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In the Light of Justice

Catholic Social Teaching for a New Era

by Meredith Dean Augustin

In the Light of Justice Catholic Social Teaching for a New Era

Season Two

Faces of Justice

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NIHIL OBSTAT

Monsignor C. Anthony Ziccardi, S.T.D., S.S.l.

IMPRIMATUR

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. Archbishop of Newark

Cover design by Kathrine Kuo Interior design by Linda L. Eberly

ISBN: 978-1-62063-226-0

RENEW International 1232 George Street Plainfield, NJ 07062-1717

RENEW International is a 501 (3) non-profit organization.

Printed and bound in 2026 in the United States of America

Introduction

The Faces of Justice: Stories that Cry Out A Six-Week Journey into the Human Heart of Catholic Social Teaching

“To love someone is to see them as God intended them.”

—Fyodor Dostoevsky (quoted frequently by Pope Francis)

Catholic Social Teaching is not only a body of doctrine. It is a cry—and a call. A cry from those who are hungry, unhoused, unseen. A call from God to respond with hearts wide open and lives shaped by love.

The Faces of Justice is the second resource in RENEW International’s In the Light of Justice series. Building on the foundational principles explored in the first six weeks, this resource brings us face to face with real people and real stories. These are not abstract “issues.” These are voices. These are names. These are lives marked by resilience, pain, and hope.

Pope Francis consistently reminded us that “realities are greater than ideas.” And Pope Leo XIV has reawakened the Church to the urgent moral questions of our time—urging us to confront the ethical failures of modern systems with both clarity and compassion. This series takes their prophetic witness seriously by asking: What does Catholic Social Teaching look like when it’s lived? Who is crying out—and who is listening?

Each session centers on a story grounded by Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching themes and accompanied by prayer, reflection, and action. These stories are fictional composites deeply rooted in real experiences and crafted to reflect truth. Our goal is not just to understand injustice—it is to feel it. To be moved. And to respond.

This is not a journey of judgment. It is a journey of encounter. It is not about having all the answers. It is about showing up, staying present, and allowing the Spirit to stretch our hearts.

As you gather your group to reflect, discuss, and pray, remember: the work of justice begins in listening. And the work of transformation begins when the Church opens her doors, her tables, and her heart to the ones who have long stood outside.

Thank you for making room.

Blessings and Gratitude,

Meredith Augustin Vice President of Pastoral Services, RENEW International

Season 2: The Faces of Justice: Stories that Cry Out

Listening to Lives that Reveal the Heart of Catholic Social Teaching

Purpose:

To move from principle to person.

From teaching to testimony.

From issues to real human faces.

In this six-week series, each session introduces a story—either real, composite, or inspired by actual events—reflecting a cry for justice in today’s world.

Participants will encounter these narratives through the lens of Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, and their own life experiences.

Session Overview

1. “I Was a Stranger…” – Migrants, Refugees, and the Displaced Theme: The dignity of the displaced and the right to migrate

Scripture: Matthew 25:35 – “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

2. Work Without a Net – Gig Economy and Precarious Labor

Theme: Economic inequality and labor without protection

Scripture: James 5:4 – “The wages you failed to pay... are crying out.”

3. The Economy of Exclusion – Poverty in Plain Sight

Theme: Structural poverty, homelessness, and invisibility

Scripture: Luke 14:13 – “Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…”

4. Digital Deserts – Tech Justice and Access Inequality

Theme: The digital divide and right to participation in society

Scripture: Proverbs 31:8 – “Speak out for those who cannot speak…”

5. Sacred Lives at the Margins – LGBTQ+, Incarcerated, and Forgotten

Theme: The radical inclusivity of Catholic Social Teaching

Scripture: Isaiah 56:3–5 – “Do not let the foreigner say… the Lord will surely exclude me.”

6. What Must We Do? – From Empathy to Advocacy

Theme: Discipleship that responds to injustice with action

Scripture: Luke 10:36–37 – “Go and do likewise.” (The Good Samaritan)

Week 1

“

I Was a Stranger...”

Migrants, Refugees, and the Displaced

Opening Prayer

Leader: God of the journeying people, you led your people out of Egypt, you walked with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, you fled with them into Egypt again. You know what it is to be homeless, to be unwanted, to be turned away. Open our hearts to those who knock. Make space in us for compassion, and let no one be a stranger in your Church.

All: Amen.

Scripture

Matthew 25:35

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.

Pause with the Word

Take a moment to sit with the scripture passage. What word, phrase, or image speaks to you? What might God be inviting you to see or do through this passage?

Story: Amara’s Choice

*Amara’s village in South Sudan had grown quiet—too quiet. Her husband, a teacher, had disappeared during a raid. She walked for six days with her two children to reach the refugee corridor. By the time she arrived at the camp, her shoes had disintegrated, and her daughter’s cough had worsened. There was no room. Not enough tents. Not enough water. Still, she stayed. She stayed for the promise of safety. For the hope of welcome.

Eventually, Amara was accepted into a resettlement program and sent to a midsized city in the United States. She was grateful but disoriented. The language, the systems, the suspicion. Her children were bullied. Her status was temporary. Her

In the Light of Justice Faces

trauma, constant. When she went to a nearby church for Mass, no one greeted her. No one helped her find the hymnal. She never returned. “Sometimes,” she says, “you leave one war and enter another. Loneliness is also violence.”*

Reflection: The Common Good in a Fractured World

Amara’s story is not unique. It echoes in the lives of millions. Refugees fleeing conflict, migrants seeking survival, asylum seekers grasping at hope. As Catholics, we are called to recognize the stranger, a person like Amara, not as a threat, but as Christ.

Catholic Social Teaching defends the right to migrate, the dignity of every person on the move, and the duty of nations and communities to respond with compassion and justice. Pope Francis made care for migrants central to his papacy, and Pope Leo XIV has echoed this call, naming global displacement one of the great moral questions of our time.

Migration is not just a political issue. It is a human one. It touches on the core of who we are as Church: a people always in motion, always being gathered, always being sent.

Quotes for Reflection

Pope Francis:

“Each migrant has a name, a face, and a story. Each is a bearer of hope.” (Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, 2020)

Pope Leo XIII: Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum, §34: “The more that justice is satisfied, the stronger the bonds of human society become.”

Faith-Sharing Questions

1. Have you or someone you love ever experienced displacement, migration, or being a stranger in a new place? What was that like?

2. What feelings arise when you hear stories like Amara’s? Hope? Anger? Helplessness? Compassion?

3. How might we as individuals and as a Church better “welcome the stranger”?

Invitation to Action

• Personal: Learn the name and story of one immigrant or refugee in your community. Ask that person about his or her journey. Listen without judgment.

• Communal: Advocate for just immigration policies by supporting organizations that aid asylum seekers or by educating your parish about Catholic teaching on migration.

Closing Prayer

All: God of Abraham, who wandered, God of Ruth, who crossed borders, God of Jesus, who fled from danger— bless all who journey in fear and hope. Break down the walls of indifference in our hearts. Let no child sleep in a detention center. Let no mother weep at a closed gate. And let your Church become the welcoming table you always imagined. Amen.