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THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY AND THE SOCIO-SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION 
(ANIMATION) OF THE WORLD IN THE LIGHT OF GAUDIUM ET SPES (GS) 43

Mark Omorovie Ikeke, PhD
Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy,

Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria
drikeke@delsu.edu.ng

ABSTRACT

Despite the many scientific and technological advancements of humanity especially in the 
modern age, the world is still filled with anxieties, pains, turmoil, and miseries. The scientific and 
technological advancements include biotechnological interventions, reproductive technologies, 
the rise of artificial intelligence, the growth and rapid increase in information technology, 
agricultural advancement, etc. While not all that have been invented in the above domains are 
ethically acceptable, there is hope in the good aspects of the inventions. Human history and 
civilization should be guided by the spirit of  God, the supreme being who created the world and 
loves the world. The role of the Church emanating from God and Christ is to be a pastor and moral 
guide to humanity as God leads people to heaven. This paper argues that the world needs to be 
transformed, animated, and renewed with the spirit of Christ and Christianity. The Catholic 
Church's document: Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World) 
provides a guide on this. The paper uses critical analytic and hermeneutic methods to unravel the 
issues at stake. The paper finds that the Church has a role to play in the earthly city (the world). 
The paper concludes that when the Church animates the world with the spirit of Christianity the 
world becomes a better earthly city and place.

Keywords: Christianity, Christ, social justice, socio-spiritual transformation, animation, the 
world, Gaudium et Spes. 

INTRODUCTION

This research comes from a paper delivered at a Warri pastoral regional event which was 
organized by the Catholic Diocese of Warri as an aspect of the Catholic Church's Year of Prayer. A 
look through the world or the global community reveals that it is plagued by myriads of socio-
economic, political, cultural, environmental, and many other problems. The problems in these 
various areas of life include terrorism, banditry, climate change, inept leadership, cyber fraud, 
human insecurities, modern-day slavery, wars and violence, violent struggles over natural 
resources, herdsmen-farmers clashes, religious fundamentalism, intolerance, oppression and 
injustice, violation of human rights, broken homes and marriages, youth restiveness and 
unemployment, etc.

Specifically, you see these problems in different countries. In many African countries, there is 
massive underdevelopment and poor social infrastructure. A country like Nigeria is experiencing 
epileptic power supply, constant electoral violence, internet fraud, and rising cost of living. Boko 
Haram violence is raving Nigeria, and so also are killer herdsmen. As this paper is being sent out 
Nigeria is experiencing protests over bad governance. The Democratic Republic of Congo has 
been embroiled in war and violence for many decades now. There is a civil war raging in Sudan. 
In the Middle East, there is an ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Many nations in the 
Middle East and North African region are raved by poverty and lack of democratic values. Illegal 
Migration is a serious problem that is facing many regions of the world such as the Mexico-US 
border, the Mediterranean region, the English Channel, etc. There is a war going on in Ukraine. It 

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should be clear to all from a religio-spiritual perspective that these problems confronting human 
beings and the planet are not divine nor God's will. The divine will is that beings who are created 
excellent should flourish and live meaningful lives. The divine will is that human beings should 
have life, abundant life (cf. John 10:10). Jesus came into this world to ensure that abundant life as 
encapsulated in the message of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached is established on earth 
(cf. Matthew 6:9-15, Luke 4:18-19). The followers of Jesus on behalf of Jesus must take his spirit 
and message and use it to transform, animate, and make this world a better place. 

The problems and troubles confronting the world, and various countries all show the need for it to 
be animated by Christian values that can help the world to heal. The world cannot heal itself. The 
institutions of the world cannot heal themselves. They need a higher power, such as the power of 
the Supreme Being and his Christ. It is through the followers of Christ, but not only them that God 
operates in the world, and by the power of his spirit that operates in the world. The task of this 
paper precisely is to argue that amid the myriads of problems confronting the world, it should be 
animated or transformed with the spirit of Christianity or the spirit of Christ. In examining the 
thesis of the paper it will be discussed from the perspective of the document of the Catholic 
Church coming from the Second Vatican Council called Gaudium et Spes (Joys and Hope). 

TERMINOLOGIES AND CONCEPTUAL EXPLICATIONS

There are some terms or concepts that undergird this work. They are spirit, Christianity, socio-
spiritual, transformation, animation, world, and Gaudium et Spes (GS). The word, “spirit” refers 
to the non-physical dimension of a being or thing. It is the pervading principle or what 
distinguishes a thing. The spirit is the unseen essence and invisible substance of which a thing or 
being is made. The Encyclopedia Britannica (2024) writes that a spirit is “the force within a 
person that is believed to give the body life, energy, and power....the inner quality or nature of a 
person.” The spirit of a thing or person is the animating principle that guides, propels, and 
motivates the thing. A person, place, thing, entity, etc can be imbued with a spirit. 

Having explained spirit, it is important to explain what Christianity is. Christianity is the religion 
that emanates from the life, ministry, and teaching of Christ. Benz et al (2024) write that: 

Christianity, major religion stemming from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of 
Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of God) in the 1st century CE (sic). It has 
become the largest of the world's religions and, geographically, the most widely 
diffused of all faiths. It has a constituency of more than two billion believers (p.1).

At the heart of Christianity is the message of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached. When 
Jesus gave his first homily at the synagogue in Nazareth he declared: 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to 
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to 
proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18-19, RSV). 

To separate the message that Jesus preached from his life and ministry and the essence of 
Christianity does Christianity a great disservice. The life and ministry of Jesus are not to be 
separated from his death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming.  All make the Christ 
Event. Macy (2007) writes that Christianity is a monotheistic faith tradition that affirms the role 
of Jesus in redemption with beliefs, customs, practices, and rituals centered on Jesus. Christians 
proclaim Jesus as the Jewish messiah that was prophesied and promised in the Old Testament. 
From Christianity has emerged the Christian faith, Christian religion, Christian institutions such 
as Christian education, Christian monasteries, Christian books, Christian libraries, etc. 

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Gaudium et Spes—the three words derived from the Latin: Gaudium (joy), et (and), and spes 
(hope)—is one of the documents of Vatican II that was released in 1965 by Pope Paul VI on behalf 
of the World Catholic Bishops.  It was the last document presented by the Second Vatican 

thCouncil on 7  December 1965. Nickoloff (2007) recognizes that the document aims to scrutinize 
or appraise the signs of the times in the light of the gospel and these signs include psychological, 
intellectual, moral, religious, and spiritual changes in the world. Nickoloff (2003) writes further 
that part 1 of the document concerns human existence and its meaning in a changing world, the 
role of Catholics and the church arising from the dignity of the human person, while part 2 looks 
at issues in family and marriage life, cultural development, politics, socio-economic life, and 
peace in the world. 

Nickoloff (2007) is also clear that it is not a dogmatic document like Dei Verbum, or Lumen 
Gentium that defines doctrine, but it is authoritative when it comes to Catholic Social Teaching. 
This document has influenced the Catholic Social Teaching of the Popes and regional catholic 
bishops all over the world since its inception.  From the document, it is now clear that Catholics 
must be socially, economically, politically, and environmentally engaged in the world. From this 
document, we learn that the Church is not a fortress apart from the city. The life of the sacristy and 
sanctuary must affect the streets. In this document, the ecumenical dimension of the Church is 
brought to the fore. Forell and Childs (2013) note that Gaudium et Spes recognizes the dignity of 
all humanity and the church is to be engaged with all humanity by showing love amidst the 
threatening changes in the world. The importance of GS lies also in what Mich (1999) helps us to 
see: that of the 16 documents of the Second Vatican Council, only this one, GS deals with the 
relationships of the church to the world( the first document from a church council addressed to 
the people of the world); the others deal with internal matters such as liturgy, the role of the laity, 
priestly formation, etc. Mich (1999) helps us to realize that the cry of Brazilian Bishop, Dom 
Helder Camara that we should not simply concern ourselves with internal church matters while 
the world is dying of hunger and underdeveloped was a similar concern shared by bishops such as 
Montini of Milan (later Pope Paul VI), Cardinal Suenens of Belgium, Leger of Montreal, and 
Lercaro of Bologna. GS is a warm and loving document with unconditional positive regard for 
humanity. In GS, Prusak (2004) writes that the Church acknowledged “a dynamic and more 
evolutionary concept of nature” and history moving away from a static one. Amid world 
problems and darkness in this world, there is hope. It acknowledged the freedom in the world, but 
freedom should be ethically moderated. The Church's mission is to be a leaven in society on 
behalf of Christ transforming it into the family of God” (GS 39). The role of the Church is to 
humanize. Prusak (2004) rightly interprets the Council saying: “To say that the Church was not 
given a mission in the political, economic, or social order does not mean that the Church has no 
function to fulfill in those areas”(p. 319).

Christians are to animate the world with the spirit of Christ or Christianity. What does animate or 
animation mean?  To animate is to give or put life into a thing, person, or place. To animate is to 
fill with a principle or what makes a thing what it is. Spiritual animation is putting the spirit into a 
thing, person, or place. The word animation will be used here interchangeably with the word, 
transformation. Aniagwu (2011) writes that social transformation is to bring about desirable 
change in creating a good society, this is a society that serves the common good of all citizens by 
rendering social services for the people in terms of shelter, employment, security, freedoms and 
other social amenities of life. Socio-spiritual transformation as used in this paper ties the two 
concepts of spiritual animation and social transformation together. Both of them are interrelated 
and needed. They should not be separated. It implies that in this world, a spiritual transformation 
or animation is not enough. What is spiritually transformed should also have influence and 
impact on the society and earthly realms. The world is to be spiritually and socially transformed 

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with the spirit of Christ. 

The final term that requires definition here is “world.” The term world is used to describe the 
physical planet called Earth, with all its peoples, cultures, politics, economies, ideologies, 
beliefs, etc. The world is the world inhabited by people and every other thing in existence. It is the 
world created by God, the Supreme Being. The world created by God was originally good but 
fallen. But it has been redeemed by Christ. The fruits of that redemption must be used to animate 
the world and that is one of the vital reasons why the Church has been left behind here and is still 
on earth. 

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIO-SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION 
(ANIMATION) OF THE WORLD 

The spirit of Christianity is what makes Christianity what it is. It is an enlivening principle and 
essence that drives and motivates Christianity. If you remove the spirit from a thing or person, the 
person or thing is dead. According to Jesus, “It is the spirit that gives life” (John 6:63). Without 
the spirit of Christianity, Christianity is dead. Christianity is a “thoroughly” earthly religion 
based on heavenly hope and reality. One of the dangers that Christianity has faced throughout 
history is from those who want to domesticate and privatize Christianity as simply personal piety, 
personal salvation, and going to heaven. This myth that tries to privatize religion has been 
debunked throughout Church history, especially in the Social Teachings of the Church. The Lord 
Jesus in his life and ministry taught that his followers are “the light of the world” and “the salt of 
the earth” (Matthew 5:13-14). Believers are not simply the light of the church or the salt of the 
church. They are empowered sacramentally and liturgically in the church but their mission is also 
in the mundane world or secular city. This is why Christians make a big mistake when they cut 
themselves away from the life of the city. Earthly concerns must be the concerns of every 
believer. It is because the temporal order is so important, though not more important than the 
heavenly domain that there are commissions in the Catholic Church called: Justice, Development 
and Peace Commission; Family and Human Life; Education, etc all under Church and Society in 
Nigeria. In different countries, they may be called other names but there are always apostolates 
that relate to Christians' duties in the world. 

Christianity does not exist for itself. And it does not just exist for people to go to heaven. It has a 
purpose in this world. What does the socio-spiritual transformation of the world involve? It 
means that Christians work for change in the temporary order, change that is in line with justice, 
peace, and authentic social development. The world needs to be animated because it is a fallen 
world. Though redeemed by Christ, the full effects and fruits of that redemption need to be spread 
and promoted. This is the function of animation. It is to fill the world with the spirit of Christ and 
the spirit of Christianity. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Church teaches that 
whenever we pray the Lord's Prayer and Listen to the Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we are 
reminded of our duties. 

What we pray for in one of the most beautiful Catholic prayers, “Come Holy Spirit,” and renew 
the face of the earth is what animation is all about. The prayer categorically states that the Holy 
Spirit comes to renew the earth. The work of renewal is what animation and transformation are all 
about. Think of the first work of the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:1-13. It was by the power of the Holy 
Spirit that creation was brought into being. The Holy Spirit creates and renews. All through the 
Holy Bible, we see the power of the Holy Spirit in passages such as Ezekiel 37, 47, Isaiah 61, Acts 
2, etc. To animate or transform is to make the world a better place. It is to spread the gospel 
message. Christ came into this world with a mission for both spiritual and social redemption. 

