and care for the world.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, published in 2004, offers a powerful summary of this teaching. Section 160 lists four permanent principles that serve as the foundation for everything else in Catholic social thought:
Number one: The dignity of the human person. Every person is made in the image of God. This is the bedrock. From the unborn child to the elderly neighbor, from the refugee to the prisoner, every life has immeasurable worth.
Two: The common good. The idea that society should be organized so that all people can flourish, not just the privileged few.
Three: Subsidiarity. Decisions should be made at the most local level possible, respecting families, communities, and local institutions, while higher levels of authority step in only when necessary.
Fourth: Solidarity. We share a human responsibility for one another. We don't live in isolation.
As Saint Pope John Paul II put it:
"Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good — that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual — because we are all really responsible for all."
(Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 1987)
These four principles interconnect and expand. From them, the Church also speaks about:
The dignity of work, because work is not just about making a living, it's about participating in God's creative action.
The care of creation, because the earth is God's gift and caring for it is part of caring for one another.
As Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si’, section 139:
"When we speak of the environment, what we really mean is a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it. We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental."
Our concern for the earth, for the dignity of work, for the unborn baby, for the immigrant person — they are not separate issues. They're part of one vision of life rooted in Christ.
And that's why Evangelii Gaudium, The Joy of the Gospel, written by Pope Francis, section 178, says:
"The very mystery of the Trinity reminds us that we have been created in the image of that divine communion and so we cannot achieve fulfillment or salvation purely by our own efforts. From the heart of the gospel, we see the profound connection between evangelization and human advancement, which must necessarily find expression and develop in every work of evangelization. Accepting the first proclamation, which invites us to receive God's love and to love him in return with the very love which is his gift brings forth in our lives and actions a primary and fundamental response: to desire, seek, and protect the good of others."
These are some very beautiful words from Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. In other words, if I may simply summarize: if our faith is real, it will show itself in justice and mercy.
Well, here's the challenge and the beauty.
Justice and mercy are not two different things. They're really two sides of the same coin, both expressions of God's love.
Justice addresses structures. It looks at the bigger picture — laws, systems, conditions that affect human dignity. For example: ensuring workers are paid fairly, advocating for laws that protect the unborn, confronting racism, or reforming systems that oppress the poor.
Mercy responds to the person right in front of you. It sees the face of Christ in someone who is suffering and says, I can't just walk by. It's the good Samaritan bandaging wounds. It's the widow giving her mite.
Catholic tradition speaks of corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead.
But there are also spiritual works of mercy: teaching the ignorant, comforting the sorrowful, forgiving offenses, admonishing sinners, praying for the living and the dead.
We sometimes focus on the corporal works — and they are essential — but we can forget the spiritual works which are just as urgent. There is a spiritual poverty in our world, every bit as real and as devastating as material poverty: loneliness, despair, loss of meaning, ignorance of God's love.
When we evangelize, we must hold both in view.
We serve the hungry — and we speak of the Bread of Life. We visit the elderly in nursing homes — and we pray with them. We advocate for the unborn — and we help women in crisis pregnancies.
This is the key: everything we do — every act of justice, every work of mercy — is done for a person, from the migrant to the elderly neighbor down the street. We don't help issues. We help people — human beings made in the image of God.
And mercy doesn't always mean looking far away. Sometimes the person needing mercy is in your own home, your parish, your workplace. Sometimes evangelization begins at the kitchen table — or in the next pew.
Well, how do we live this out?
How do we evangelize through justice and mercy in our ordinary lives?
Begin with prayer. Justice and mercy without prayer can turn into ideology or activism without heart. Ask Christ to give you his eyes for the poor, his patience for the difficult, his love for those who have hurt you.
Start close to home. Do you have an elderly neighbor who is lonely? Visit that person. Are there people in your family who are spiritually adrift? Pray for them and invite them, gently, back to church.
Support parish ministries — food pantries, the St. Vincent de Paul societies, bereavement ministries, youth outreach. These ministries are concrete ways your parish, your local Catholic community, becomes the hands of Christ.
Practice both corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It's not either/or. Volunteer at the soup kitchen and offer to lead a Bible study if that is your gift. Donate to organizations that help people who are refugees from other lands and fervently pray for those who persecute others.
Advocate for the dignity of every person. Perhaps it's writing to your representatives or senators about protecting the unborn and supporting mothers. Maybe it's speaking confidently against racism or working for better care of the mentally ill.
Care for creation. Being intentional about recycling, planting trees, supporting sustainable practices. All of this is part of mercy. As Laudato Si’ teaches — it’s all interconnected.
And please, let's not forget the elderly. In a culture that often sidelines the aged, visiting a nursing home or simply calling an older parishioner can be a profound work of mercy and a real moment of evangelization.
So in conclusion — justice and mercy are not add-ons to evangelization. They are how we evangelize.
When we work for justice, when we show mercy, when we love the person in front of us, we are proclaiming Christ. This is how the kingdom of God is built — not in abstract slogans, but in meals shared, prayers offered, hands held, and systems reformed in the light of the gospel.
Maybe we can be a Church more focused on the integration of justice and mercy. And maybe our lives may, in a humble way, lead many to encounter Christ, the merciful Savior.
That's really the goal of being missionary disciples.
Thank you for joining me this week in this episode of Auspice Maria. And as always, I'd like to conclude by just entrusting it all to our Blessed Mother and her loving motherly protection.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
