CHOOSING A VOCATION: MARRIAGE, PRIESTLY OR RELIGIOUS LIFE

Introduction

Every human being is born with a purpose in life and this purpose is to do the will of Him
who has created us for himself. For by the virtue of our Baptism we are called into a life of
service to God just as the Scripture made us to understand in the book of the prophet Jeremiah,
“Before I form you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I
appointed you a prophet to the nations...” (cf. Jer. 1:1-4). And the Psalmist attest to this fact when
he says, “You created every part of me, you put me together in my mother’s womb” (Ps.139:13).

Hence, no one should choose a vocation without careful self-analysis, a quiet self-
introspection, with a thorough self-honesty, and under guidance. The youth should have a large
survey of the field of vocation, and not simply drop into the convenient or accidental position.
The above statement points to the fact that choosing a vocation requires a careful self-analysis of
one's desires which comes with thorough honesty and must be under guidance of an experienced
person: whether married or a priest or a religious.

Therefore, choosing a vocation is deeply a personal decision that depends on various

factors, including one’s values, beliefs, and sense of purpose. And these values and beliefs are
evident in the decision that one makes either to go into Marriage, Priestly or Religious life. It is
very important that we elucidate the key words in order to bring about a clearer and easy
understanding of what it means to choose a vocation.

Clarification of terms

What is a Vocation?

According to the Cambridge online Dictionary, the word Vocation is a type of work that
you feel you are suited to doing and to which you should give all your time and energy, or the
feeling that a type of work suits you in this way.

Now, bringing this to Christianity; the word ‘Vocation’ is simply the Latin word for
“calling.” God calls us and addresses us personally with the language of His Word and we are
brought to faith. He also calls us to arenas of Service. “Only let each person lead the life that the
Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” (1 Cor. 7:17). It is a call to Holiness
either Marriage, Priestly or Religious life. There are other rare forms of vocation, like the
eremetic life, anchoretic life, 'single blessed', etc.

What is Marriage?

Marriage is a legally and socially sanctioned union, usually between a man and a woman,
that is regulated by laws, rules, customs, beliefs, and attitudes that prescribe the rights and duties
of the partners and accord status to their offspring (if any).

“The matrimony covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a
partnership of the whole life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the
procreation and education of offsprings; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised
by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament” (CCC. 1601). Marriage is based on the consent
of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and
definitely, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love (CCC. 1663).

What is Priestly Vocation?

A priest is a man chosen by God to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and bring
Christ’s salvation to the world without hope. The Catholic Priesthood was started by Christ Jesus
when He appointed His Apostles to act in His Person, that is, in persona Christi, and carry on His
ministry in the world through His Church.

God ordains men to serve, to give their lives so that others might live to the fullest and
achieve the greatest good of Heaven. The vocation of priesthood is a sacred calling. God calls
each priest to serve in many ways, but the dignity and essence of the priest is not just in what a
priest does, but in who he is: An Alter Christus, "another Christ" in the world.

What is Religious Life?

Apostolic religious life is a form of consecrated life within the Church wherein the
members profess vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience within a congregation or community
approved by the Church. Shared community life is an integral part of this form of consecrated
life. In professing vows and living within community, the members individually and as a whole
witness to a life of communion with Christ, the Church, and one another.
 In his Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata, Pope St. John Paul II asserts, in all ages
consecrated men and women must continue to be images of Christ the Lord, fostering through
prayer and a profound communion of mind with him (cf. Phil 2:5-11), so that their whole lives
may be penetrated by an apostolic spirit and their apostolic work with contemplation.

General Overview

Choosing a vocation is a task that requires a lot of self-analysing or evaluation and most
importantly the ability of being honest with oneself and being able to let others direct you or
guide you through it. More so, it is very pertinent to understand that marriage, single, priestly or
religious life are all vocations in their own way and state. Whatever decision a person makes he
or she must be able to live with the responsibilities that comes with it. Now, choosing a vocation:
Marriage, Priestly, or religious life, entails a lot of sacrifices which comes along with
responsibilities and as such no one can put his or her hand into the plough and afford to look the
other way (cf. Luke 9:62).

Consequently, choosing the Marriage Vocation one needs to have a fair understanding of
what marriage is all about and the responsibilities that come with it. We are made to understand
that marriage is a plan for humanity and this is evident in the Sacred Scripture, beginning with
the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of
“the wedding feast of the Lamb” (CCC. 1602).

It is vital to add, thus, “the intimate community of life and love which constitutes the
married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws.
God himself is the author of marriage. We must understand that the vocation to marriage is
written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator"
(CCC.1603). The Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: “It
is not good that the man should be alone.” (Gen. 2:18). The woman, “flesh of his flesh,” his
equal, his nearest in all things, is given to man by God as a “helpmate”; she, thus, represents God
from whom comes our help. In other words, contextually, the woman is God's help to man. So,
"a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
(Gen.2:24). In so doing, the Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their
two lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been “in the beginning”: “So they are no
longer two, but one flesh” (CCC. 1605).
 In the same vein, for those who desire to choose the Priestly vocation, it is important to
understand this. The priesthood is where the human meets the Divine. Not only does our God
loves us so much that he became man through the Incarnation and gave His entire being to us
through the Cross, but He also left us tangible ways of uniting with him on earth. Within our
finite human form, we are invited to live in communion with Him, even physically, by
consuming His precious body and blood. How is this possible? Because God gave human men
the capacity to stand in the place of Christ. These men are ordained Catholic priests who trace
their authority all the way to the Apostles, who are called by Jesus to share in His spousal
relationship with the Church, to be conformed, in persona Christi capitis ecclesiae (the person of
Christ, Head of the Church). Through the Sacramental grace of Holy Order, the priest is made
into a husband to the Church and Spiritual father to all. It is by this sacrament that a man is
ontologically changed, changed on the level of his being, to stand in the person of Christ.

