What are the needs in your parish?

See, Judge, Act method

In speaking of the see, judge, act method, Pope John XXIII was drawing on the thought of the Belgian Cardinal Joseph Cardijn (1882–1967), who as a priest had ministered to poor workers and founded the Young Christian Workers. Cardinal Cardijn, one of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, spoke on the document that was to be promulgated as the Declaration on Religious Freedom. Religious freedom, he said, ‘is not an end in itself. It is a necessary means for education in freedom in its fullest sense, which leads to interior freedom’.

This interior freedom, even if it exists in germ as a natural gift in every human creature, requires a long education which can be summarised in three words: see, judge and act.*

The process of the pastoral cycle has become a potent way of reading the signs of the time and engaging in action for justice in a way that is transformative.

The Core Principles

Before knock on a door, we ground ourselves in three frameworks:

• The Biblical Mandate: We help the "Biblical Trio" (Widow, Orphan, Stranger) and the "Least of These" (Matthew 25). We distinguish between the unable (Relief) and the unwilling (Accountability).

• Catholic Social Teaching (CST): Every visit must uphold Human Dignity, practice Subsidiarity (not doing for others what they can do themselves), and walk in Solidarity.

• Integral Human Development (IHD): We do not just see a "bill to be paid." We see a person with physical, social, mental, and spiritual needs.

The Process

1. See

• What is happening?

• Who are the people involved?

• Who gains from this situation? Who loses?

• What is the situation doing to people?

• Why is it happening? Why does it continue?

Notes:

• Seeing, hearing, and experiencing the lived reality of individuals and communities.

• Naming what is happening that causes you concern

• Carefully and intentionally examining the primary data of the situation. What are the people in this situation doing, feeling, and saying? What is happening to them and how do you/they respond?

2. Judge

1. How do you feel about this situation?

2. Have you ever behaved or acted like anyone in the situation? If so, what happened? Why? How did you and/or those involved feel?

3. What do you think should be happening?

4. What does your faith say about it?

5. What does our Vincentian Tradition say about it?

The "Think" Phase

Use this before making a financial commitment:

1. Investigation: What is the root cause? (Crisis, Systemic, or Behavioral?)

2. Biblical Test: Is this a "Samaritan" emergency, a "Prodigal" restoration, or a "Rich Ruler" challenge?

3. Agency Check: Does this person have the "agency" (ability) to participate in their own growth?

Notes:

The word ‘judge’ is used here in a positive sense – to analyse the situation and make an informed judgement about it.

This involves two key parts:

A. social analysis

B. theological reflection.

3. Act - What would Jesus do?

1. What can we do to bridge the gap between what is happening (the reality) and what should be happening (the ideal/what our faith says)?

2. What action are we going to take?

3. Who can we involve in our action?

Notes:

Jesus often asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" Have we asked them what they think the solution is, or are we imposing our own?

Jesus sought transformation, not just a one-time miracle. Is our help leading to a "change of heart" or "change of state"?

Planning and carrying out actions aimed at transforming the social structures that contribute to suffering and injustice.

Step 1: SEE

What do you know about this issue or what did you observe?

What specific facts can you cite about this issue or experience?

What did you learn or observe?

How do you feel in the face of this issue or experience?

How does it touch you personally?

Step 2: JUDGE

Judging involves:

a. Social Analysis

Social analysis helps us to 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 does this situation exist?

• What are the root causes?

To answer these questions, we need to examine:

 Social Analysis assists us in naming the ‘heart of the matter’ which we then take to the theological reflection.

b. Theological Reflection

Theological Reflection explores the experience and its deeper analysis, in dialogue with the religious tradition.

From this conversation we gain new insights and meanings.

Two important sources of this tradition are the Scriptures and Catholic social teaching.

How do they serve as a measuring stick for this experience?

• What Scripture passages can help us to interpret this experience?

• How do biblical values us to see this reality in a different way?

• What does Catholic social teaching say about this issue? What key principles from Catholic social teaching apply to this situation? (For example: human dignity, the common good, human rights, the option for the poor.)

• 
  

Step 3: ACT

From your information (Seeing) ...

and analysis and theological reflection (Judging) ...

what action needs to be taken –

• • to change the situation?

  • to address root causes?

If no action is clear, what additional research is needed?

• • How would you transform the structures and relationships that produce this situation?

  • How can you act to empower those who are disadvantaged in this situation?

  • How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your action?

In Context / The Practice

SEE

The SEE part requires that every member brings to the meeting, a ‘fact’ that he/

she will share with the rest of the group. A ‘fact’ is something that has happened

not imagined or predicted to happened and actually witnessed by a member. It

could be an incident, a remark overheard or an event witnessed by a member.

