CARAVAGGIO
The Calling of Saint Matthew
1599-1600
Oil on canvas, 322 x 340 cm
Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi
dei Francesi, Rome
The Christian
vocation
Nature
Vocation
1. Latin: vocare , means to call
2. By virtue of our baptism, we are
called to a life of holiness.
3. All the faithful od Christ are invited
to strive for holiness and perfection
of their own proper state.
“…as he who called you is holy, be holy
yourselves in every aspect of your
conduct, for it us written, Be holy
because I am holy.” - LG 32
Nature
Vocation
4. The Christian faithful, inasmuch as
they have been incorporated in
Christ through Baptism, …are called
to exercise the mission which God
has entrusted to the Church to fulfill
in the world, in accord with the
condition proper to each one
5. In the Church there is diversity of
ministry but unity of mission. All
vocations are directed towards the
building up of the Body Of Christ.
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Those ordained in the
Sacrament of Holy Orders are
called to preach the Word of
God, administer the
Sacraments and lead/build up
the unity of the Christian
community.
CFC, 2015
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Degrees
1. Bishops, on whom the
fullness of priesthood is
conferred.
2. Priests, ordained ministers
who serve the Church as
co-workers under the Bishop.
3. Deacons, who minister in
various ways in the service
of the liturgy, the Gospel
and works of charity
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Ranks in the Catholic clergy
The laity:
People baptized as Catholics,
distinct from the clergy.
Deacon:
Priest:
In 2004, the ratio of Catholics per
priest in the Philippines was
8,500. The figure ballooned to at
least 11,500 Catholics per priest in
2010, an indication that the nation’s
Catholic population is growing faster
than the number of priests.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/173233/as-
clergy-ages-many-called-but-few-
chosen#ixzz2W77ogvqt
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Ranks in the Catholic clergy
Monsignor: If a priest is
noticed as being a notable
individual in service to the
Catholic Church, he can attain
the title of Monsignor. (Note:
monsignori are not the 'bosses' of
other priests)
Bishop: an ordained minister and
always a man who holds the
fullness of the sacrament of Holy
Orders and is responsible for
teaching doctrine,[1] governing
Catholics in his jurisdiction,[2] and
sanctifying the world[3] and for
representing the Church.
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Ranks in the Catholic clergy
Archbishop: He is merely
the diocesan bishop of a
larger diocese - an
archdiocese, which will
usually be in a city area.
Cardinal: If the reigning pope
(currently Pope Francis) chooses
a diocesan bishop to help him run
the Church in the Roman Curia in
Rome, then the bishop concerned
will be elevated to the rank of
cardinal. (Note: cardinals are not
the bosses of other bishops.
Cardinals are all bishops but not
all bishops are cardinals).
Consecrated Celibacy: Ministerial Priesthood
Ranks in the Catholic clergy
Pope: The final rank and the
highest rank is the Pope, who
Catholics believe to be the
successor of Peter and the
Vicar of Christ. He is elected
by the College of Cardinals at
the conclusion of the previous
papacy - resignation or death.
To be elected pope, one must
have a 66.6% majority of the
votes. The current pope is
Pope Francis I.
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
ALB
CINCTURE MITER
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SKULL CAP
CROSIER RING
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious vestments
Consecrated Celibacy: Religious
Christians, both clerical and lay,
who consecrate themselves to
living Christ’s life radically,
publicly and in community, in
order thereby to devote
themselves to the mission of
Christ.
PCP II, 449
Religious Vows: Obedience,
Chastity and Poverty
(Evangelical Counsels)
Singleblessedness
Priest, religious, and lay
persons who have freely
chosen ‘singleblessedness ,
for the kingdom of God.
CFC, 2011
Married Life
Marriage is also a call by
God to come to a closer
union with Him and with is
Church.
In other words, it is not only
a call to holiness, but also a
way to holiness for those
called to enter married life.
( Bacani, 1988, 101)
As ministers to each other
and spouses’ roles as
parents
2. The meaning of life and the vocation of man
Man has been created by God
and is the only creature on
earth that God has loved for his
own sake.
The human person from the
first instant of his conception,
has been ordained to eternal
beatitude. Man attains
perfection, seeking and loving
truth and goodness.
We have been created by God,
and the meaning of life consists
in walking towards God so as
to live forever with Him: this is
man’s vocation.
LAURENT DE LA HIRE Moses
and the Tablets of the Law
Private collection
3. To live in accordance with one’s vocation
Man has to live according to
the vocation to which he has
been called by God; he has
to follow the moral law
inscribed by God himself in
the innermost part of his
being, urging him “to do
good and to avoid evil”.
Everybody should follow this
law, which speaks to his
conscience, because this law
is universal and immutable.
TERBRUGGHEN, Hendrick
Christians know the way to The Calling of St Matthew
obtain eternal beatitude: 1621
Oil on canvas, 102 x 137 cm
keep the commandments. Centraal Museum, Utrecht
4. Man’s freedom
But man is free and, since our
freedom is weak, man may obey
or disobey God’s calling.
Freedom is at the root of human
acts, and that makes man
responsible for his freely taken
decisions.
Although man by nature desires
the good, because of original sin,
human nature, in the exercise of
freedom, is subject to error and
inclined towards evil.
So while we have to love and
defend freedom, we also have to
guide it so that it becomes “the
freedom that Christ won for us”.
REGNAULT, Jean Baptiste
1784-95
Freedom or death
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
5. Man’s vocation
The death of Christ on the
Cross has freed man from the
devil and sin, and has won for
all men new life in the Holy
Spirit. By his grace, Christ has
restored what sin had
destroyed. He has traced the
path that has to be followed by
his disciples, so as to be united
and identified with him. There is
no other way.
Through union with Christ one
reaches the perfection of
charity, the sanctity to which all
men have been called.
FETI, Domenico (1589-1623)
Moses before the Burning Bush
Oil on canvas, 1613-1614
66 1/8 x 44 inches (168 x 112 cm)
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
6. The vocation of man to happiness
Besides wanting us to be
holy, God wants us to be
happy; even if, while as
pilgrims in this world, we
have to carry the cross,
which is the condition of
Christian existence.
This paradox can be seen
in the beatitudes, where
Jesus teaches what the
real goods are. We are
MEYER, Conrad
heirs to the kingdom of
The Last Judgement God, and our true and
Private Collection
complete happiness will be
fulfilled in seeing God, and
resting with Him.
7. Christ, beginning and goal of all life
Christ, Lord of the cosmos and of
history, is for men, “the way, the
truth and the life” (John 14, 6).
Being God, he is the creator of the
universe and sustains it with his
powerful word. As man, he is the
only redeemer of the world,
because there is no other through
whom we may be saved.
If you know Christ you know
everything, if you ignore Christ you
know nothing
In our times man has a special
need to seek and find Christ:
"Christ is the hope of all men,
because Christ is the love that
loves, the path to walk on, the light
to be kindled, the love worth been
loved " (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
DA FORLI, Merlozzo (1438-1494)
Triumphant Christ
Fresco transferred to canvas, 1481-1483
Private collection
Resolutions for
Christian life
Resolutions to move forward
Meditate on the words of Saint
Leo the Great: “ Christian,
acknowledge your dignity…”,
and draw out its consequences
for you personally.
Study eagerly this course on
catechesis, not just to know
what living in Christ means, but
also to put it into practice.
Since most people ignore
Christ, make a resolution to
seek Christ, so as to know and
love him.
