Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

The presence of the laity in social life is characterized by service, the sign and expression of love, which is seen in the areas of the family, culture, work, economics and politics according to specific aspects. Complying with the different demands of their particular area of work, lay men and women express the truth of their faith and, at the same time, the truth of the Church's social doctrine, which fully becomes a reality when it is lived concretely in order to resolve social problems. In fact, the credibility of this social doctrine comes more immediately from the witness of action than from its internal consistency or logic^{1153Cf. John XXIII, Encyclical Letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), 454; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, 57: AAS 83 (1991), 862-863.}. Having entered into The Third Millennium of the Christian era, the lay faithful will open themselves, through their witness, to all people with whom they will take on the burden of the most pressing calls of our time. “Drawn from the treasures of the teaching of the Church, the proposals of this Council are intended for all men, whether they believe in God or whether they do not explicitly acknowledge him; they are intended to help them to a keener awareness of their own destiny, to make the work conform better to the surpassing dignity of man, to strive for a more deeply rooted sense of universal brotherhood and to meet the pressing appeals of our times with a generous and common effort of love”^{1154Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 91: AAS 58 (1966), 1113.}.