Christian Vocation

THE CHRISTIAN VOCATION

I had to buy a new black clerical suit the other day. My old one had shrunk, though Joyce rather unkindly suggested that I had put on weight!

However, before I left the shop, the arms of the jacket had to be shortened and the shoulders taken in. The waist of the trousers had to be let out, and the legs shortened.

There is no doubt that suits bought off the peg seldom fit comfortably. Quite simply, you cannot beat a made-to-measure suit.

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And that is the problem with a lot of Christians. They try to wear an 'off the peg' spirituality, rather than a ‘tailor made’ spiritually. They try to be what they are not.

Let me explain.

Take for instance Jeremy. He once worked with me in Australia during a gap year.

He was everything a young Christian man should be. He had an unshakeable faith. He read his Bible every day. He was regular in prayer. As regards his personal life, he was honest, sincere, kind, thoughtful, courteous and polite. In fact, you could not fault him.

There was only one problem, and that was this. He never appeared real!

He never had doubts as regards his faith. He never displayed any irritation or allowed his feathers to become ruffled in his dealings with other people. He never lost his temper nor was he critical of others. He never showed disappointment or frustration. And he never allowed his heart to rule his head.

In short, he was a total and utter bore!

He was too good to be true. I never felt that I really knew the real Jeremy. I only knew the cardboard cut-out of him.

However, after about six months he began to change (not, l hope, as the result of my evil influence). He began to be much more human and, to my immense relief, to reveal a sense of humour.

The final three months of his time with me were sheer joy.

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Jeremy's problem was simply this. He was trying to be someone else, rather than himself. He was wearing an 'off the peg' image of what a Christian should be, rather than discovering the 'made-to-measure' image of a Christian which would fit him personally.

It.is a temptation into which we can all fall. Clergy often try to fulfil the expectations of their parishioners, whilst parishioners try to fulfil the expectations of the clergy.

Part of the problem, I would suggest, is this. We have tended to define the word 'vocation' too narrowly. We tend to think that the word 'vocation' applies only to clergy, doctors, nurses and teachers and to no one else.

But, my friends. we all have a 'vocation'. We are all called by God to realise our unique God-given potential as individuals. We are all called to become that unique person God has created us to be. The Christian life is the story of that journey of self-discovery.

No two people are exactly the same, no more than any two sets of finger prints are exactly the same. As Baron von Hugel once said, 'Souls are not ditto'

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You see, my friends, there is an ever present danger that we seek to deny our unique individual vocation, and try to model ourselves upon someone else whom we admire. But there has only ever been one Francis of Assisi. God never intended there to be two. There has only ever been one Blessed Virgin Mary. God never intended there to be two. And there has only ever been one Mother Teresa. God never intended there to be two. Each person has their own unique vocation to fulfil.

Not even Jesus was given to us to imitate literally. The fourth evangelist does not say "Imitate me" but rather, "In the way I have loved you, love one another". (John 13.34)

The Christian psychologist, Carl Jung, writes: 'To imitate Christ means to live out our own destiny as authentically and wholeheartedly as he lived out his'. In other words, we are called to be as fully our unique self as Christ was fully his unique self.

Whilst the insights into the lives of others may be of some help in realising our own particular vocation, they cannot be a substitute for us making our own journey of discovery. What has proved helpful to one in the process of their Christian formation may prove a hindrance for another. As the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, once asked, "How do you expect to arrive at the end of the journey if you take the road to another man's city?"

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To try and be what you are not is dangerous, harmful, and - dare I say? - sinful.

It is dangerous because it will inevitably lead to frustration and disappointment, which often leads to people giving up the journey altogether.

It is harmful because one journeys with an incredible burden of guilt as one fails to live up to the false image.

And it is sinful because it expresses a dissatisfaction with God's creative initiative in our lives. It says, 'l don't like, and do not want to be, the person you have created me to be. I want to be someone else'.

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To sum up, there can be no serious authentic growth in the spiritual life, until we are able to recognise, accept and own our own unique vocation.

Whilst we continue to try to be what we are not, we at best hinder and stifle, and at worst deny, the opportunity for growth,

'Made-to-measure' spirituality is always a better fit than 'off the peg' spirituality!