The member does not go looking for facts. The fact/s occurs in his normal day to

day living and working environment. This is called a person’s milieu. Every person

is involved with his ‘milieu of life’ and his/ her ‘milieu of work’.

The ‘milieu of life’ consists of all the various places and circumstances where the

member comes into contact with other people on a regular basis in living his daily

life. It could be the club where he hangs out after work, people he meets when he

goes to the market, people he meets or groups he may belong to in the parish or

the community, sports club or gym and so on. This is the ‘milieu of life’.

The other milieu that every member will be a part of and where he spends most

of his day is the ‘milieu of work’. Although the member may belong to a

workplace, be it a factory, office, shopping center and so on, he/ she does not

relate with everyone in the workplace equally. There is a group of people whom

he actually works with every day. His Immediate workmates or team. However,

during lunchtime, he/ she is always with another group of people. Then there is

clique of people he/ she meets everyday while waiting to take the bus every 

morning. He could belong to a recreation club of the workplace where he has

another clique of friends or the union where he sometimes goes for a meeting

and he is close to a certain group of friends there. All this constitutes what we

call, ones ‘world of work’.

The ‘milieu of work’ and ‘milieu of life’ is very important to every member. This is

what we call his or her ‘sphere of influence’. This in the world is where you find

the people you can influence, change their attitudes or values. In this sense, you

are a leader. A leader is someone who has followers. These are the people whom

you will influence to follow you not because you have been elected as their leader

but because they are willing to follow your ideas, attitudes and values. This is

where you also find the facts to bring to your meeting.

The leader (you) needs to have a ‘keen sense of awareness’. He/ she is alive to

what is happening in one’s milieu and more importantly, what is happening in the

lives of the people in ones milieu. For this purpose, the leader earnestly tries to

enter into the lives of the people in ones milieu. This is a delicate undertaking and

some training on this could be helpful.

In deciding on whether to bring something one has seen, heard or experienced in

ones milieu, the key question to ask is ‘DOES THIS NEED LOOKING INTO?’

A fact is something a leader has seen, heard or experienced in one’s milieu. It

does not necessarily have to be a problem or bad incident. It could be just a

remark one overheard. For example, over tea time conversation, one of the

leaders friend commented that he has a big problem and does not know what to

do about it. He said that his 14 yr old son has been running away from school

often and the teachers want to see the parents about it. ‘What can I do? I beat

the hell out of him so many times and yet he continues to do it. What am I to tell

the teacher?’ Does this remark by the leaders fellow worker ‘needs looking into?’

The SEE-JUDGE-ACT is also what we call a ‘Review of Life’. It calls upon us to

review what is happening in the lives of our fellow workers or students. How do

we review a situation?

# We look at the cause of the situation. We need to find why the

student is running away from school? We don’t imagine the reasons. We actually

don’t know. So the first line of action at this point is to find out why the student is

running away from school. The group then helps the leader to strategize how he

is going to find this out from the student. You as a stranger simply cannot go and

ask him this question. You have to come up with a strategy on how to approach

him.

# We need to ask who are the various people involved in the situation. The

parents, the teachers, his friends, his parish (if he belongs to one)

# How many students are involved in this problem?

# We ask, what is the attitude of the people involved in the problem? What

are they saying? Here again, if we don’t know, we don’t suppose. We go and find

out.

# Finally, we ask ourselves, what are the consequences if nothing is done

about it?

JUDGE

When we say ‘leader’, we do not mean a political leader, a union leader, the

leader of a society and so on. We are talking about ‘Christian leadership and a

‘Christian leader’. Who is a Christian leader? If you want to know who is a

Christian leader, whom do we ask? Of course you have to ask Christ himself. How

does Christ describe the leader?

‘You are the light of the light of the world’……where there is darkness, you bring

light.

‘You are the salt of the earth’…….you bring taste/ richness to peoples dreary lives.

‘You are the leaven in the dough’…….you are not out there standing on a pedestal

but you are there ‘with them’ and ‘for them’ and you are immersed. You are ‘one

with them’.

You are the ‘sower’ who goes out to sow seeds. You understand that not every

seed you sow will take root. But you go out and sow anyway. You believe that

those that do, will yield a hundred fold.

You are the good shepherd. You are more concerned about the one sheep that is

lost and you will go all out to find it. I remember the case of a leader who

reported about one of his fellow workers who he came to know was ruining

himself and his family because of his gambling habit. He worked on him for a

quite a long time to turn him around and his team also helped him by giving him

ideas on what to do next. He was so happy with his new found life that he later

joined the team to help other people who were in the same situation as him.

This is why, we have ‘JUDGE’ after see because we are not social or political

leaders but we are Christian leaders and therefore we need to see ‘what Christ

would want us to do in a certain situation that we have seen to exist and we

believe ‘needs looking into’. This is where we may look into the bible to see what

Christ might have to say or we may even look into the teachings of the Church to

check what it has say about ‘human rights’ for example, if we are dealing with a

human rights issue.

ACT

To act is to ‘bear witness to the truth’. As Christian leaders, we are ‘called’ to bear

witness to the truth.

‘Not every one who calls me master, master is my servant. It is he who carries out

my will’.

‘For I was hungry and you gave me to eat ….’

Thirsty and you gave me to drink…

Naked and you clothed me…..

I was in prison and you visited me…..

Ignorant and you taught me the way…..

Distressed, and you came to my aid…..

He did not say ‘and you prayed for me’.

Our action starts when we go out and find out more about the fact or situation

being reviewed. Our action starts when we reach out to people and enter into

their lives and start to make the world a better place for them to live in.

Action sometimes calls for an effort to change people’s values and attitudes.

Action also sometimes goes beyond the current problem and looks at how to

prevent the situation or affect more people in the future.

In the case of the student who was running away from school, it was found that it

was because he could not keep up with school work because he had nobody to

help him as his parents could not afford to send him for tuition. The group in it’s

review also found out that there were many more students in the area who were

facing the same problem.

They worked with the students, parents, the school and the local parish and

organized free tuition classes with the help of volunteer teachers. Some were not

teachers but they could still teach as they were knowledgeable.

The parent of the student involved was so impressed that he joined the group and

later became an outstanding leader. He was not a Christian, but he fully

appreciated and accepted the teachings of Christ and practiced it in his life.

Ponder this:

The story of the Prophet Hosea and his wife Gomer is one of the most provocative and emotionally charged narratives in the Bible. It serves as a living metaphor for God’s relationship with humanity.

The Narrative: Hosea and Gomer

In Hosea 1, God gives the prophet a shocking command: "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord."

Hosea marries Gomer. She eventually bears three children, but true to her nature, she remains unfaithful. She leaves Hosea to pursue other lovers, eventually falling into such ruin that she is put up for sale on a slave block.

In Hosea 3, God gives a second, even more difficult command: "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel." Hosea goes to the slave market, buys back his own wife for fifteen shekels of silver and some barley, and brings her home to restore her.

1. Meaning: God’s Character and Attitude Toward Men

This story is a "theatre of the soul" designed to show Israel—and us—the depth of God's covenant love (Hesed).

• God as the Scorned Husband: In the Bible, idolatry is rarely called "wrong opinion"; it is called spiritual adultery. Hosea’s personal heartbreak allowed him to preach with the "pathos of God." It shows that God is not a distant, cold judge; He is a passionate Being who is deeply hurt by our betrayal.

• Radical Redemption: When Hosea buys Gomer back, he illustrates that God’s love is reclamatory. He doesn't just wait for us to get our act together; He enters the "slave market" of our sin to pay the price for our return.

2. Relevance to Christians Today: Understanding the Heart of God

For modern Christians, Hosea shatters the idea that we can "earn" God’s favor.

• The Depth of Sin: It forces us to realize that when we prioritize money, status, or self over God, we aren't just breaking a rule; we are being unfaithful to a Lover.

• The Scandal of Grace: It reminds us that no one is "too far gone." If God could use a broken marriage to a prostitute to symbolize His heart, there is no depth of human failure that exceeds His capacity to redeem.

3. Application: Demonstrating Similar Love for Others

This is where we must be very careful to balance Hosea’s Call with Machiavelli’s Caution (from our previous discussion).

• Love as Sacrifice, Not Enablement: Hosea didn't just "accept" Gomer's lifestyle. When he brought her back, he said, "You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore" (Hosea 3:3). His love was restorative, but it required a change in her behavior.

• The "Hosea Call" is Exceptional: It is important to note that God gave Hosea a specific, prophetic mandate to illustrate a point. Christians are not generally commanded to seek out abusive or chronically unfaithful partners as a standard of "goodness."

• When to Apply This Love:

  • In Marriage: It calls for a level of forgiveness that is supernatural. It challenges us to look past a spouse's flaws to the "image of God" within them.

  • In Ministry: It encourages us to reach out to the "outcasts"—the addicts, the homeless, and the "Gomers" of society—whom others have written off.

