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VOCATION IN A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE - Coggle Diagram
VOCATION IN A CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE
Ministerial Priesthood
Apostolic Succession
Dates back to the time with Jesus appointing 12 apostles
The process of giving all your life to God spiritually.
Apostles were appointed to lead the church > passed down to leaders of Today
Pope Francis
ArchBishops
Bishops
Cardinals
Priests
Sacrament of Holy Orders
Jesus entrusted the sacrament to his apostles which continues to be exercised
Jesus passed his followers special spiritual gifts and responsibilities through the Holy Orders to support them
Sacrament of Apostolic Ministry consists of 3 grades/degrees
Bishop
Priest
Deacon
Hierarchy of Leadership in Church
Pope
Cardinals
ArchBishops
Bishops
Parish Priests
Deacons
called to serve the Church through a ministry of liturgy, word + charity
They do this by assisting a bishop / priest
1 more item...
Laity
serve their communities in different ways:
being with others in a personal, loving way that gave witness to Jesus' presence
leading the believing community
celebrating Christ's presence in the sacraments
celebrating the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass
preaching the word of God
responsibility: diocese, all Priests, Deacons, Laity ( Ordinary People )
Are more senior Bishops, usually responsible of an archdiocese.
College of Bishops nominated by the Pope. They elect future Popes.
Bishop of Rome
Source of guidance + authority for Catholics.
Leads the worldwide church and is also head of state of the Vatican.
Celibate Love
inclusive love of a single person
dates back to when Jesus did not marry - however lives a single life that enabled him to respond to the needs of all people at any time they needed his love
People in priesthood are called to be like Jesus and to respond + be available to the needs of all people at all times.
consecrated religion
origins of religious life can traced back to the earliest centuries of the Church
During these centuries, some were called to live the Gospel of Jesus in radical ways
They also took up lives of celibate love, living Christ like total self-dedication to God and to serving others.
Evangelical Counsels
3 vows
gospel chastity
imitating Christ who gave his entire life to obeying God, the Father, by placing one's talents + choice of how best to use those talents at the complete disposal of the Church.
poverty
Owning nothing personally in imitation of the poverty of Christ. Surrendering all goods and earnings to the church and depending on the church for support.
obedience
imitating Christ who loved God the Father and people in a celibate way that is totally available to everyone
1/3 of priests are consecrated religious
they are the religious or order priests who belong to a religious community and serve the Church as the community directs.
take 3 vows of chastity, poverty + obedience - the community provides for their need
diocesan / secular priests serve in a variety of ways in a diocese
promise obedience to the local bishop - live and life of celibacy, but do not make a vow of poverty; earn a salary or receive a stipend which provides for their needs.
Monastic Life
some religious live in community in a monastery - withdraw from society in order to live ascetical lives of community prayer + work
Men in Monastery = Monks
women = nuns
monasteries = convents
Apostolate = a form of work or activity in the community
religious sisters, brothers, priests they work:
among the poor
caring for the sick
helping migrants and refugees
educating people in the light of the Gospel
praying on behalf of humanity in general, + for specific needs of particular people + group
Define: It is the life calling that can be unpaid or paid work that is created in every by God through their Gifts and talents.
Paid work
working for income
having a job
people can earn a living
people study and obtain skills to be eligible to seek paid employment
EXAMPLES:
teaching
engineering
nursing
doctorate
CEOs
accountants
businesses
Unpaid Work
People can be involved in helping improve society in other ways than paid work.
not everyone seek for paid employment nor income
EXAMPLES:
community work
tutoring younger children
baby sitting for neighbours
volunteering
Catholic Concept of Vocation
God gives people gifts needed for their vocation
Vocation has a variety of elements
include: work, personal growth + development career + marriage
can be unpaid and paid work - defined roles that doesn't necessarily indicate they are obliged to do it.