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THE CALL AND THE NEEDED RESPONSE TO GAUDIUM ET SPES 43

The Catholic Bishops (1965) enunciated: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of 
the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and 
hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to 
raise an echo in their hearts” (par 1). The beginning of anything matters. The statements with 
which Gaudium et Spes begins are crucially important. “The Church” in the above statement 
identifies with humanity. The church cannot ignore the plights and problems of humanity 
especially the poor, the marginalized, the vulnerable, etc. This identification with humanity did 
not begin with this document. The biblical tradition, teachings, and praxis of the church ground 
the call of Gaudium et Spes. In the Exodus event (Exodus 3 and 14), the exile and return, the 
ministry of deacons directed towards widows, the church's ministry to the poor, orphans, etc; God 
shows concern with people. 

In the last century in which the Council took place, colonialism had wrought oppression and 
injustice, denied people their human and cultural rights, and exploited their natural resources. The 
1960s were notable for the rise of the modern environmental movement. The plight that the earth 
was facing was coming into people's consciousness. The world was experiencing great 
technological and scientific advancement. Yet, the Church enunciates that amid this 
advancement, God should not be forgotten. California Catholic Conference (2015) writes that: 
“…in these transforming times, the Second Vatican Council sought to clarify the role of the 
church in the world by turning to Scripture in the Church's social teachings” as the Church 
mainstreams human dignity of people created in God's image and likeness; and human beings 
created with a rational soul are called to live in communion in the light of Christ's message of 
universal love. The Church has no earthly ambition but to carry forward the spirit of Christ in 
transforming the world (GS 3). 

Gaudium et Spes must also be studied in light of the dynamics and turmoil that the world was 
facing in the 1960s. This was the time when many countries in Africa and colonized territories 
were gaining independence from their former rulers. Gaudium et Spes is a pastoral constitution of 
the church in the modern world. By itself, the designation “Pastoral” speaks of the work of a 
pastor or shepherd. The church is to play the role of a shepherd not only to her children, but to all 
humanity. All people are children of the church whether they acknowledge it or not. The Church 
is a mother to all humanity. McCaughey (2023) writes that the Church has a positive openness to 
the world, the world was created by God and God never abandons his world, and Jesus because of 
God's love came into this world to redeem and break the power of Satan and sin; we are to identify 
with the world in what is good while working to transform it. 

Some of the basic things that we find in Gaudium et Spes 43 are the following: 

v We are citizens of two cities (the earthly city and the heavenly city)

v We have duties in conscience towards the earthly city

v We should not neglect the duties to the earthly city because of heaven

v There are earthly responsibilities to be carried out.

v Our faith commits us to the earthly city (Faith without works is dead)

v Each person has its own proper vocation.

v Religion does not consist of acts of worship alone

v It is a serious error to split faith from daily life.

v The prophets of the Old Testament railed against this error (this scandal). Jesus 
also opposed this split.

v Social and professional life should be imbued with the spirit of the religious life. 

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v To neglect one's temporal duties sins against neighbour and God and endangers 
his/her eternal salvation

v We must see the noble example of Jesus who worked as a carpenter. 

v The world should be animated with the spirit of Christ

v Secular duties belong to lay people though not exclusively

v Lay people should ensure divine law, the spirit of Christianity pervades the 
earthly city.

v Priests have to form laypeople with a strong Christian conscience able to operate 
in the Christian city. 

v The role of laypeople is crucial in animating and transforming the earthly city. 

v In participating in earthly affairs, the opinions and positions of the Christians 
should not be equated with the gospel message or the teaching of the church

v Laypeople should engage in honest discussion, foster Christian charity, and 
promote the common good. 

v Lay persons are to witness to Christ in all areas and things in this world.

v  Pastors of souls should ensure the face of Christ is seen in this world by their 
presence, their speeches, and daily conduct and exercise of their gifts.

v Dialogue with the world is necessary. Foster unity among people. We must 
respect even those who are different from us in political religious, economic, 
social, and cultural matters (GS 28). We must not be indifferent to truth and error 
should be repudiated (GS 28). 

v We must struggle against failings and defects that have happened in the church in 
history.

v We should be open to the Holy Spirit in this mission of spiritual renewal of the 
world. 

v Though not in number 43, it is important to remark that in engaging in the world 
all that opposes human dignity is to be shunned such as deportation, slavery, 
prostitution, subhuman living conditions, human trafficking, unjust working 
conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, etc. 

