If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

(James 2:14–17)

“Faith without works is dead,” writes the author of the Epistle of James. Catholic social teaching reflects this call to feed the naked, clothe the hungry, and welcome the stranger, with its focus on human dignity, the preferential option for the poor, and ecological justice.

The following reflections are by people who took this call to heart: dedicating their professional and personal lives to act for justice and to create the kingdom of God on Earth. Whether welcoming immigrants, advocating for nonviolence, or helping victims of sexual violence heal, these five writers are driven by their faith to work for justice in the world.

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