More so, a priest is a Catholic man called by God to proclaim the “Good News’’ of
salvation to the world and to lead God’s people in worship, especially in making present the
saving sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross in the Eucharist. He is also privilege to bring Christ to
people in the Sacraments: he gives the life of Christ to people in Baptism; he forgives their sins
in Reconciliation; he anoints the sick; he officiates at weddings. In general, the priest brings
Jesus Christ to people in their Spiritual needs. So, as Jesus Christ is fully and really present in the
Eucharist, so too through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, Jesus Christ is fully and really present
in the priest, above and beyond what we all can claim as Christians; when the priest acts in the
person of Christ, he is in fact, in the person of Christ.

Meanwhile, for the religious Life, three important things are needed and these called "the
vows". The three evangelical counsels of Chastity, poverty, and obedience are the vows that are
professed by members of religious congregations. Together, they form the basis for living a life
of radical consecration to God for the good of the Church. The vow of Chastity frees the Priests,
the Brothers and Sisters to give themselves in love totally to Christ and His Body and is marked
by aliveness and a spirit of joy. The vow of poverty frees the Priests, the Brothers and Sisters to
dispossess themselves of possessions in order to grow into a deeper spirit of self-giving. In living
the vow, the priests, brothers and sisters depend on the community for their needs as all things
are held in common. The vow of obedience frees the Priests, the Brothers and Sisters to do the
will of God as expressed by their superiors who seek always what is best for the individual
religious and for the community as a whole.

Furthermore, each religious congregation is blessed by a unique gift of the Holy Spirit
called a “Charism,” which is an expression of the way the congregation is called to follow Christ.
A religious community’s charism is expressed in its way of serving the Church in mission, its
particular way of living community life and its distinct “culture.” A myriad of charisms forms a
fabric of ministries within the Church to meet multitudinous needs.

Therefore, within the Catholic Church there is a variety of Spiritualties stemming from
spiritual leaders of the past. Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan, and different forms of Marian
Spiritualties are but a few of the many that are known within the Church. These specific
spiritualties refer to systems of values, ideas, and a unified manner of life passed down through
the ages from St. Benedict, St. Dominic, St. Francis, and St. Theresa, amongst many others. Each
spirituality focuses on specific virtues or spiritual priorities, which characterize the way of life of
those living within the legacy of the spiritual leader.

Hence, the spirituality of a religious congregation makes present, in a lived and vibrant
way, the spiritual values passed on to each generation from the original source. There are
numerous spiritual approaches to living the truths of the Catholic Church and the vows of
religious life. Devotion, way of prayers, priorities of mission, and lived expressions in daily life
are manifestations of the spirituality embraced by a religious community.

Conclusion

The above points opine that, one can choose a particular vocation whether marriage,
priestly or religious life. As young men and women, we are in a world where little or no attention
is placed on the idea of marriage talk more of being a priest or a religious. Our Societies, in the
contemporary time, had constraint many of us to some particular conceptions of life, which are
strange or even alien to the traditional conceptions over the centuries. Although, there are those
who do not want to get married, join the priestly or religious life. They just want to be the way
they are, that is, single which is a vocation on its own.

However, St. Paul made us to understand that in whatever aspect you choose, you must
be in line of doing the will of God. Whether you are married or unmarried (cf. 1Cor 7:1-16). In
the same manner our Lord Jesus Christ asserts on the issue of Marriage and celibacy after
answering the Pharisees and the subsequent question from his disciples, thus, “not everybody can
take what I have to say, but only those who have received this gift. Some are born incapable of
marriage. Others have been made that way by human device. But there are others who have
given up the possibility of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever can accept
this may accept it (cf. Matt.19:10-12). From the teaching of Jesus Christ, we can infer that
choosing the vocation of Marriage, Priestly or Religious Life is a choice that each human
individual undertakes alone. And St. Paul opines that, being married is something good and also
being unmarried is not something bad, rather all works together for the glorification of God.

What choice then are you going to make today? How do you want to serve God? Do you
intend to get married or join the priestly or religious life? This and many more are questions that
we need to ask ourselves daily as we journey in life. But never forget this known fact about the
responsibilities involved in choosing any of this Vocations. Priests and Religious also face
challenges in their celibate life. Many say, “if that is the case, then I will not be a priest.” But we
have to be brave to make bold steps in life.

It is also challenging to be a celibate. One will face loneliness, uncertainty of old age,
and many anxieties. Whether we got married or remained single, we would face risks. What
matters is not the risks, but Jesus Christ who accompany us in the risky path. Jesus Christ never
promised us a risk-free life. Jesus never assured us a life of comfort and ease. Many of us are
terrified to take risks and thus become afraid to make vows. That is the problem of our age. It is
not the risk that is the problem but the commitment we do not like to make. The call to
faithfulness and Holiness is for all, no matter the state of life you choose.

REFERENCES:

The New Revised Standard Version Bible and The Community Bible (Catholic Edition)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Vita Consecarta” Pope St. Johnpaul II (March, 25 th
1996).