Vocation - The Mystery of God’s Call

by Fr. Martin Mary Fonte, FI

I was once giving catechism to group of boys in the CCD in one of the parishes in the East Coast of the United States. I was interrupted by one of the boys who asked, as to what is the significance of the three knots hanging from my Franciscan cord tied around my waist. (Of course, these three knots represent our vows of obedience, poverty and chastity--but he doesn’t know it.). When about to reply, one of the boys raised his hands saying that he can answer him for me. So I gave him the chance. He said that those three knots mean: NO WIFE (chastity), NO MONEY (poverty) and NO FREEDOM (obedience).

Modern man always look with pessimism, when thinking of priests and religious persons, of the good stuff these people have given up. This is perhaps another proof that the consumerist mentality can creep in so deeply in our culture.

The liturgy today’s central theme is that of God’s call, known in Christian vocabulary as VOCATION. Etymologically, vocation, from its Latin derivation means “to call.” Simply put Father X and Y do not simply assume the office of the priesthood without being called by God. Sister A and C can not assume the life of sisters if they are not called by God. Vocation as a Christian vocabulary, then, means God is calling certain individuals to live a life worthy of Him and to fulfill certain mission He destined them to accomplish.

We see that in the prophet Elijah who was given instruction to call Elisha as his successor in the order of prophets, one who is the spokesperson of God to others. The Order of Prophets, the antecedent of religious vocations, whether ordained or non-ordained, presupposes divine call. Hence, vocation is characteristically supernatural in view of its origin and in view of the motive of the call. It is not a democratic election of the people as in modern-day leaders of nations but an appointment of God Himself. No one can claim that state of life to himself alone as by self-appointment.

At the present moment, the Church’s recognize various forms of vocations and states of consecration. There is generally the vocation of the lay state who in virtue of their baptism is called by God to sanctify the secular world they live and work. There is the vocation to the clerical state to be ordained ministers as bishop, priest and deacons. There is a vocation to religious life bound by the profession of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience known as evangelical counsels. There are those who live in apostolic communities and societies who are consecrated to God to accomplish certain missions and role in the Church. Pope Paul VI restored the Order of Virgins, Hermits and consecrated Widows, known to have biblical roots and who are bound to their diocesan bishop in fulfilling their consecration within the Church. Whatever form they might be, all of them, if authentic, comes only from one God who called them all out of His goodness and love. Like diamonds with manifold shades of glitter, vocation has many spectrum of beauty and truth to understand it that I would like to explain it only, based on three, though not exhaustive, perspectives: the psychological, the social and the theological dimensions.

PSYCHOLOGICALLY. Vocation is a call proper only to person. It presupposes the freedom to choose not only on the part of God who calls but also on the part of the individual called. Choice is never a domain of non-free creatures which are bound by necessity to gravitate on certain definitive good, proper to their nature: a rock when thrown MUST fall. A dog when hungry, MUST eat. A cat when stepped on the tail MUST scream. Man, on the other hand, due to the complexity of his being can choose from the hierarchy of goods for himself, material or spiritual. And as St. Thomas Aquinas puts it, he is either elevated or degraded by his choice. If he chooses creatures lower than himself, he is degraded; when he chooses something or someone higher than himself he is elevated. As St. Bonaventure explains this on the nature of love, he says that whatever one loves, he is transformed by it. In a vocation, the individual is being called to choose God and His will; and man in making that choice is making the greatest act a human person can ever make.

SOCIAL. People who are called to religious life are always labeled to be selfish. They are the ones who are never concerned of others, according to some opinion, because of their apparent preoccupation to life of prayer and dedication to God. The contrary is true. John Paul II taught that every person, since he is created according to the image of the Triune God are called to self-giving. He implied that it is in the primordial structure of the human person, in order to fulfill his very nature, to give himself as a gift to another. In other words, man is called to communion with others by the very structure of his being as God’s image. Hence the proximity of one to a life that is godly, that is, holiness, indicates his degree of self-giving; for the supreme exemplification of self-giving finds its ultimate reference in the inner life of the Triune God. Sociology, therefore, has its proximate foundation in man's psychological makeup as God's Trinitarian image and an ultimate metaphysical foundation in the Holy Trinity. In addition, the call of God has an ecclesial dimension. It is always for the good of the Church and for souls. Since the Church is like a human body where every part is integrated that the health of the members contribute to the health of the whole body, so is with the members of the Church.

THEOLOGICAL. Vocations finds its ultimate point of reference to God’s divine will to save all and to bring them to share in His Trinitarian life. To achieve this, He sent His only Son to redeem the world. The special call of the priests and religious or those called to various forms of consecration is the work of continuing the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption. Vocation is a call to bring all men to communion with God as was inaugurated by Christ the redeemer. Every vocation, then, is an echo and a continuation of the life of Christ who was born, who preached God’s kingdom, who healed the sick, who prayed for his people, who suffered and even one who died that souls may be saved. Christ is made preset again in our time and space through those who accept His call.

+ May the Lord give you his peace.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed