The Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s “Journey to Justice Day Guidebook” provides a framework for understanding social sin.  Social sin resides within a group or a community of people.  It exists within any structure in society that oppresses human beings, violates human dignity, stifles freedom and/or imposes great inequity.  Social sin results in structures, laws and policies that perpetuate widespread poverty, inequality, discrimination, violence and other injustices.  Once we have recognized these patterns and structures that are sinful, we need to move toward action on behalf of justice and the common good.  Such action must be collaborative; it must involve the participation of the victims as well as the perpetrators of injustice, which is based on a genuine desire to move toward justice by both parties.  This is the foundation for Catholic social action.  We Catholics must believe in the willingness, indeed, the need of men and women to respond to grace and build a more just and humane way that is based in the virtue of solidarity, bringing together those who live in poverty and those who are not living in poverty to contribute with one another toward the common good.