We are called to serve God in this life. The fundamental vocation of the human person remains. 
The Holy See (1994) in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), no 1721 states that: “God 
puts us in this world to know, love and to serve him, and so come to paradise” (p. 428). Knowing, 
loving, and serving God remains our primary vocation. Serving Him entails not just religious 
worship and rituals in church, but also what we do towards our neighbour and living ethical lives 
amid secular or earthly vocations. Our engagement in political, economic, and cultural activities 
should be taken more seriously than ever before. Gaudium et Spes gives impetus to do this. Jesus 
refuses to see loving God as the only commandment that matters. To the scribe who asked him 
which is the greatest commandment, he answers love your neighbour also. We should see our 
engagement in the daily business activities of life such as working in supermarkets, serving as 
teachers in school, being civil servants, transporters, etc as aspects of building the kingdom of 
God on the earth and spreading God's love. The Apostle Saint Paul admonishes that in all we do 
we should see it as working for Christ (Colossians 3:17). The spirit of Gaudium et Spes is the 
spirit of Christianity. The temporal order is not evil or sinful. Christians must participate in it with 
zeal and allow the values of the kingdom to rule it. In the Lord's Prayer, the Lord Jesus taught 
believers to always pray for God's will to be done on earth and for God's kingdom to come here on 
earth. Earthly activities done morally—even when geared towards profit—are inscribed with the 

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spirit of Christ. We should not cede the earthly plain to the devil or the power of evil, if not the 
ministry of Christ becomes useless. The Holy See (1994) in CCC, numbers 1887-1942 is very 
clear on the need for Christians to participate in the temporal plane. This call comes from the 
vision of Gaudium et Spes and other social ecclesial documents. In the above sections of the 
CCC, the Holy See (1994) teaches that human beings are social by nature and are called to 
exchange, serve, and dialogue with one another. Human beings are to participate in social life. 
Participation in social life requires working for the common good of society, political 
participation, promotion of social justice, and exercising the virtue of solidarity. For the 
Christian, all these should be done to bring the spirit of Christ Jesus, the liberator, and saviour of 
the human race to bear on all of them. The world is to be animated or transformed with the spirit 
and values of the gospel such as the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, the message of love 
and forgiveness, the message of generosity and charity, and carrying out the corporal works of 
mercy. It is in imitating Jesus and following his mission that we are truly his followers. Ewherido 
(2013) rightly notes that: 

As far as love and justice are concerned, and indeed, in every aspect of our 
lives, Jesus remains the paradigm for the church amidst our struggles with 
the ugly realities of social injustice and multiple crimes against humanity. It 
is in the imitation of Christ that the Church continues Jesus' mission: seeking 
out those lost and offering them salvation (p. 95).

In the previous quotation, Ewherido (2013) cites some ideas from Hays's Moral Vision. The point 
to be made is that for the Christian to truly animate the world that is bedevilled by darkness and 
ugliness, the Christian should follow the benevolent love of Jesus that emancipated the poor, the 
vulnerable, the marginalized, and traumatized. Christianity is not just about going to heaven. It is 
inundating and flooding this world with gospel values and the light of Christ. Living and 
engaging in social and political affairs for the good of society is part of being Christian. It is not 
an extra-curricular activity. It is essential to Christianity. Lebechi (2014) writes that in GS the 
Church enunciates that “…the Church must be in alliance with suffering humanity. It could not 
stay aloof but should be engaged in dialogue with the social life of people in order to be able to 
serve humanity in love” and the Church is to spread the message of Christ to console and repair 
agonizing and suffering humanity (p.24). 

