Saints and Social Justice

I recently finished Brandon Vogt’s Saints and Social Justice: A Guide to Changing the World and want to recommend it as an excellent introduction to Catholic social teaching. Too often we look at these teachings through the lens of politics instead of as core moral teachings that we need to integrate into our lives. Vogt gets beyond the ideology of our current political climate and shows how the doctrine was lived by the saints.  The main topics and the saint who illustrate them are:

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Life and Dignity of the Human Person (Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Peter Claver)

Call to Family, Community, and Participation
(St. Frances of Rome, Bl. Anne-Marie Javouhey)

Rights and Responsibilities (St. Roque Gonzalez, St. Thomas More)

Option for the Poor and Vulnerable (Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Vincent de Paul)

Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
(St. Benedict of Nursia, Servant of God Dorothy Day)

Solidarity (St. John Paul II, St. Damien of Molokai)

Care for Creation (St. Giles, St. Isidore the Farmer)

 Also in each section there are examples from the lives of other saints and quotes from magisterial documents that highlight the topic. A quick read worthy of much reflection.