Christian Lifestyles

1. Christian Lifestyles Spring 2013

2. Vocation • In order to figure out our vocation, we first must have self-awareness • What does it mean to be self-aware? • Self-awareness helps us figure out who we are, what our values are and who God had made us to be

3. Vocation • The word vocation comes from the Latin words, vocare, which means to call, and vocatio, which means a summons • Beuchner: A vocation is the “intersection between the deepest desire of your heart with the world’s greatest need” • Some people believe that the words vocation, profession and career are synonymous • That is wrong- vocation connects with the deepest needs of humans and that you as a person are most passionate about

4. Christian Idea of Vocation • Vocation is a calling from God • The first and ultimate call of each person is the call from God to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him • Why do we have this call? • Because we are made in God’s image • Human’s are religious by nature and it differentiates us from the rest of creation

5. Christian Idea of Vocation • We are social beings- God did not create us to be alone • God established a chosen people in the Old Testament and Jesus, through His death and resurrection, established a Church to carry on his mission • The Church’s mission, or vocation includes all of our individual callings • We are called to participate in the Church’s mission by living out our personal vocations as God’s people

6. How do we do this? • How do you live out your Christian vocation now? • By using our God-given gifts • God doesn’t wait until we are all adults to give us graces and blessings- we are all part of the Church from our Baptism and are called to live lives of holiness • The Church uses the word “Vocation” to refer to a person’s response to one’s baptismal calling to love and serve God and others

7. Four Christian Vocations • Single lay people • Married lay people • Ordained minister • Consecrated Life People in these groups may have different jobs or careers but they are doing what brings them a sense of happiness, accomplishment and fulfillment

8. Universal Call to Holiness • Prior to Vatican II, Church documents referred to Catholics as “subjects” • Focus on the hierarchical structure of the Church: pope, bishops, clergy then laity • At Vatican II, the Church began to use the phrase “People of God”- it affirmed the common identity and equal dignity of everyone in the Church • By virtue of our Baptism, we are called to be participants in the priestly and prophetic mission of the Church

9. Universal Call of Holiness • “Those members of the faithful who are not in holy orders or religious life. They are, by Baptism, incorporated into Christ, made to share in his priestly, prophetic and kingly work and empowered to play an active part in the mission of the Church” (LG) • “The laity live ‘in the world.’ This is where they do God’s work. . . The laity serve to illuminate the world with the light of Christ.”

10. Sin: The Obstacle to Holiness • The word sin comes from the Hebrew word “Hatah” • The word literally means “to miss the mark” • The idea of the seven deadly or capital sins originated in the 6th Century with St. John Cassian and Pope St. Gregory the Great • Capital means “head”….Capital sins lead to many other sins

11. Seven Deadly Sins • Pride: excessive belief in one’s own abilities that fails to give credit to God • Avarice/Greed: Desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the spiritual realm • Envy: Desire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation. They desire to possess what others have. • Wrath/Anger: they turn against love of others and embrace fury

12. Seven Deadly Sins • Lust: The obsessive craving for the pleasures of the body. They desire to experience physical and sensual pleasures, ignoring the spiritual desires. • Gluttony: The obsessive desire to consume more than that which one requires. It is trying to consume more of anything that you actually need. • Sloth: avoidance of physical or spiritual work. It could be laziness but it can also be translated as apathy- not caring about anything or anyone

13. Discernment • Discernment is the process of figuring out how your personal gifts steer you towards different careers and lifestyles • Explore: discover possibilities while having the right motives • Seek: direction by looking to Scripture, Tradition and teachings of the Church • Ask: advice from wise and knowledgeable person of integrity • Assess: your needs, abilities, experiences, etc. in terms of what God might be calling you to do • Pray: privately and in community on your vocation

14. Vocation in the O.T. • In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were called to a special relationship with God, they were God’s “Chosen People” • God’s promises to His people throughout the years was through covenants • Covenant: a sacred promise between God and His followers • In the O.T., God made covenants with the Israelites on numerous occasions • Calls took on numerous forms, and to numerous people, but God was always leading them to Jesus

15. Vocation in the N.T. • God’s covenant made in Genesis with Noah and Abraham was fulfilled by Jesus • Jesus’ mission was to bring salvation to all humankind • Even before Jesus’ birth, people were called to a vocation in the N.T.: Zechariah and Elizabeth and Mary and Joseph • Once Jesus’ public ministry begins, he begins to call disciples and apostles • Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Thomas, James, Simon, Matthias

16. Vocations for Christians Today • The Apostles were the first Christians- At Pentecost, they were commissioned by God to go forth and evangelize • Evangelization is the spreading of the Good News of Christ • Today, we share in that vocation, to go out and spread the Good News of Christ through our actions and words

