A Summary on the Laity in Gaudium et Spes
PAGE 10 GS 22
One of the most famous lines of the document says:
“Christ… fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” (GS 22)
This means that your apostolate is not about activism.
It is about helping people discover who they truly are in God’s eyes.
When you live your faith with authenticity, you become a quiet but powerful sign of this truth.
Conclusion
Gaudium et Spes is the Church’s great embrace of the modern world — not with fear, but with hope.
And in that embrace, the Council places a special trust in the laity.
You — as a Catholic lay — are called to:
carry Christ into the ordinary places of life,
bring dignity where it is forgotten,
build peace where there is tension,
shape culture with wisdom,
and let your daily life become a place where God’s love becomes visible.
Your apostolate is not something added to your life.
It is woven into your Catholic identity.