The central Christian vocation to which all are called is the universal call to holiness. By this is understood to mean that every person is called into a deep and personal relationship with God and that this call is at the essence of what it means to be human. The entry into the Body of Christ through Baptism makes explicit this vocation and provides the grace necessary to respond to it.
In Christus Vivit (2019), Pope Francis defines ‘vocation’ as “a calling from God, including the call to life, the call to friendship with him, the call to holiness, and so forth,” (n. 248). He later adds that ‘vocation’ can be understood as “a call to missionary service to others” (n. 253). The document clearly outlines the importance of prayerfully finding one’s place in the world, and the joys of helping others do likewise.
Each person is called to a state of life vocation, a concrete way of demonstrating our response to the universal call to holiness. We may be called to life as a priest, a religious, a married person, or as a single person.
Pope Francis encourages all, but the young particularly, to discern their state of life vocation with confidence and trust in the Lord: “In discerning your vocation, do not dismiss the possibility of devoting yourself to God in the priesthood, the religious life or in other forms of consecration. Why not? You can be sure that, if you do recognise and follow a call from God, there you will find complete fulfilment,” (Christus Vivit, n. 276).
In today’s world, filled with technology and a continuous cycle of media, discernment requires one to seek solitude, silence and prayer, enabling the individual “to perceive God’s language, to interpret the real meaning of the inspirations we believe we have received, to calm our anxieties and to see the whole of our existence afresh in his own light,” (Gaudete et Exsultate, n. 171). Prayerful discernment, Pope Francis writes, also includes listening, “to the Lord and to others, and to reality itself, which always challenges us in new ways,” (Ibid. n. 172). This process of discerning our vocation should start with some sincere soul-searching, perhaps guided by asking ourselves the following questions:
- Do I know myself, quite apart from my illusions and emotions?
- Do I know what brings joy or sorrow to my heart?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- How can I serve people better and prove most helpful to our world and to the Church?
- What is my real place in this world?
- What can I offer to society?
- Do I have the abilities needed to offer this kind of service?
- Could I develop those abilities? (Christus Vivit, n. 285).
Our reflections on these questions, Pope Francis advises, should be centred on how we can share our qualities, inclinations, gifts and charisms with others.
Each individual is also called to discern his or her particular vocation, our unique way of living the state of life to which we are called. This is based upon our own gifts, unique history, personality, and concerns and interests that are particular to us. Understanding our particular vocation is essential to being able to discern our state of life vocation. For, without that awareness, we cannot truly discern which state of life will enhance our particular vocation and which will inhibit it. It accounts for why it so often happens that those who initially believed they were called to one state of life subsequently discover that this was not what God was calling them to after all – at least not permanently. The journey to find out who we are called to be, how we are called to live, and so what we are called to do, is the work of a lifetime.
We must first acknowledge that there is something that is antecedent to each of the state of life vocations, and this is our call to be the sons and daughters of God and to be the presence of Christ to one another and the world.
Our vocation, Pope Francis writes, is more than just the work that we do, “it is a path guiding your many efforts and actions towards service to others,” (Christus Vivit, n. 255). In understanding this, the individual recognises a greater value in their work – rather than just being a means to an end, it is their vocation because God has called them to that work at that moment, and it gives them meaning and purpose in life. When we recognise what God is calling us to, the work that we were created for “we will be able to summon up our best capacities for sacrifice, generosity and dedication. Knowing that we don’t do things just for the sake of doing them, but rather we endow them with meaning, as a response to a call that resounds in the depth of our being to offer something to others: that is what makes these occupations bring a sense of deep fulfilment,” (Christus Vivit, n. 273).
Vocational discernment is a sure path to fully realising the unique plan that God has for each person, a plan that will lead to complete fulfillment in this life.
Links
Australian Catholic Diocesan Vocations Directors Conference
Christus Vivit, Pope Francis, 2019.