• The Distinction: We demonstrate "Hosea Love" when we offer the Gospel to the broken. However, we apply Boundaries when that brokenness begins to destroy the "ship" of our own spiritual life or our ability to care for our families. Hosea was a prophet with a specific mission; we must ensure our "sacrificial love" isn't actually pride (thinking we can fix someone only God can fix).

Summary for Deliberation: Hosea shows us that God’s love is a pursuit, not a passive feeling. As Christians, we are called to be people of the "Second Chance," but we must also remember that Hosea brought Gomer back to a place of accountability, not a place of continued chaos.

Distinguishing between a "Hosea Call" and a "Savior Trap" is a matter of spiritual discernment. One is a divine assignment intended to reflect God's glory through suffering; the other is a human impulse fueled by ego or fear that results in wasted resources.

The Theological Distinction

In the Hosea Call, you are a vessel for God’s grace, and the focus is on His glory. In the Savior Trap, you are acting as the source of grace, and the focus is on your utility.

3 General Examples (Life & Ministry)

1. The "Hosea" Marriage vs. The "Scorpion" Enabling

• Hosea Call: A spouse stays with an unfaithful partner because they feel a specific, clear leading from God to pray them into repentance, often seeing "glimmerings" of a heart turning back to Christ. They maintain high standards of holiness while enduring the pain.

• Savior Trap: A person stays with an abusive or serial cheater because they are afraid to be alone or believe "if I just love them more, they’ll stop." There is no change in the partner, and the "savior" is being spiritually and physically destroyed.

2. Mentorship vs. The Bottomless Pit

• Hosea Call: You invest years into a young person who consistently fails but shows genuine "godly sorrow" (2 Corinthians 7:10) after every fall. You see a slow, agonizing trajectory toward growth.

• Savior Trap: You spend your savings and time on someone who only calls you when they need money or a bail-out, and who mocks your faith the moment their belly is full. You aren't mentoring; you are subsidizing a lifestyle of sin.

3. The Prodigal Parent vs. The Architect of Chaos

• Hosea Call: A parent keeps the door open for a wayward child, praying and waiting, but refusing to fund their rebellion. This is "watchful waiting" (like the Father in Luke 15).

• Savior Trap: A parent pays the legal fees, the rent, and the car notes for an adult child who refuses to work and continues to use drugs. This isn't "Hosea love"; it’s preventing the "bottom" that would actually lead to the child's salvation.

3 Examples for the Caritas Context

For those serving in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and POHD, the line between "visiting the poor" and "enabling the parasite" is a daily struggle.

4. The "Friend in Need" vs. The Professional Victim

• Hosea Context: You encounter a family that has faced a catastrophic health crisis. Despite your aid, they continue to struggle. You continue to visit, pray, and provide aid because their spirit is humble and they are doing everything in their power to recover. This is the "Charity of Christ" in action.

• Savior Trap: A "Friend in Need" calls the society every month with a new, elaborate story. They become angry or manipulative if the voucher is delayed. They refuse to attend financial literacy classes or seek employment. Continuing to fund them without conditions is "poisonous charity" that keeps them in the role of the Professional Victim.

5. The Mental Health Crisis vs. The Arrogant Fool

• Hosea Context: A person with chronic mental illness (the "least of these") is unable to keep their home clean or pay bills on time. You step in repeatedly with patience, knowing they may never "improve" in the worldly sense, but you are honoring their dignity as a child of God. This is the "Hosea commitment" to the broken.

• Savior Trap: An able-bodied person refuses to work because they feel the jobs available are "beneath" them. They demand the Society pays their premium cable bill because they "deserve a good life." If you pay this, you are validating their Arrogant Fool archetype and stealing resources from the truly destitute.

6. Radical Hospitality vs. The Scorpion in the Parish

• Hosea Context: A previously incarcerated individual joins the parish. They are rough around the edges and occasionally slip back into old language or habits. The SSVP members walk with them, providing a "circle of support" and forgiving the slips because the person is transparent and trying to change.

• Savior Trap: An individual joins the parish and begins "borrowing" money from elderly parishioners or the SSVP petty cash, always with a "promise" to pay it back. When caught, they use religious language to guilt-trip the members into silence ("Where is your forgiveness?"). Allowing this person to continue with access to vulnerable people is not love; it is a failure of Stewardship.

Key Deliberation for Christians

The "Hosea Call" always leads back to God's Law and God's Gospel. If your "love" is allowing someone to continue in sin without consequence, it is not the love of Hosea; it is a human shadow of love that lacks the power to save.

To help you and your team (especially within ministries like SSVP and POHD) navigate these complex human dynamics, here is a Discernment Checklist. This tool is designed to help you distinguish between a divine assignment to endure (Hosea) and a psychological trap that leads to ruin (The Savior Trap).