17. The Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit, part of the Trinity, is what sustains us and helps us in our Christian vocation of discipleship • We assert this duty as adult Christians through the sacrament of Confirmation • The Catholic Church has identified different gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us

18. Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit • Wisdom: gives us the power to see things from God’s perspective • Understanding: Gives us a to truly comprehend Jesus’ teachings and the Tradition of the Church • Counsel (Right Judgment): Helps us know what to do in difficult situations • Fortitude (Courage): ensures a confident spirit of resolution, firmness of mind and strong will to overcome obstacles

19. Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit • Knowledge: Enables us to judge what is happening in relationships, the environment, and social situations • Piety (reverence): places us in the right relationship with God • Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe): inspires us with awareness of God’s majesty and the fact that God created us in his image

20. Called to Eucharist • The source of inspiration for all Christians, from the Apostles to those today, should be the celebration of the Eucharist • It recalls the Last Supper • “Do this in memory of me” • Walk to Emmaus • Through the Eucharist, we affirm our discipleship and membership in the Church

21. Call to Service • Another important part of the Last Supper was the washing of the feet • This ritual is performed every Holy Week as a reminder of our call as Christians to serve others as Christ did • The Catholic Church in particular has invested in the service of others through schools, hospitals and other social service agencies

22. The Single Life A Life of Value and Meaning

23. Happiness- Review • What do we need to be happy? • Basically, we need to have the following needs met: • Physical Needs • Self-identity and Self-Esteem • Companionship and Intimacy • Self-actualization

24. Happiness in a Christian Context • Jesus provides us with ways to be truly happy when He gave us the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) • Our ideas of what happiness is can change as we age

25. The Single Life • Being single comes from many different situations: by choice, waiting to find a spouse, or by divorce or death of a spouse • For many, being single is temporary, a “transitional vocation” until they find a partner suitable to marry, enter a religious community, or respond to a call to the priesthood • Some are called to the dedicated lay single life, which is permanent

26. The Single Life • The dedicated lay single life is a valuable vocation that reflects God’s love in its own unique way • Being single has its owns blessings, relationships, advantages, opportunities and challenges • The dedicated lay single life is the most flexible vocation- they have more personal freedom to befriend or help people • Single life not talked about in Old Testament but is in the New Testament

27. Single Life in the N.T. • Jesus and several of His Apostles were single, dedicating themselves to Christ’s Church and message • Only married Apostle that we have proof of is Peter- Jesus healed his mother-in-law • Sometimes, like in the case of Jesus and His Apostles, married life does not fit the vocation that God is calling us to

28. Baptism • All vocations are rooted in our Christian Baptism • The grace given at Baptism (Baptismal Grace) is meant to last a lifetime and continuously enrich our souls • Baptismal grace is present to: • Make us adoptive sons and daughters of God the Father • Make us members of the Church • Make us temples of the Holy Spirit • Incorporate us into the Church • Make us sharer’s in Christ’s priesthood

29. Chastity • Chastity is the virtue by which sexuality is integrated within a person. • It comes under the cardinal moral virtue of temperance, which calls for a balanced use of all our gifts • Also rooted in the 6th and 9th Commandments • Covet: wanting something or lusting something that does not belong to you

30. Chastity • According to the Catechism, “The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in him/her” (CCC 2338) • “Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy.”(CCC 2339) • “Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort. The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ.” (CCC 2344)

31. Chastity • Chastity, according to the Church, blossoms in friendship. When we choose the right friends, our ability to lead a chaste life grows as we imitate the actions of those around us • Practicing the virtue of modesty can help. Modesty includes patience, decency, and discretion- it oversees how we dress, share our thoughts and speak about ourselves with others • Chastity and modesty are key supports to living out the single life • People should live out chastity in a way that is suited to their state of life, guided by moral law • Chastity in continence and conjugal chastity

32. Offenses Against Chastity • Lust: disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure • Masturbation: denies the procreative element of sexuality • Fornication: the carnal union between an unmarried man and unmarried woman • Adultery: carnal union between a married person and someone other than their spouse • Pornography: removal of real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of partners in order to display them to third parties • Prostitution • Rape

33. Celibacy • Celibacy is abstinence from all forms of sexual intercourse • In the Catholic Church, two types of people are called to celibacy: the unmarried and those who have taken religious vows • “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8) • Premarital sex and cohabitation before marriage are seen as grave offenses against the dignity of marriage • They weaken fidelity and undermine the value and nature of family

34. Organizations and Affiliations • Lay people, single and married, can be drawn to the spirituality of different religious communities but don’t take vows • Referred to as “Third Order” members • First Order and Second Order members are men and women who have taken vows • These third orders are recognized by the Church and people make promises, not vows- share in prayer, mass, service and other events