Section 1: Choice of a Vocation

1. DEFINITION.—Man must live and move in the society of his fellowmen.¹ In return for the physical and intellectual advantages which he receives from them, he must endeavor to make himself as useful to them as he can, by choosing or accepting certain work which his inborn or acquired faculties or means enable him to perform. The sphere of activity to which he devotes his powers is called vocation in the broad sense of the term.

¹ Cfr. 1 Cor. XII, 12 sqq.; Gal. VI, 2; Phil. II, 4.

2. IMPORTANCE.—The significance of such a vocation arises from the fact that, when sanctified by religion, it becomes the natural basis of a higher, spiritual life, —"the garden, as it were, in which the seeds of eternal life are planted, grow, and ripen unto Heaven."

Every man is in duty bound to choose a definite vocation, —preferably the one which corresponds best to his natural endowments, inclination, and bodily constitution, —and to prepare himself conscientiously for it.²

² St. Ambrose says (De Offic., I, c. 44): “Let each one know his own disposition and apply himself to that which he has chosen as suitable to him; and therefore let him first consider what he should pursue. Let him know his good qualities, but also recognize his faults, and let him show himself an impartial judge of himself, so that he may apply himself to the good and turn away from faults.” (Migne, P. L., XVI, 87).

3. CHOICE OF A VOCATION.—In choosing a vocation the individual is governed by subjective and objective influences, some of which may exercise a certain compulsion, whereas others are entirely under the control of the will.³

³ Job XII, 10; Ps XXXVI, 23; Prov. XVI, 33; XX, 24; Wisd. VII, 16; Acts XVII, 28; Rom. XI, 36.

a) A degree of compulsion is exerted over each individual, first, by the social conditions and circumstances of the country or race to which he belongs, be they differences of class or caste, or of material means; secondly, by the social position of the family of which he is a member; thirdly, by his own natural talents and inclinations, which dispose him favorably for certain occupations, and fourthly, by the course and vicissitudes of his life. The latter, while they no doubt have a certain compelling force, are still subject to the guidance of Providence, that is, the Will and Wisdom of God, who is both infinitely wise and infinitely good. "Man proposeth, but God disposeth, and the way of a man is not his."⁴ Free-will and moral responsibility are never entirely destroyed by what is commonly known as milieu. Every man, even he who has his vocation practically pointed out to him by circumstances of birth or parentage, is obliged to give his interior consent, and no one may be forced into a vocation against his better knowledge or will. Such external and objective factors as birth, parental commands or wishes, and that which thoughtless men call chance, sometimes contain valuable indications in regard to a man's vocation, but they should not be allowed exclusively to determine his final decision.

⁴ Thomas a Kempis, De Imit. Christi, I, c. 19: “For man proposes, but God disposes; nor is his way in man.” (Ed. Pohl, II, 33).

This is true especially of the vocation to the priesthood and the religious life. Foolish parents sometimes compel their children to embrace the one or other of these important states by undue suasion, nay even by direct threats. As the final choice is generally not made before the individual has attained a somewhat advanced age, the fear of offending parents (timor reverentialis) cannot exert so strong an influence as to neutralize free-will. The liberty of choice is indeed rendered difficult, —not, however, from without, but from within, and hence the excuse, "I was forced into this state of life" is irrelevant.

b) Of the rules to be observed in the choice of a vocation, the first and most important is that the salvation of the soul must outweigh all other considerations. It would be as wrong, therefore, to try to work out one's salvation without regard to others, as to devote oneself entirely to their well-being, regardless of the fate of one's own soul.

Secondarily, and as a matter of considerably less importance, regard may be had for temporal advantages and the common welfare of society. Time contains the germs of eternity, and whatever we do for our fellowmen is apt, one way or another, to affect their eternal destiny. Hence it is forbidden to choose a vocation that is positively immoral or sinful in itself, as, e. g., to be a slave-trader or a pirate, but it is not forbidden to choose an occupation which does not redound to the immediate and tangible benefit of society, as, e. g., that of a hermit or member of a contemplative order. Man lives not by bread alone, but he has spiritual and moral needs, and prayer coupled with heroic renunciation is of great social and ethical value, as any one can see who will study the immense benefits conferred upon humanity by the Mendicant Orders.⁵

