How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Christian Vocation

A1.) How a Christian may follow the call to discipleship through daily life and work?

The English word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare meaning “to call”. Every Christian has a calling or ‘vocation’ from God to be good, to serve Him and to serve others. The term “disciple” is also applied to every one who calls them selves a Christian.

“What am I going to do with my life?” or “What is God calling me to do with my life?” We tend to think of the ‘vocation’ in terms of religious life or priesthood when asking a general question about ‘doing something’. Being a Christian is to be a disciple of Jesus and every one of us has our own vocation from God. Christians are called by God to use their wisdom to help Him and to help others as a part of God’s family. The calling of people to a life of holiness, to be servants and witnesses of the Gospel is called a common vocation.

“As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘ Come after me and I will make you fisher of people.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.”

(Matthew 4:18-20)

“Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

(Matthew 4:21-22)

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea at Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

(Mark 1:16-20)

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding round him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began ...

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When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed him.

(Luke 5:1-11)

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

(Matthew 9:9)

Anyone could be a disciple of Jesus, as we can all see that Jesus has picked his disciple living in a normal life. These four fishermen were like peasants, they were uneducated, and knew nothing about philosophy or religion but still Jesus chose them. He didn’t pick a person with a name or rank in a public, a surgeon would be valued by God as much as a bus driver would, although their salaries are extensively different. A mother that’s working for a part time job in Tesco to save up some money and also that she could afford to look after her children better. If this is a job a person can only do with their full potential then this is the right vocation for them.

Arch Bishops, nuns, monks, priest or prime ministers are not the only ones have a vocation from the Almighty God. The message for us today is that ordinary people like us should act immediately and help Jesus to ‘catch people’ when we hear it. A person who wants to be a disciple should commit and prepare them selves to God and his commandments first. They must fulfil their duties to protect God and the gospel. A nun, monk, priest, and the other parts of the religious orders turn their backs on their personal wishes and their other beliefs, to serve the people like them and specially our Almighty God. They are not considering what they will receive during their life on Earth, but they will be judged at the end of their time and as a reward they can go to eternal life in heaven.

Laity, religious orders and holy orders are the three different kind of vocation. Laity are people who are not called to live in a specific state of life, this could be an everyday job such as an architect, manager, nurse, bus driver, doctor, seller, etc. Religious orders include nuns, monks and brothers, these people dedicate their lives to fulfilling their vocation as one of God’s brothers and sisters. Holy orders are the people like the priests, nuns, monks and brothers that dedicate their life by following God, but they would serve people, in masses and others.

The followers of Jesus learned from his words and actions, which mean they put their ‘faith into action’, by spreading the word of God and serving others. Being a nurse or a doctor in England would be highly paid, but because of our vocation sometimes other doctors or nurses are assigned to another country, which is less salary. Sometimes we tend to give up a comfortable life, which one of them is our social life. Some of us sacrifice our free time to run a small business that will help other people, or run an extra-curricular activity to teach children, students, or adults. The first disciples of God would sacrifice their own lives just to protect and to keep the name of Jesus Christ. They also obeyed the order of Jesus, they preach and teach other people what God taught them.

People like Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi and Oscar Romero are the people whose vocation to change injustice leads to their death. Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King made very large sacrifices to become apostles of God, Martin Luther King gave his life in an attempt to stop racism and Mother Theresa left her family and way of living to help those in need in India. They both showed that it is possible to be a disciple of Jesus if you have the will of power and strength. Oscar Romero was a Roman Catholic priest from South America and he was shot while celebrating a mass. He was very much an important figure in El Salvador and he felt that he had to speak out after his friend had been shot by a military firing squad. He inspired many people with his speeches and gave the people some hope.

There are still some organisations, which carry the mission of the twelve disciples in a modern way.

The parable of the Sheep and Goats

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on hit throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separate the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats in his left.”

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

(Matthew 25:31-46)

Cafod and Christian Aid prioritise to help the needy.

One of the most important teachings of Christ is the passage of the Cost of Discipleship

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ”If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

(Mark 8:34-35)

The specifically Christian vocation meets that fundamental human vocation with resounding affirmation. For we are “baptised into Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:3). That challenging invitation “Follow me!” is not an appeal to heroic or the wilful. It is rather a call to awaken to the new reality, discover in the depths of your being that you are in Christ. Your spirit and Holy Spirit bear a united witness that you are a child of God (cf Romans 8:16).

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world,

And for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.

I pray not only for these but also for those who through their teaching will come to believe in me.

May they all be one just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you,

So that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one.

With me in them and you in me, may they be so perfected in unity

That the world will recognise that it was you who sent me

And that you have loved them as you have loved me.

(John 17:18-23)

These are the sacraments of initiation:

Baptism is the first step of entering a lifelong journey and committing themselves to be a disciple of God. An adult or a child can be baptized. Holy communion is where a child can accept the body of Christ in them. Confirmation is a Catholic sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts.

Some people choose to join the priesthood, monasteries and convents to follow their vocation but many Christians follow their Christian vocation or calling through their daily life. They can do this in a number of ways: