Christian Vocations and States of Life

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”  (Lv. 19:2)

To become holy seems to be a difficult goal and only for those who wish to remain apart from the life and culture of our time.  Nevertheless, the gift of the Spirit makes this command possible.  Hence, to become holy is a gift and a task, rooted in Baptism and Confirmation and entrusted to everyone in the Church in every age.  It is a gift and a duty of lay people as well as religious and sacred ministers, in the private realm as in public affairs, and in the life of individuals as in that of families and communities.

Within this common vocation that calls everyone to be conformed to God’s will, there are different states of life and numerous vocations and missions.  Still, the gift of the Spirit is the basis of everyone’s vocation.  After all, it is the root of all vocations:  (1) the vocation of consecrated ministries of the bishop, priest and deacon who are at the service of ecclesiastical life, (2) the vocation of special consecration of those who are in the state of single blessedness, configured to Christ, chaste, poor and obedient, without entering the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Church, and (3) the vocation of married life, the mission for parents who are called to make the family the first and fundamental expression of the Church.

These states of life are means by which we respond to the universal call to holiness.  Since, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7), it is indispensable for each one to seek and to recognize day after day the long path on which the Lord is leading him to his personal encounter with him.  This could be done most effectively with the help of a spiritual director who will listen and guide the person and who will be close to him in difficult choices and in moments of joy.

Reference:  www.vatican.va