When you’re growing up, everyone loves to ask you what it is that you want to do in the future. But I believe the deeper questions we should ask ourselves is not so much what we want to do but rather how we want to live our lives, what does Jesus want for me, and what will bring Jesus the greatest glory. In focusing on how we want to live and specifically how Jesus wants us to live, we set the framework for our actions and goals in life which lead us to live more genuine and fulfilling lives.
First off, it is important to define a vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin word, vocare, which is a verb that means “to call.” From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a vocation is “the calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness”(CCC Glossary). A vocation is different from a job, which you can take time off of, change companies, or change altogether; instead, a vocation is God’s call for how He wants you to serve Him and His church. Each vocation comes from God’s love for us, and in return, our love towards Him. He wants the best for us and knows how we are to live to make the most of our gifts.
As a baptized Catholic, our first vocation is to become a saint. This does not take a lot of discernment to figure out, as the Church and sacred scripture both say that holiness is everyone’s first calling. Our secondary vocation is where our individuality and free will kicks in. It refers to our particular state of life in which we are called to fulfill our first vocation to holiness.
God calls each of us to a particular vocation in life, not in a future tense, but by design we are created with a unique set of gifts and talents that will help us succeed in our calling or callings. And yes, a person can have many different callings in life! One can be called to be a spouse, a parent, to a certain career, a single life, or religious life, etc. Overall, whatever our vocation is, everything we do should be ordered towards discerning and responding to God’s will for us. Doing this will not only help us grow closer to God and His kingdom, but will help you lead happier and fulfilling lives. Of course we will face challenges because following God is not easy, but there is a plan in place and if you trust in God, He will guide you through what you are meant to do.
While I mentioned that a vocation is different from a job, one could find their vocation in a specific occupation or career. While a job is a series of tasks done in exchange for money, an occupation or a career is an area of employment that you choose as a lifelong journey that builds on your specific skills, knowledge and experience. An occupation or career can become a vocation if it aligns with your gifts, passions, and method of how you want to serve the Church and its people. For example, your vocation may be to heal people so you choose your occupation to be a nurse or a doctor. But be careful to not mix vocation and occupation up, because your occupation may not necessarily be your vocation and may just be what you do for work.
Mission is a specific task we are called to do. To better tie this together, a vocation is a calling that merges our mission in life with God’s mission on earth; this is beautifully supplemented by Frederick Buechner, an American writer, preacher, and theologian, who wrote that vocation is “the place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” When considering a vocation, you should think about the world’s needs and how your individual gifts, talents, and passions may play into this. Where is there a hole in your community that you specifically can fill? How can you help build God’s kingdom and does this satisfy your deepest desires? Not to be confused with selfish ambition or what society tells you to want/like, but does this calling give you life?
Last year at S.E.E.D. Northeast 2019, I spoke to the teens track on mission, particularly on how God’s mission for me in life is not necessarily just healing others in my occupation but also to touch peoples’ hearts and show them God’s love/glory by living out my God given titles: daughter, sister, friend, and wife. Since I was young, I have aimed for medicine and thought becoming a physician was my only option and calling because I loved science and anatomy, helping people, and being able to make a difference in their lives. All good things; however, what I was also doing was confusing my calling for self interest and selfish ambition. Not that I was in medicine for the wrong reasons or that it wasn’t my calling, but I was also stubborn and fixated on the title, power, and prestige of becoming a physician (influenced by the Asian upbringing right?). When I let go of my pride and started listening to the messages that God has been giving me, I found that He had greater plans and another path for me that was not only a better match for my personal skills and talents but would also allow me to better live out my other vocations. Medicine is still my calling, but in choosing to say “yes” to God’s other plans, I chose to take another medical path. As a result, I had more joy and freedom than when I was fixated on my own selfish ambition and self made titles. I found that God still took into account my passions when He plans my missions and callings, and that listening to God has helped me be more true to myself and closer to who I wanted to become.
Discovering your vocation and mission can both seem daunting and as young people think about their futures, we too often limit our vision to a specific career. There is nothing wrong with planning for a career, but God’s plan, calling, and mission for us runs wider and grander than that. The best advice I can give is to trust in God and keep yourself open to His will. Easier said than done, but there is no maze to life or one way to get to the right destination. One person’s path and direction may not be the same for another person and there will be many voices telling you what you should do or what your calling should be. Instead we are on a journey with Jesus where we will constantly face evolving decisions and opportunities to discover our vocation and mission. The right question to ask is not necessarily, “What is my vocation going to be?” but “How do I choose the best door that is in front of me right now?” When we give time and attention to knowing God and knowing ourselves, light will shine on our next step. With prayer, Scripture, obedience, reflection, and the counsel of fellow believers, we can turn both our successes and our failures into learning experiences that draw us closer toward God’s purpose for our lives.
Ephesians ch 4:1-16
1 I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called.
2 With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love.
3 Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.
4 There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all.
7 On each one of us God's favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it.
8 That is why it says: He went up to the heights, took captives, he gave gifts to humanity.
9 When it says, 'he went up', it must mean that he had gone down to the deepest levels of the earth.
10 The one who went down is none other than the one who went up above all the heavens to fill all things.
11 And to some, his 'gift' was that they should be apostles; to some prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers;
12 to knit God's holy people together for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ,
13 until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.
14 Then we shall no longer be children, or tossed one way and another, and carried hither and thither by every new gust of teaching, at the mercy of all the tricks people play and their unscrupulousness in deliberate deception.
15 If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head
16 by whom the whole Body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each individual part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up in love.
Be awesome and blossom 🌱
By: chi Annabelle
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