Priestly Vocation
Teaching the Gospel
First task of a Priest and has been done in a variety of ways:
homilies during the Mass
instruction of people wanting to become Catholics
preparing couples for marriage
helping parents prepare for the baptism of their children
teaching in various ways and within various contexts
helping people to work out the meaning of the question, problems and issues of their lives
preparing with grieving people the funerals of loved ones
consoling the sick
accompanying those seeking to discover the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives
counselling people from the perspective of the teachings of Jesus
advising people on difficult moral questions that arise in their lives
'Sanctifying' to become holier
called to 'sanctify' believers so that - they grow in holiness, they can draw closer to God who is holy
Jesus does this by strengthening the influence of Holy Spirit within the hearts of all sincere participants in celebrations of the sacraments and community prayer
Jesus is acting in the person of Christ who says through the Priest:
This is my body' This is my blood' during celebrations of the Eucharist
'Now I absolve you from your sins' during the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation
'I baptise you ...' during the public celebration of Baptism
only sacrament a priest cannot celebrate is Holy Orders
Guiding the community
Priest called to help the bishop to guide the Church community as Jesus did.
through acts of service:
calling community members to help with the works of the parish
ensuring that the parish is properly administered
encouraging the parish community to provide for people's needs through parish based organisations.
e.g St Vincent de Paul Society + Catholic Women's League
gathering together in discussion groups those who want to learn more about Christ's teachings
caring for community members with special needs
encouraging community members to provide for the poor
Sacrament of Marriage
Jesus revealed that the basic reason for every people existence is to be loved by God + to return that love in service of God + others
Jesus restored God's original plan for marriage
God revealed that marriage was meant to be a loving + life-giving relationship between one man + one woman for the rest of their lives.
2 Purpose
procreation of children
Priestly story account teaches that 1 purpose for people marrying = give birth to children
Parents 'pro-create' their children = they co-operate in God's creation of their children
Procreation includes parents' responsibility for the care and development of children until they reach adulthood
sexual expression of married love for one another
God revealed marriage should be a special communion of life-long love between man + woman
God intends married couples to develop their married love for the rest of their lives
God intended sexual intercourse to be used exclusively to express married love between husband wife
6th + 9th commandments summarise God's laws intended to preserve the dignity of marriage
Sacrament of Marriage strengthens + guides people to:
face the daily problems that arise in marriage
reopen communication when there is tension
Renew their marriage commitment
forgive each other
support each other
overcome temptations to be unfaithful, such as sexual attraction to someone else
Jesus also guides them when they need to:
work out any problems they may be facing
make decisions about their home + family life
address issues related to parenting
make decisions about finance, moving house, the necessity for both to work out side the home
what to do if their marriage seems unhappy
Spiritual Discernment
Reasons People Fail to find their Vocation
self centredness
people who see no value in serving others + cannot see the point of doing something if there is nothing in it for them
purpose of every person's God-given gifts is to enable each person to provide for the needs of others,
e.g narcissistic people + drawn upon their own needs rather than others
low self-esteem
people are unable to appreciate their personal gifts + cannot see possibilities for their future
e.g Australia's competitive society leads people to compare themselves to others rather than get to know themselves better.
inclined to think, 'I am not as good as such and such a person'
God wants people to see the total truth about themselves - their strengths as well as their weaknesses
failure to value creation, society + family
People who succumb to failure of valuing creation, society + family usually find it difficult to see how they are called upon God's plan when they do not value creation, society or their families.
People need to seek family only in the terms of selflessness and to value them
e.g people exploit creatures / others see society in ways to fulfill their needs
focus on status + inome
People who fail to discover and follow their vocation can end up feeling lost + lacking direction - due to people consider future careers in terms of status + income. They find value in a self-centred + materialistic society rather than influence of God's values
people who values society that revolves around being materialistic + self-centred
Thoughts about vocation
questions about vocation - what are my gifts and talents? What am I meant to do with my life
be aware of what surrounds a decision
People must be sensitive to their own motivations + feelings that might pull them in different directions.
pray, have faith and self awareness
This must occur for people to validly discern God's will.
They must be committed to doing God's will through their vocation
seek a spiritual director
People get support from a spiritual director to help answer the questions about vocation that one might have.
church provides spiritual guidance for vocational discernment
Single people or people seeking priesthood/religious life encouraged to seek priest religious or making decisions.
Single people might look for lay person.
Seeking marriage: marriage prep courses
Spiritual discernment is a process by which a person in faith and love tries to discover God's will in a situation. It is process of continually choosing the values of Jesus and living by his Spirit.