The Discernment -Questions for Deliberation 

1. What is the goal?

The "Hosea" Indicator : Restoring the person to God and right living.

The "Savior Trap" Indicator : Relieving your own guilt or feeling "needed."

2. Is there "Godly Sorrow"?

The "Hosea" Indicator :They admit fault and take steps toward change.

The "Savior Trap" Indicator :They blame circumstances, "bad luck," or you.

3. Does aid produce fruit?

The "Hosea" Indicator :Small signs of stability or spiritual growth appear.

The "Savior Trap" Indicator : Aid only funds the next crisis; no growth.

4. Is there accountability?

The "Hosea" Indicator :They accept boundaries and "tough love."

The "Savior Trap" Indicator :They react with anger or guilt-trips to "No."

5. What is the cost to you?

The "Hosea" Indicator :Sacrifice of comfort/time, but spirit is clear.

The "Savior Trap" Indicator : Loss of peace, family strife, and resentment.

6. Is the Holy Spirit leading?

The "Hosea" Indicator :A persistent, quiet "peace" despite the difficulty.

The "Savior Trap" Indicator : A frantic, "driven" feeling of "I have to fix this."

The Discernment Checklist

Use this before making a decision on a difficult case.

• Goal: Are we restoring them to God or just relieving our own guilt?

• Sorrow: Do they show "Godly Sorrow" (taking responsibility) or "Worldly Grief" (blaming others)?

• Fruit: Has previous aid produced stability or just funded the next crisis?

• Accountability: Do they accept boundaries or react with anger to "No"?

• Spirit: Is there a quiet peace in this mission, or a frantic feeling of "I have to fix this"?

Understanding the "Spiritual Amputation"

Sometimes, the most "Christ-like" action is the withdrawal of help. In SSVP terms, this is often called "Referral to Reality."

If you find that your help is "funding the destruction" of a person's future, you must consider the following biblical steps for setting that final boundary:

• The Prayer of Release: Formally "handing them over" to God. You admit that you are not the Savior; Jesus is.

• The "Last Voucher" Strategy: Providing one final resource (like a list of job agencies or a rehab center) and clearly stating: "This is the last time we can provide financial aid. Our mission is to walk with those seeking a way out. If you decide to take that path, we are here. If not, we must steward these resources for others."

• The Circle of Protection: If you are dealing with a "Scorpion" or a "Smiling Saboteur," you must warn your team. In the early church, Paul openly warned Timothy about "Alexander the coppersmith" who did him great harm (2 Timothy 4:14). Warning others isn't gossip; it's protection of the Flock.

A Final Reflection 

St. Vincent de Paul once said, "It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them." However, true love does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). If your aid hides the truth of a person's situation from them, it is not Vincentian love—it is an obstacle to their salvation.

More Examples:

SEE:  JB city has a large number of homeless and vagrants. Many are hard pressed to even have one hot meal a day.

JUDGE:  The city parish SSVP considers how it can help those in need.

Act:  Organise the Faithful and man of good will to provide hot meals. Get volunteers from the church and NGO's to join the effort and donors from the church and corporate bodies to provide the funds.

That's how the Street Dinner programme has been going on since 2018.

While the "pastoral cycle method" and the "see, judge, act" method are essentially the same concept, the pastoral cycle method is considered a more detailed and nuanced version of the "see, judge, act" approach, providing a deeper analysis and reflection on a situation before taking action, often incorporating elements like "social analysis" and "theological reflection" within its stages, whereas "see, judge, act" provides a simpler framework for initial observation, judgment, and action. 

The pastoral cycle has four steps, or moments:

• Experience: Define the focus of your reflection, which could be an incident in your life, a film, or something happening in your community.

• Analysis: Ask questions about the causes of the issue, consequences, and key players.

• Reflection: Reflect on the focus of the process in light of your religious resources.

• Response: Draw on your learnings to discern actions that arise from God's activity. 

The pastoral cycle is a theological act that involves putting faith into action, participating in building God's reign, and celebrating achievements. It's a process that's more like a spiral than a circle, leading individuals and communities deeper into applying their faith to social issues.

Key differences: 

• Depth of Analysis:

• "See, judge, act" is a concise framework focusing on the basic steps of observing, analyzing, and taking action, while the pastoral cycle method delves deeper into each stage, including detailed analysis of the social structures and theological implications of a situation.

How they are similar: 

• Core principle:

• Both methods emphasize the importance of carefully examining a situation before taking action, ensuring a well-informed response based on Christian values. 

• Application:

• Both can be used to analyze social injustices and develop appropriate responses, whether in a community setting or individual reflection.