Human beings in a special way are co-creators with God. Not just in giving birth to offspring, but 
also in participating in human labour. In the Garden of Eden, it was God who first laboured and 
worked in creating human beings and planting a garden. Through economic activities and human 
work, human beings prolong and continue the work of creation in “subduing” the earth (CCC 
2427). Gaudium et Spes is cited by the CCC in number 2426 to affirm that economic activities 
should be done within the limits of the moral order and in line with just social principles. Work is 
so crucial to human existence. Without work, there can be no human civilization. The Holy See 
(1994) teaches rightly that work is a duty, work honours God and enables humans to exercise 
their talents; through work, we carry our daily crosses and the hardships and burden of work are 
to be received joyfully, work is redemptive and in a unique way: “Work can be a means of 
sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ” (p. 583). Linking 
our religious spirituality to our daily work and business is one of the vital lessons we derive from 
GS. Participation in the social, cultural, economic, and political life of the earthly city is divine 
and holy. Politics is not a dirty game and Christians should actively participate in it no matter the 
risks and permeate it with the spirit of the Christian gospel. Christ lived in this world and 
participated in human activities. He did not cut himself away from people. He attended a wedding 
feast in Cana. He sat down and drank wine with people. He enjoyed celebrating with people. He 
critiqued the false economic system that turned the temple into a market. He was not angry with 

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buying and selling but with the injustice in the system. Jesus had a treasurer of the Jesus 
movement indicating that they did financial exchange with others. Christians on behalf of Christ 
are to make the world holy, not by cutting themselves from the world but by shining the light of 
Christ. Jesus told his disciples clearly: “You do not belong to the world, but you are in the world.” 
Jesus did not pray for his disciples to be taken out of the world but for their protection. They have 
work to do in the world. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

In light of the call and mandate that GS provides, this paper makes the following 
recommendations. To concretize how priests and lay people in the church are to respond to GS, 
we spell out our recommendations in seven ways: 

(1) There is a need to re-write some so-called Christian songs for they can make us ignore our 
duties on earth. The song, “This world is not my own, I am just passing through….” It can give the 
impression of not bordering on working for the good of the earthly city. While bother to work for 
its good when we are just passing through? It can also make us fail in our environmental duties. 
We all especially pastors of souls have a duty to critically and analytically look at songs that are 
sung in liturgy or church gatherings. The melody and sweetness of the song are not enough. The 
social message that the song passes should also be studied. Does the song make us better 
Christians who are earthly-wise and heavily conscious or does it make us abdicate our 
responsibilities in this world? An author may have written a song with good intentions, but it may 
have a different influence on people. 

(2) Social teaching and justice education: There is a need to do more on this. Not only is 
Catholic Social Teaching the best-kept secret of the Catholic Church, but many Catholic lacks a 
sound knowledge of Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Aniagwu (2011) shares this view also 
when he states that: “The Social Teaching of the Catholic Church has been described as 'the 
Church's best kept secret.' this is because it is little known to the generality of the public, even 
within the Catholic Church herself” (p.270). Since many Catholics before receiving the 
sacraments go through catechism classes, Catechists, Seminarians, future priests, and sisters 
must have many more courses in CST. I acknowledge that having more courses is not enough. 
These teachings should be mainstreamed in Catholic education. It was John Chrysostom who 
said the worship of the body and blood of Christ should be connected to helping the poor. The 
Church's mission and identity cannot be separated from the prophetic tradition of the Holy Bible 
and the promotion of justice. Howson (2011), Ehusani (1996), Ukwuegbu (1995), Byrne (1988), 
Kamoga (2017) and Ugwu (2017)all corroborate this trend. Here we cannot forget the constant 
social teaching of the Nigerian Bishops brought to us most often in their communiques after their 
meetings. 

(3) The relationship between liturgy, sacrament, and justice needs to be more talked about. 
A liturgy that does not promote faithful citizenship leaves much to be desired. Catholics should 
make themselves actively engaged in social justice issues, work ethics, voter education, etc. In 
the parable of the Last Judgement in Matthew 25, Jesus enunciated, “As long as you did it to one 
of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me”(Matthew 25:40). The items that Jesus 
mentions include feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the 
sick and imprisoned, sheltering the homeless. This is not just about charity but asking critical 
questions about why these conditions prevail in human society. Beyond love and charity, 
Christians must work for social justice and the social transformation of the human condition. 
Structures that perpetuate injustice need to be confronted and destroyed. Anagwo (2013) writes 
that the Mass leads us to the mission, a mission that helps us to create a just society in a hopeless 
and darkened world, a world in which people are reconciled, live in love, where workers are paid 

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just wages, and there are harmonious human relationships. 

