Back in Don Bosco's day the belief was that if you didn't follow your vocation you were in grave danger of being damned. This was why he suffered such a deep crisis as a young man when he was deciding whether he should become a diocesan priest or enter the Franciscans. His anxiety was so great that he experienced health problems. I think that it's hard for us today to grasp the significance of this struggle in young John's life. Many today don't even know the difference between a priestly call and a religious one, assuming that the two are identical. A diocesan priest is not bound by vows, doesn't live in community, unlike a religious, and lives a relatively independent life when compared to a member of a religious order or congregation. The call to be a Salesian, a Jesuit or a Franciscan, to name only three religious communities, is distinct from the call to the priesthood. This is why we have religious brothers; men who take vows in a community but don't seek priestly ordination. To make the right choice for Don Bosco was crucial, because to not find out and follow God's call in this life meant losing God forever in the next.
When I was going through formation this belief of Don Bosco's was often put aside as an example of 19th century piety that we've outgrown. While I agreed that the strong way Don Bosco presented the connection between vocation and salvation doesn't seem to leave enough room for God's mercy and understanding, I think we have been too quick to to put aside the main kernel; that there is a connection between following our vocation and our eternal happiness.
What makes the discussion difficult to begin with is that the entire idea of vocation has been lost to certain extent. This in spite of the fact that the Church has gone to great lengths to broaden our understanding of the term. Back in the day vocation almost always meant the call to be a priest, brother or sister. Today we recognize marriage as a vocation, along with the the different professional paths a person might follow in the "secular" world. To be a lawyer, a doctor a carpenter or an electrician can also be seen as vocations. The idea is that each of us has been put in this world for a reason. God gave you particular talents and abilities to use in the service of our neighbors in building up of the Body of Christ. There is no one exactly like you in the world, no one who can make the exact contribution you can. The goal of our formative years is to get in touch with what those qualities are that we have and seeing where God would want us to use them. It's not an easy process, and takes time, patience, prayer and guidance before it becomes clear.
Coming to a knowledge of our vocation is essential for us if we are truly going to be happy in this life. I also believe that it has an impact on our eternal happiness as well. While I wouldn't use the strong language of Don Bosco, we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss his basic premise as out dated or unrealistic. How so? Well, tune in next time and I'll finish my take on vocation and salvation
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