The Disciples' Call: Theologies of Vocation from Scripture to the Present Day [Hardcover]

There is currently no shared language of vocation among Catholics in the developed, post-modern world of Europe and North America. The decline in practice of the faith and a weakened understanding of Church teaching has led to reduced numbers of people entering into marriage, religious life and priesthood.

Uniquely, this book traces the development of vocation from scriptural, patristic roots through Thomism and the Reformation to engage with the modern vocational crisis. How are these two approaches compatible? The universal call to holiness is expressed in Lumen Gentium has been read by some as meaning that any vocational choice has the same value as any other such choice; is some sense of a higher calling part of the Catholic theology of vocation or not? Some claim that the single life is a vocation on a par with marriage and religious life; what kind of a theology of vocation leads to that conclusion? And is the secular use of the word 'vocation' to describe certain profession helpful or misleading in the context of Catholic theology?

This book traces the development of vocation from scriptural, patristic roots through Thomism and the Reformation to engage with the modern vocational crisis. How are these approaches compatible? Is some sense of a higher calling part of the Catholic theology of vocation or not? Jamison explores this neglected yet vital aspect of Church life.

FrChristopher Jamison, OSB, is Director of the National Office for Vocation, London, UK. He has written Finding Sanctuary; Finding Happiness [Orion] and writes a monthly column inThe Tabletand does Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans Breakfast Show&the best of the essays offer vocation ministers rich reflection. Judith K. Schaefer, O.P., HorizonIntroduction \ Part 1: The History of the Theology of Vocation \ SCRIPTURAL. What theologies of vocation are to be found in the Bible? Rev Dr John Hemer \ MONASTIC. Did the desert fathers and mothersl