(4) Let us be attentive to the Prayer of the Faithful on Sundays and weekdays which often 
spells out our earthly and civic duties. There is hardly any prayer of the faithful in the church that 
does not mention the transformation of the earthly city.  In general, outside the prayer of the 
faithful, the entire liturgy is a place for formation in life, social justice, and participation in the 

th
temporary affairs of the world. Koester (2002) writes that from June 18 to 21 2001, the 29  annual 
liturgy conference of the Notre Dame Center for Pastoral Liturgy demonstrated that “…gathering 
to worship and striving for justice are not separate compartments or unrelated endeavors in the 
Christian life; rather, liturgy and justice together are constitutive of and expressive of the Church 
itself” (p. ix). The compartmentalization of liturgy as separate from the other realms of daily life 
is common among many Catholics. They rarely see any relationship between the daily masses 
they attend and their daily tasks, yet painfully they pray about these tasks in their prayers. 

(5) Pray over your earthly duties and work. There is a special Mass for human labour in the 
Catholic Missal. This mass should not just be there in the missal, it should be celebrated often. 
Whenever this mass is celebrated it should provide an important moment for the priest to lay out 
the purpose of GS, the importance of the earthly terrain, the need to bring holiness to bear in the 
world, etc. There is also a Mass for Justice and Peace that we should emphasize here. It should be 
celebrated often. It provides an opportunity to educate people on justice and peace issues

(6) The importance of our daily work in economic and business life should be highlighted 
more than ever before. Some people tend to see daily work as a burden and something to be 
ignored and neglected. Enterprise and entrepreneurship are crucial to fulfilling our Christian 
vocation in this work. We must find joy in our work no matter how challenging it is. Gaudium et 
Spes calls for a new attitude towards human work and labour. Work is not cursed. It has been 
redeemed in Christ who laboured as an artisan. This is one of the reasons why praying over our 
work is very important. At every prayer of the faithful at Sunday and daily mass, an intention for 
our labours and enterprise should not be forgotten. It is becoming common nowadays in parishes 
to especially pray for the work of the week at morning masses on Mondays. This is good and 
should be continued. 

(7) It is true that admonition and precepts are not enough. Fellow Christians should help people 
find work. Help encourage one another to participate in the temporal domain. 

(8) Stewards of creation. God the creator has entrusted this world to his children (humanity) to 
care for and protect. After all, the original command in the second story of creation in Genesis 2 is 
“to till and cultivate the garden.”

(9) We are our brothers and sisters' keepers. We cannot be silent in the midst of the pain and 
plights that our people are going through. We must challenge injustice and oppression. We must 
speak up in the faces of the structures that intimidate and silence our people. 

CONCLUSION

The foregoing shows vividly that there is no doubt that priests and laypeople have a role to play in 
making this world a better place by animating it with the spirit of Christianity and the values of 
the gospel. The paper was written from the perspective of Gaudium et Spes (The Pastoral 
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World). GS as the paper showed was the final 
document of the Second Vatican Council written amidst the turmoil and changes in the world of 
the 1960s. Amid these changes, the Catholic Church affirmed the value of human dignity and the 
common humanity of all people. She affirms human beings as social by nature and created by 
God. In human joys, hopes, and griefs, the Church identifies with humanity and carries the light 
of Christ to all humanity. In the truest sense, the Church is a pastor or shepherd to the world and 

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this is one reason why the Church addresses the document to all humanity and people of 
goodwill. Catholics and indeed all Christians should see their faith inspired by the prophetic 
social justice tradition of scripture and the liberatory message of Jesus as an impetus to engage in 
the temporal or earthly realms. They are not to set themselves apart from the world in terms of 
demarcating themselves into the sacristy but are to permeate the earthly realm with the spirit that 
comes from the sanctuary. Imbued by the Holy Spirit, the animating power of Christ, they should 
fill the world with the values of the gospel, thus they will act to transform or animate this world to 
become a better place, while on their pathway to the fullness of the kingdom to come. 

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Mark Omorovie Ikeke                             The Spirit Of Christianity And The Socio-spiritual ...

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