We are nearing the end of President Trump’s second “First 100 Days,” and the elation it brought to some and the defeatism and despair it brought others are waning with the reality that each day of this new administration is going to be a grind characterized by the president and his opponents spinning current events to incrementally gain partisan and policy advantage.
Some hang on every twist and turn of the news cycle, and in fact there is a whole cable news industry dedicated to those who want to get their entertainment that way. Others know national politics is often like a soap opera where the main characters and plot lines stay the same and one can just check in every now and then to see what is happening.
Dorothy Day’s approach
One such person was Servant of God Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. In a recent discussion with Regis University’s Michael Baxter on the Catholic in America podcast, we discussed why her diary entry following the 1964 presidential election in which she merely wrote “Johnson elected” was characteristic of an approach to discipleship that “lived beyond politics” and was not beholden to a news cycle generated by the corporate welfare-warfare state.
Instead, Dorothy’s approach highlights that the true work of politics — ordering the city — happens when we live our discipleship in the concrete ways in which we serve and collaborate with those in our midst. It’s love in action.
Day’s approach was deeply personal, but never apolitical. She lived in voluntary poverty in New York City, helping found houses of hospitality where the homeless and hungry could find food, shelter and dignity. She believed politics wasn’t just about votes and policies (she rarely voted) — it was also about how we treated one another and the systems we upheld through our choices.
She didn’t waste time waiting for the system to fix itself. She built a new way of living right in its shadow. She practiced a kind of politics rooted in community, compassion and daily commitment — one that looked askance at events in Washington without pretending politics didn’t matter.
Why does this matter today? Because national politics, for all its drama, is often too abstract and far removed from daily life. We scream at the TV, doomscroll social media and despair over the latest scandal — but most of us don’t know who sits on our city council or in our state houses, what our school board is deciding, or how our local budget is being spent. We see Washington as hopelessly corrupt (sometimes rightly so) and conclude that all politics is a lost cause.
A call for faithful citizens
For faithful citizens — disciples of Jesus Christ called to be salt and light in the world — the most impactful place to live out our civic responsibilities is right where we are: in our neighborhoods, cities, counties and school districts. In our local communities, we can be protagonists. Our voices are more likely to be heard, our votes carry more weight and our presence can make a real difference.
When we participate in a school board meeting, organize a parish-based advocacy campaign around a legislative issue or even run for city council, we exercise our moral, spiritual and political agency in a way that is personal and prophetic. We remind our communities that politics is not just about power, but about service. Not just about ideology, but about love of neighbor.
Local engagement builds relationships and fosters solidarity. It allows us to see the face of our neighbor, especially the suffering neighbor. That proximity teaches us empathy, sharpens our sense of justice and helps us discern the real needs of our community. And it keeps us grounded in reality, away from the abstractions and performative arguments that often dominate national discourse.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the state of national politics, don’t retreat — refocus. Begin by asking: What are the needs of my community? Who is being overlooked? Where can I make a difference?
Start small. Attend a city council meeting. Volunteer for a local campaign. Ask your pastor how your parish can better engage civic life. These actions may not go viral, but they build the kingdom of God in ways that are faithful, effective and lasting.
Local politics is not beneath us. It is one arena in which our faith can take flesh, and where faithful citizenship becomes a lived reality. It is not only a political act — it is an act of hope, charity and obedience to the call of Christ.
Jason Adkins is host of a new Our Sunday Visitor podcast called “Catholic in America,” which explores topics related to the missionary imperative of faithful citizenship in our time. You can find “Catholic in America” on the major podcast platforms or visit catholicinamerica.osvpodcasts.com.
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