Vocation. We must limit the use of this term and not make it signify any expression of our activity. We speak of the soldier’s vocation, the engineer’s vocation, the vocation to the married state or common vocation. These are actual states, the result of strictly personal choice, the product of circumstances, aptitudes, and tastes. Doubtless these choices do not escape the laws of Providence, yet they do not imply a very special invitation of God, as does vocation properly so called.

This comprises three elements: a special call of God - to a high supernatural state - to which call the intelligent creature should respond with free co-operation. And in this sense there are only three vocations: [1] vocation to the Faith, for heretics and infidels, which is universal and obligatory under pain of damnation; [2] religious vocation, which is, as we hope to show, universal and yet a matter of counsel; [3] vocation to the ecclesiastical state, which is special and is addressed to a select few, chosen by name from among Christian folk and designated by the Church.

From the commentary on The Rule of St. Benedict by the Right Reverend Dom Paul Delatte, Abbot of Solesmes and Superior-General of the Congregation of Benedictines of France, 1913. The emphases are mine.

During the past few days my wife, mother, and I have been watching Brideshead Revisited - my mom had never seen it - and so I was thinking about the issue of religious vocation. Also, Ambrosius’ recent post had inspired some thoughts along these lines.

This excerpt is from Chapter LVIII “Of the discipline of receiving brethren into religion”. I don’t know if there’s a better treatment of vocation expressed within such a brief compass as the four pages in which Dom Delatte treats of this subject. When I first read it a few years ago, I thought it was so good that I typed out the whole of the passage in a Word document so that I might distribute among this august Society’s members. I don’t know if any of them read it, though. :) If anyone comes across this post and would like to have the whole of the passage, please email us, and I’ll send the attachment to you.