Vocation

Relying in the religious and spiritual sense perceiving / felt turn an inner voice is understood that urges one to a particular mission in life. Thus we speak of a vocation to love and to life ( in abundance ), which is deeply rooted in each individual human heart.

Vocation of religious- spiritual perspective

In this sense, can be found in the religious writings of almost all religions so-called vocation stories. Are told is mostly the story of religious founders, prophets or priests.

Appeal from a biblical perspective

In both the Old and New Testaments, people were called to serve. The following characteristics of the appeal can be worked out because this vocation stories:

• The prophets were called by God, even before they were born.
• God's callings are without repentance.
• God has not appointed unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

The Apostle Paul writes about the vocation of Christians, that they are called to freedom, liberty, however, should not be misunderstood. It is more about the freedom to asceticism and charity.

This is focused on the prophetic vocation vocation understanding is shared by the Jewish and Christian, but in principle also of the Islamic tradition.

Appeals from the Roman Catholic point of view

At the latest with the Second Vatican Council also knows the Roman Catholic church (again) a universal call to holiness, ie also of the laity, by virtue of baptism (and confirmation ), which gives every believer a general priesthood. Unlike the Protestant churches, the Catholic Church has also ordained priesthood of the ordained priest and / or a special vocation as a religious man / woman.

The universal call to holiness of every believer

After the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican Council: "Every ... so clear that all Christians are called to any state or walk to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity " and: " All Christian faithful are therefore to the pursuit of holiness and their booth corresponding perfection invited and obliged. ".

Tying it is called by Pope John Paul II in Christ laici (30 December 1988): "The claim is not an exaggeration, that the meaning of the entire life of the laity consists in the knowledge of the past as a sacrament of faith in baptism radical to get novelty of the Christian, to conform to the vocation which he has received from God, and to fulfill the related obligations. " (No. 10); " The laity take part in their own way in the threefold - priestly, prophetic and kingly - ministry of Christ. " (No. 14); " The novelty of the Christian 's foundation and legal basis for the equality of all the baptized in Christ, for the equality of all members of the People of God: ... (No. 15), " The dignity of the laity is opened to us fully when we consider the first and fundamental vocation consider, in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit directed the father to each of them: the vocation to holiness, that is to perfection in love. The saint is the most perfect testimony of the dignity that was given to the disciples of Christ. The Second Vatican Council has said deal about the universal call to holiness. One can even say that this is to all the sons and daughters of the Church, the most important job of a council that had the renewal of Christian life in the sense of the Gospel to the target ( 41). " (No. 16).

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church ( KKKK ) (2005 ) states in paragraph 188: " The special vocation of the lay faithful is to seek the kingdom of God by illuminate and order temporal things according to God To realize them. the call to holiness and apostolate, which is issued to all the baptized. "

The vocation to the priesthood

The Church sees the vocation to the priesthood as a special grace. A classic definition of vocation is St.. Alphons Maria Liguori: To be appointed to the state of a seminarian or religious, you need a purity of intention, and a firm resolve to use all available means to carry out that intention. By this definition, the appeal is not a feeling, but a good intention. God gives the grace to carry out that intention by means of the help offered by the Church. There are two Narrowing conditions: The candidate must have the health and character traits in order to take the intended path, and he or she needs to be confirmed by the Superiors who are appointed by the Church.

Obstacles of an appeal can be determined due to health or the plight of the parents. It should also prevent a candidate from entering the state of the religious when it is clear that it is about an escape from the world or the desire for a comfortable life, a spiritual director. Also have to examine whether not the candidate has been forced by his parents to take this step. But as long as the intent is a louder and not an insurmountable obstacle exists, should not be prevented by the candidate.

Quotes

Joseph Ratzinger stressed: " priesthood, one can pick out themselves not It can not be imagined as a kind of how to achieve security in his life to earn his bread, can reach a social position, You can not simply choose. as something that one finds security, friendship, security, .. way you want to build a life, it can never be merely own supply, own choice priesthood, if it is right, you can not give yourself, not even your own search. It may be only answer to his will and to his reputation. "

Appeal from a Protestant perspective

Martin Luther developed his idea of ​​profession and vocation mainly from the Pauline call every man abide in the calling wherein he was called (1 Cor 7.20 LUT) and diminished any priority of a religious appeal to mundane activities from. Each outer profession of people is therefore based on an inner calling by God and every individual experiences this appeal due to very special qualities and abilities for service to others and in it for God. In the words of Luther is the prince of the same from this point of the milkmaid. Any professional fulfillment in the narrower and in a wider sense, for example, volunteer work, is regarded by Luther as worship. Thus, the claim of clergy and religious to a privilege of the religious vocation is omitted in the Protestant ethic.

Religious and Ecclesial Vocation from a sociological perspective

In purely sociological context, the religious vocation is closely related to the career choice. Already in 1972, pointed to the Catholic sociologist of religion and pastoral theologian Hermann Steinkamp to a more distant relationship to ecclesiastical and spiritual professions due to the progressive " democratization and secularization of the traditional ethical and vocativen professional thought and immanent individual performance and career ideology (back ). [ ... ] In the modern professional consciousness of the classical ecclesiastical profession is an un - professional. "He predicted correctly that sociologically the late bloomers will be the norm of an appeal in the special ecclesiastical sense.