Vocation and profession
Vocation is perceived as “an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation). Christians define vocation as a “call” by God to salvation. God created human beings to be happy on earth and in heaven. While some people are called to the Priesthood and Religious life, […]
Vocation is perceived as “an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained, or qualified”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocation). Christians define vocation as a “call” by God to salvation. God created human beings to be happy on earth and in heaven. While some people are called to the Priesthood and Religious life, others are called to the lay apostolate. We are called to different fields of production and profession to promote human dignity. For instance, the pharmacist produces medications to save life but a fake drug can kill. Work in any given profession is not just an article to be sold. It is a divine call to render a unique service to God and humanity. Professional fulfillment makes work a divine vocation hence some professionals can say, “I know my job”; “I am proud to be a teacher, medical doctor, lawyer, nurse, engineer, farmer, driver, tailor, trader, soldier, police, civil servant, public servant etc.” Medical doctors are called to be co-healers with Jesus Christ hence they say, “we care but God heals”. Lawyers are called to defend the poor, the oppressed and give justice to those who are unjustly detained hence they are co-liberators with Jesus Christ.
A priest is called to lead the people to salvation through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. The priesthood is a vocation for the other akin to Jesus “who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in human appearance as a man, humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Although a priest may outside his primary duties of celebrating the sacraments take up other professional duties, he must never forget that work and professional fulfillment are relevant only in the service to others. According to Bernard Haring, “if a man does his work in social mindedness, he also develops his own personality and precious social relationship” (Free and Faithful in Christ, Vol.3, England, St Paul’s, 1981, page 156). Whatever a priest does, he must never forget that he is called to be a saint by leading others to salvation. The Religious are called primarily to be witnesses of the beatific vision. There are outward sign of heavenly reality by promoting the kingdom of God on earth. When an ordained Minister or a Consecrated person considers his or her vocation only as business, then he or she becomes a mere professional who has lost a divine mission. The world needs to pray for ordained Ministers and Consecrated persons who have lost their vocation to material gains.
The physically challenged are also called in a unique way by God who loves them as they are. Many physically challenged people have created a lot of impression in their various fields like Steve Wonder. He was born blind yet he is one of the most wonderful musicians in the world. He contributed to the master piece “We are the world; we are the children…” He is also known for his album: “I just come to say I love you”. Auto-formation and self-determination are signs of positive response to a divine call. No one is useless in life. Some professionals have taken their work as service to God and humanity as recommended by Saint Paul that every person should be faithful to his calling (1 Corinthians 7:20). What makes vocation a divine call is the fact that God who is love expects that each person should carry out the mission into which he or she is called with the sole purpose of fulfillment and happiness on earth in view of the divine union with God who is love (1 John 4:8). It is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that “Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being” (CCC 2392).
We are living in a generation were so many are freely worshiping Satan out of greed, selfishness and material acquisitions forgetting the temptation of Jesus. Satan said to Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:9-10). For those who have no courage to tell Satan, “away from me”, profession is reduced to a means to amass wealth. Whereas some people who desire to work in the spirit of vocation are jobless, there are professionals who quit their professional practice for politics because for them profession lacks the dignity that goes with labour as a means of rendering service to God and humanity. They simply want more money and the easy way out is politics where money is freely stolen and looted without qualms of conscience. The temptation to make religious vocation a money making business is very strong even in some houses of worship today. In the quest to acquire money and perishable wealth, some men and women of God transform their vocations to satanic temples. Some use money to bribe their ways to higher positions to access more money. Those who are already in exalted positions are sometimes lobbied into manipulated manipulators. They access success and promotion in ministry in terms of how much money a pastor can generate for them.
Ideally, people work to meet the basic necessities of life, to feed well, clothe well and have a good shelter. Whatever reason a person has for working, the ultimate goal is to derive joy in serving God and humanity. According to C. Henry Peschke, “Man is called to serve God by his work; this is one of his basic duties. Work is also the primary title by which he takes possession of things and acquires the right to own them” (Christian Ethics, Vol. II, Dublin, Good life Neal 978, page 487). Unfortunately, while some are working to create and sustain what could bring about joy and happiness, others are working to destroy humanity. In true vocation, human beings source for perfection and self-fulfillment that is achievable through service to God who is ever ready and willing to grant success to the work of human hands (Psalm 90, 17).
Mary the mother of Jesus is a model for all women in her relationship with Joseph, the Patron Saint of workers (Matthew 13, 55). Jesus worked in the context of his vocation; “What mighty works are wrought by his hand, is this not the carpenter, the son of Joseph” (Mark 6, 2-3)? Jesus working as a carpenter makes work holy. The Holy Family did not work to amass wealth. The first disciples of Jesus were already actively involved in the work of fishing. They were on duty when Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4. 18-19). Jesus uses parables such as the “dishonest steward” (Luke 16, 1-13) and the talents (Matthew 25, 14-30) to teach us the essence of work in our various vocations. He warned against avarice and covetousness for “a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12, 15). The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said that when man and woman provide for themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the Creator, a service to their fellow men and their personal contribution to the fulfillment in history of the divine plan (GS 34). This is the way we can tell the world that we are signs and instruments of salvation (John 14, 8-13). May we be to the world evangelized evangelizers and reconciled reconcilers in our vocations and professions.
Fr. Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua is the Director of Mission and Dialogue of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria ([email protected])