Gods Call to Humankind: Towards a Theology of Vocation

Laurence J. OConnell
Etymology:
a calling to a state of life
Latin vocare: to call, to summon, to call one over, invoke, to invite,
the act of naming or designating (to complete the act of creation)
The Old Testament Motif:
Humankind is invited to Garden of Eden humankind is beckons
Vocation is the alpha and omega points of Gods interaction with his
creation
God not only created humankind but gave man a vocation from the
beginning: cooperate with him with the on-going process of creation
To be called something was tantamount to being it naming
symbolic of primary calling of man which is co-creation humankind
plays a role so humankind is called to be Gods PARTNER expressed
in theme of COVENANT
Call to Covenant
The foundation to the covenant is Gods call:
1st: God calling humankind into existence
2nd: Gods invitation to humankind to cooperate with him in the ongoing process of creation
3rd: God calling humankind into a covenant relationship with Himself
creatures, co-creators, and partners
New Testament
Greek term kalein: to call, to name, to invite
New covenant in the person of Jesus Christ, response to Gods call in
OT is not ambiguous anymore; God announced the details of his call to
humankind in the form of the Verbum Incarnatum, the Word Incarnate,
who is Jesus Christ.
Jesus was sent to call humankind back to the Creator. In revealing the
call of the Father, Christ invites a response (he is the kalon)
The Mission of Jesus our advocate or advocare before the Father
To invite humankind back tot heir original vocation or calling, sharing
deeply in the very life of the Creator. Since we were sin-stained, we
were alienated from the Creator. In Jesus, God repeated his call to
humankind, offering men and women the opportunity to repent, to be
reconciled, to be called to their original vocation.
The new covenant is perfect because we are assured of everlasting
access to the presence of God
Christ is the full expression of Gods call to humankind
Kalloumenoi those who are called/accepted the call of Christ who

Ekklesia the Church or the assembly of those who have been called
So, identity of Jesus himself and the Churchs is rooted in vocation
Kleisis the calling, the Christian vocation to continue the
revelation of Gods call to all his creation/proclaim the Good News
The Christian Vocation
In Baptism a person responds to Gods call in Christ, accepting a calling
of his own which is the Christian vocation.
The entire history of Gods interaction with humankind revolves around
the notion of vocation: co-creation, loving covenant, Christian life in
the Church, and ultimately to full participation in His Kingdom
Isolationism has been the tendency to exaggerate the relative
significance of the call to religious life and/or priesthood, while
overlooking the authentic call-character of other modes of Christian
living
Baptismal Commitment
Priesthood and religious life are specific ways of living out ones
baptismal commitment to the Christian vocation. They are not,
however, special or exclusive ways of being.
Second Vatican Council vocation is a general call specific to people,
not specific to be a priest, nun etc but you still have the capability to
respond to the vocational call because you choose to do it
A Personal Response
An active, self-determined response to a general call
A vocation is not simply given but is rather constituted through the
interplay of Gods general call and the individuals personal response.
Dialogical understanding of vocation
Call-response pattern
The understanding of vocation as a specific response rather than a
specific call displays a remarkable congeniality with the so-called
inclusive ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council
-The Church was described in terms of its visible structures, especially
the rights and powers of its officers. Vatican II counterbalanced, to
some extent, this excessively exclusive ecclesiology by portraying the
Church as the People of God. It gave emphasis to the fact that all men
and women are called by God in Christ and creation to a catholic unity
which prefigures and promotes universal peace. Church life relates to
more than the rights and powers of its officers; it pertains to
communion with God and unity among all men
Implications for Ministry
The notion of ministry with the Roman Catholic Church has been
significantly influenced by the inclusive ecclesiology of Vatican II. The
contemporary theology of the Church understands ministry as a

corporate or shared activity which involves, potentially at least, every

member of the community.
In summary, there are no special vocations, only specific states in life.
Each generation, each individual is a vehicle of on-going revelation, a
conduit of Gods call to His creation