Vocations

• Vocation is the life-calling of every person and is created in everyone by God.
• God has given people the gifts needed to follow their vocation in whatever role they pursue.
• Participation in God's creative activity is also a part of a person's vocation.
• Work is participation in God's creative activity
• Elements of vocation include work, personal growth and development, career, and possibly marriage.
• Everyone's true and lasting happiness will depend upon whether they use their particular gifts or not to follow this vocation.
• God's creative activity includes five categories - God's creative activity in the world, in human society, in families, in individuals, and includes rest and recreation.
• God's creative activity in the world sustains the existence of the universe, always developing and perfecting it. People can participate in this activity by sustaining and developing the earth (it's resources and it's life).
• How to participate in God's creative activity in the world - recycling, not littering, use less plastic, don't waste water.
• God's creative activity in human society reflect the attributes of God through love, goodness, care for those in need, justice, and mercy. Humans are created in the image and likeness of God.
• How to participate in God's creative activity in human society - respect others (particularly our differences), being inclusive, acts of service (helping others, donating, volunteering your time.)
• God's creative activity in families is the same as his activity in the world and human society. God sustains the lives of family member and supports their development in goodness.
• How to participate in God's creative activity family - looking after grandparents/people who need care, helping out around the house, protecting younger siblings.
• God's creative activity in individuals help people to overcome failings and weaknesses to develop their good and nobler aspects. When people care for their lives and health and try to live as good people, they are participating in God's creative activity.
• How to participate in God's creative activity in individuals - believe in yourself, look after your body and mind (exercise, eat healthy, meditate), to forgive, pray.
• God's creative activity also includes rest and recreation, because God rested on the seventh day, contributing to God's creative activity, therefore including a day of rest from unnecessary work.
• How to participate in God's creative activity of rest and recreation - going outside, doing your hobbies, taking time to reflect on things.
• Work is also participation in God's creative activity, and everyone has been created to do work, despite the thought of work only as paid employment.
• Paid work is when you are working for an income, which often need studying and skills to be capable of working and earning a living.
• Unpaid work is when you don't work for an income, but instead work for the benefit of the community and the improvement of society.
• An example of unpaid work are people within families that spend most of their time caring for family members who require special attention, like children, the disabled, sick or aged.
• Spiritual discernment is a process by which a person in faith and love tries to discover God's will in a situation, particularly when discovering their vocation.
• There are many reasons why people fail to recognise their vocation - Self-centredness, low self-esteem, failure to value creation, society, and family, and focussing on status and income. As a result, they are limited to their own resources and can make mistakes concerning their vocation.
• Some reasons why people fail to recognise their vocation - self-centredness, low self-esteem, failure to value creation, society, and family, and they focus on status and income.
• Self-centredness

  • Some people are too self-centred to easily discover their vocation as they see no value in serving others and can't see the point of doing something if there is nothing in it for them.
  • The purpose of every person's God-given gifts is to enable each person to provide for the needs of others.
• Low self-esteem

  • Since God gives all the gifts one need to fulfil their vocation, these gifts nad talents provide a vital clue to ones vocation - some people with low self-esteem cannot appreciate their personal gifts and cannot see possibilities for the future.
  • This can be caused by Australia's competitive society which leads people to compare themselves to others rather than get to know themselves better.
  • God wants people to see the total truth about themselves - their strengths as well as their weaknesses.
• Failure to value creation, society, and family makes it difficult for people to see how they are called to participate in God's plan for the world
• Failure to value creation

  Some people view the earth and its creatures as something to be exploited, leading to a lack of respect for creation's balance and needs
• Failure to value society

  Others only see society as a means to fulfill their individual needs, without considering how they can contribute to society and the lives of others
• Failure to value family

  When individuals view family solely based on their own needs and not the needs of others, they fail to recognize their role as members of a family
• Focus on Status and Income

  • Some people are only interested in positions that are recognised as important or prestigious or with rapid financial remuneration, and consider their careers mainly in terms of money and power.
  • Rather than the values of God influencing their decisions, they are influenced by the values of a self-centred and materialistic society.
• The process of spiritual discernment - thoughts about vocation, being aware of what surrounds a decision, pray - have faith and self-awareness, seek a spiritual director, church provides spiritual guidance for vocational discernment.
• 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 of their own motivations and 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. Praying is a way of listening to God's voice and seeking his guidance.
• Seek a spiritual director - people get support from a spiritual director to help answer questions about vocation. This could be a priest, a religious teacher.
• Church provides spiritual guidance for vocational discernment - single people/people seeking priesthood or religious life are encouraged to see a priest for making decisions. This includes seeking marriage prep courses.
• Consecrated religious life is a vocation
• Women and men who follow evangelic counsels are referred to as 'consecrated religious' and seek to imitate Jesus by taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience (the vows are also known as evangelic counsels). These consecrated religious include sisters, nuns, brothers, and priests.
• Despite the call as a religious life, most brothers, sisters and priests work in many different apostolates.