⁵ Cfr. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 2a 2ae, qu. 190 sqq. and the Apostolic Letter of Leo XIII to Cardinal Gibbons (Jan. 22, 1899) condemning "Americanism," in which the Pontiff says: “How splendidly these [religious orders] have also deserved well of human society is certainly known by those who are by no means ignorant of what the continual prayer of a just man can accomplish in appeasing and winning the favor of the Deity (Jas. V, 16), especially prayer joined with affliction of the body.” —On the work of the religious Orders see Montalembert, The Monks of the West, English translation, with an introduction by Cardinal Gasquet, 6 vols., 1896. See also F. A. Mohler, Gesammelte Schriften und Aufsätze, Vol. II, Ratisbon 1840; M. Heimbucher, Die Orden und Kongregationen der kath. Kirche, 3 vols., 2nd ed., Paderborn 1907-08. —On vocation to the religious life cfr. M. J. Scott, S.J., Convent Life: The Meaning of a Religious Vocation. New York 1919.

Catholic moral science, as such, makes no distinction between higher and lower states of life, or between honorable and dishonorable occupations, but, accepting the differences existing in society, both ecclesiastical and civil, commands every man to preserve the constituted order and to refrain from breaking down, without sufficient cause, the barriers that separate the different classes. Let no one be ashamed of the class to which he belongs or the occupation in which he is engaged, but let all remember that the Divine Founder of Christianity chose to sojourn upon earth "in the form of a servant."⁶

⁶ Phil. II, 6 sq.—Cfr. Pohle-Preuss, Christology, 3rd ed., St. Louis 1919, pp. 95 sqq.

c) Besides the fundamental principles stated above, a man when choosing a vocation should have some knowledge of his own character and the work for which he is fitted. To acquire this knowledge is a strict duty. Unless a man knows his own character and has an earnest desire to save his soul, he will not be able to select the vocation for which he is destined, and unless he has previously familiarized himself with the obligations and difficulties of that vocation, he is likely to experience grievous disappointment.

Let it be further borne in mind that all vocations have two features in common, namely, work and self-denial, though not, of course, in the same degree. This is another reason why every man who is about to select his vocation, should endeavor to ascertain the will of God concerning himself, and then set to work to obey it. The means by which this may best be accomplished are mature deliberation at a time when the mind is calm and undisturbed, reading good books, consulting prudent and experienced advisers, and, above all, praying for light and grace from above.

READINGS.—J. B. Krier, Der Beruf, 4th ed., Freiburg 1909.—Berthier, Christian Life and Vocation, New York 1897. —A. Vermeersch, S.J., De Vocatione Religiosa et Sacerdotali, Bruges 1903 (Engl. tr. by Kempf, St. Louis 1925). —Hettinger-Stepka, Timothy, St. Louis 1912, pp. 1 sqq., 20 sqq., 34 sqq., 40 sqq. —Jos. Lahitton, La Vocation Sacerdotale, Paris 1909. —A. Mulders, La Vocation Sacerdotale, Bruges 1925. —J. Mausbach, Altchristliche und moderne Gedanken über Frauenberuf, München-Gladbach 1906, pp. 93 sqq. —Bernard Ward, The Priestly Vocation, London 1918. —H. Davis, S.J., "Religious Vocation," in the Irish Ecclesiastical Record, 54th year (1918), Nos. 608 sqq.—H. Noldin, S.J., Summa Theologiae Moralis, Vol. II, 11th ed., Innsbruck 1914, pp. 77 sq. —Thos. Slater, S.J., A Manual of Moral Theology, Vol. I, pp. 635 sq.—A. Lehmkuhl, S.J., Theologia Moralis, Vol. I, 11th ed., pp. 362 sqq. —Damanet, Choice of a State of Life, Dublin 1880.—M. J. Scott, S.J., Convent Life: The Meaning of a Religious Vocation, New York 1919. —J. Goettsberger in Einführung in das Studium der Kath. Theologie, Munich 1921, pp. 7-14—Chs. A. Bruehl in the Homiletic and Pastoral Review, Aug., 1924, Vol. XXIV, No. 11, pp. 1121-1128.