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May 2007 Issue
What is a Vocation?
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We
hear the term vocation used all the time, but do we
really know what it means? As the church uses it, the
term vocation means a call from God ... an invitation
to follow Christ. A vocation is a plan that God invites
us to live that will lead us to happiness on earth and
eternal life in heaven. Answer to Bible Quiz (page 1
Whenever I am speaking to a group, I start out by sharing
that everyone has a vocation, and that our individual
vocation can be understood as having three interconnected
aspects of our vocational call.
God calls us to holiness.
Everyone, as a result of their baptism, is called to
a life of holiness. Holiness is not an option, but rather
the key to the kingdom that God has prepared for us
whether we are laity, religious or clergy.
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God calls us to a life commitment. When the
Father created each of us, He knew what would give us the
greatest sense of fulfi llment and happiness in our life.
Therefore, He had in mind the life-commitment that would suit
us comfortably and realistically. Some people are called to
be married; others to be single. Still others are called to
the diocesan priesthood, or to religious life as a priest,
brother or Sister. God intends one of these four life commitments
for every person. God calls us to use our talents and abilities
for the betterment of society. It is in this manner that the
needs of society are fulfi lled. This third call is to a job
or career that best compliments our giftedness. We need the
truck driver, the architect, the plumber, the dentist and
the teacher. When God calls a man or woman to a church vocation,
however, it must be understood as a call to a life commitment.
In other words, a church vocation is to be distinguished from
a job or career.
Priesthood or religious life is not a career,
but a response to God's call to a life commitment of service
to his/her brothers and sisters. Each of us wants to do something
great with our life. We want our lives to be meaningful, to
make a difference, perhaps even to be heroic. The truth is
that God also wants us to be great. Each of us was created
for a specifi c purpose, and each of us was given a mission
to fulfi ll. Our vocation is an invitation from God to follow
the best path for our lives, the one that will lead us to
true happiness. The vocation we are called to best fi ts how
God made us. God considers not only what will make us happy,
but also how we can improve the world around us. God has a
special mission for each of us. No one else is capable of
completing the plan God has designed especially for each person.
However, it is important to remember that God will not force
us to do anything. A vocation is not a set of marching orders.
A vocation is an invitation that God places on our hearts,
and hopes that each of us will respond positively to it. We
cannot invite ourselves to a specifi c way of life. It is
God who invites, and it is up to us to discern how we are
being called/invited to live our lives and then to respond
to God's invitation. If God is calling you to a life commitment
as a priest, brother, or sister dare to consider it! - Father
Ron Hutchinson is director of priestly vocations for the Diocese
of Grand Rapids.
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