VOCATION

The baptismal call (from the Latin vocare, to call) to follow Christ is at the root of our Christian understanding of vocation. God calls each of us to use our divinely bestowed gifts and talents in service to build up the entire community of faith and human family. Each of us, then, is called to play a role in the fulfillment of God's plan. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we answer this call in many ways, the primary way being through our work or daily occupation. To work is fundamental to our humanity, and is inscribed in our nature as image of God, who is portrayed in Genesis as working to establish the created order. As a primary human vocation, work is our response to the divine invitation to partake in God's creative activity, and in a sense, to be co-creator and participant in the building up of the Reign of God. By their work, human persons contribute their personal industry to the realization in history of the divine plan for a reign of love and justice among all peoples. Work is thus intrinsic to human dignity. It is a principal means through which human persons express who they are in the world, after the example of Jesus, who devoted much of his life to working as a carpenter. Work is more than just a means to earning money. As vocation, work exists to serve both the good of the human person and the community, and can rightly be considered a form of service, and even ministry, when animated by the message of the Gospel.

Related Concepts:

SERVICE
CHURCH
EMPLOYMENT / WORKPLACE
LABOUR
DIGNITY OF WORK / FULFILLMENT
INDUSTRIALIZATION
PRODUCTION / PRODUCTIVITY
WEALTH
LEADERSHIP
TECHNOLOGY
COLLABORATION
CAREER AND PERSONAL PLANNING
PERSONHOOD AND IDENTITY
PROFIT MOTIVE
ETHICS
COMMUNITY / COMMON GOOD
MINISTRY
CO-CREATOR
LIFESTYLE
HOLINESS
BODY OF CHRIST
SERVICE