for creation, .

Catholic Archdiocese of Perth

3. Act: Justice Ecology and Development Office
Newman Siena Centre
33 Willliamstown Road, Doubleview 6018
T: (08) 9241 5255 F: (08) 9241 5225
Do we have enough information and analysis to act? Email: jedo@perthcatholic.org.au

If not, what additional work is needed?

See, Judge, Act.
If we were to act to change this situation, what root causes
would we tackle?

How do we go about changing the structures and A reflection/action process

relationships that produce this situation?
for decision making
How do we plan to act in support of those who are
disadvantaged? The social message of the Gospel must not be
considered a theory but a basis for action....

Today, more than ever, the Church is aware

that her social message will gain credibility
more from the witness of actions than as a result
of its logic and consistency.

Pope John Paul II,

“The Hundredth Year” Encyclical Letter 1991

________________________________________
Adapted from the Office for Social Justice,
Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
www.osjspm.org

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 Political factors - Who decides? For whom do they decide?
INTRODUCTION
How do decisions get made?
Moving from belief to action is a fundamental requirement of our
faith (Matthew 25, 31-46. James 2, 14-17). Yet how do we do this? Who is left out of the decision-making
What steps are required? process? Why?

This brief paper has a threefold purpose. First as a guide for decision
-making about a current issue of injustice; second for thinking more Social factors - Who is included? Who is marginalised?
deeply about everyday life experiences; and third for working with Why?
others in a small group. We hope you may use this guide as a tool to
enrich your understanding of these experiences and to help identify
available opportunities to act on behalf of justice. Historic factors - What past events influence the situation
today?

BACKGROUND Cultural factors - What values are evident?

The material in this booklet describes a reflection-action process. It is What do people believe in?
based on a methodology that is often described as the “see-judge-act”
process. This process was initially promoted by a Belgian Catholic Who or what influences what people believe
priest named Fr. Joseph Cardijn. Prior to World War II Fr Cardijn, and how they live?
made a Cardinal later in his life, inspired many Catholic social action
groups such as the Young Christian Workers, Young Christian B. Theological Reflection
Students, and the Christian Family Movement.
What lessons or values from Scripture can help us to interpret
This approach was also recommended in the 1961 encyclical letter
this experience?
by Pope John XXIII entitled, (The Church) Mother and Teacher:
Eg. the Prophets, the Beatitudes, the example of Jesus himself
and the parables he told.
There are three stages which should normally be followed in the
reduction of social principles into practice. First, one reviews the
concrete situation; secondly, one forms a judgment on it in the light
of these same principles; thirdly, one decides what in the
What key principles from the Church’s social teaching apply to
circumstances can and should be done to implement these principles.
These are the three stages that are usually expressed in the three
this situation.
terms: observe, judge, act. Eg. Human dignity, human rights and responsibilities, the
Pope John XXIII, 1961, Mother and Teacher, n. 263 common good, principle of subsidiarity, option for the poor, care
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See-Judge-Act process. See, Judge, Act
Reflection/Action Worksheet
Here is an outline of the key elements of the reflection-action
process:
1. See:
What do we know about this issue? 1. What do we see? See, hear and experience the lived reality
of individuals and communities. Carefully examine the facts
What did we observe? of the situation. What are the people in this situation doing?
How are they feeling? What are they saying? What do we see
is happening to them and how are they responding?

What specific facts can we cite about this issue or 2. What do we decide? This is the heart of the process and it
experience? involves two key parts:
What did we learn? a. Social Analysis: Obtain a more complete picture of the
social situation by exploring its historical and structural
relationships. In this step, we attempt to make sense of
the reality that was observed in Step 1. Why are things
How do we feel in the face of this issue or experience? this way? What are the root causes of the situation?

Does it touch us personally? b. Theological Reflection: Analyse the experience in the

light of Scripture and the Church’s social teaching? Do
biblical values and the principles of the Church’s social
2. Judge: teaching help us to see this reality in a different way?
Does this experience correspond with the vision and
A. Social Analysis teachings of Scripture and the Church’s social thinking?
If not, in what ways does it not match?
From our experience, what is your understanding of the
following: The word “judge” is used here in a positive sense: to analyse
the situation using simple social and theological tools. It does
Why does this situation exist? not imply that we judge other people or that we are judgmental.
Moreover, we do not need a theological or sociological
What are the root causes? education to participate in this process. They are practical
techniques to understand the meaning of a situation and to
respond effectively.
Economic factors - Who owns? Who controls?
3. What do we do? Plan and carry out actions aimed at
Who pays? Who profits? Why?
transforming
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 Similarly, Pope John Paul II has urged us to go beyond the
symptoms and effects of injustice and seek out the root causes:

We should not limit ourselves to deploring the negative

effects of the present situation of crisis and injustice.
What we are really required to do is destroy the roots
that cause these effects.
Pope John Paul II, World Day of Peace Message, 1995
and injustice.
Benefits of Social Analysis
It is important to remember that this is a process. It is a cycle that is  It leads us beyond the interpersonal level and to think
continually repeated. That is, after completing Step Three, the systemically. Systems are interrelated parts that form a whole,
participants return to Step One, observing new realities, making new and social and economic systems act and react with other
judgments, and finding new ways to act. This process is intended systems to produce the social conditions in which we live. By
for groups working together, rather than for single individuals. The using social analysis, we begin to see the connections between
group process allows for a richer reflection, a deeper analysis, and a social institutions and we begin to get a fuller picture of the
more creative search for effective action. Social analysis is a key social, economic, and political forces at work in our world.
element of “See, Judge, Act”. Since the concept may be new to
some of us, it is worth exploring a little more.  It enables us to make a more objective diagnosis of the social
problem. In doing so we avoid spending time and energy on
Importance of Social Analysis activities that will not really change the situation. In this way,
social analysis is a tool that leads to effective action.
First, note that social analysis is an essential part of evangelisation as
believers and disciples of Jesus Christ. Our faith leads us to work  It helps us identify potential allies and opponents in the search
for a more just world, and social analysis is a necessary element of for a just resolution of the situation.
carrying out the work. In the words of Pope Paul VI,

It is up to the Christian communities to analyse with

objectivity the situation which is proper to their own
country, to shed on it the light of the Gospel’s
unalterable words and to draw principles of
reflection, norms of judgment and directives for
action from the social teaching of the Church. _________________________________________
Pope Paul VI, 1971, A Call to Action, n. 4
The pages that follow are worksheets to guide us through the
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