"At last I have found my vocation. My vocation is love!" Love is the heart of every vocation. This book about vocation to marriage, priesthood, or religious life, has several unique features. First, while being addressed to all Catholics, not only to theologians, it does not oversimplify vocation, or give a mere compilation of advice, but aims to present the rich depth and wealth of the Christian understanding of vocation in a simple and accessible manner. Secondly, this book goes right to two great saints at the heart of quite different traditions on vocation, namely St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Ignatius Loyola, and the basic difference between them, a difference which is often unappreciated, or is passed over superficially. The goal is not to decide in favor of one over the other, nor to examine in detail their historical or theological connection; this book rather aims to use these different points of view to convey all that belongs to a full Christian and human approach to vocation.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended for any Catholic ready to seriously pursue his vocation to holiness.
December 29, 2008
Old ladies see a youngish, seemingly single male in church and they immediately think you have a priestly vocation. And if you're in church and it's not even Sunday, well that removes all doubt. But is it so simple? Isn't it possible to love the sacraments and desire holiness, and pursue it in the married life? After all, marriage involves an intimate lifelong union with an image of God, the raising up of young images of God, and no lack of daily sacrifices.
Nevertheless, because of the "objective superiority" of the priestly or religious life (this is not Bolin's idea or mine, but a strong tradition of the Church, affirmed by our recent popes), it would seem to be justified, even praiseworthy, to pursue these unless one sees a strong reason not to.
The pursuit of holiness, as Joseph Bolin says, is more important than the means by which it is pursued. But that doesn't imply that the means are unimportant. For those who are serious about their religion, "What should I do with my life?" is essentially a religious question. Bolin gives a practical, while substantive guide to the question of discernment. He shows the continuity of thought in the matter from St. Thomas Aquinas all the way to the modern popes.
This book, I hope, will help remedy the tendency (as I see it) of young Catholic discerners to take an overly mystical approach to discernment. Many look for miraculous or semi-miraculous signs from God that will give them absolute certainty in their path. But (as few of us have yet reached the mystical heights of contemplation) such "signs" too often merely affirm what we wanted for ourselves. God created us to be rational and free, and in the choice of a vocation, as in all our moral choices, he expects us to use our reason and free will, as enlightened by faith. Human acts seldom admit of absolute certitude, and sometimes what He asks of us is to dive in, even when we don't know for sure.
I'm afraid Bolin's final answer may leave one unsatisfied. This is not a criticism of his book, but of us readers. Purity of heart, he says, is prerequisite to all vocational discernment. That is, we must try to banish all selfishness from our hearts, and then apply Christian prudence to our choice. Were you looking for an easier solution? Sorry, but you were going to have to work on that purity-of-heart thing anyway.
Paths of Love is recommended for any Catholic ready to seriously pursue his vocation to holiness, and to discern in which way of life to do so.
Nevertheless, because of the "objective superiority" of the priestly or religious life (this is not Bolin's idea or mine, but a strong tradition of the Church, affirmed by our recent popes), it would seem to be justified, even praiseworthy, to pursue these unless one sees a strong reason not to.
The pursuit of holiness, as Joseph Bolin says, is more important than the means by which it is pursued. But that doesn't imply that the means are unimportant. For those who are serious about their religion, "What should I do with my life?" is essentially a religious question. Bolin gives a practical, while substantive guide to the question of discernment. He shows the continuity of thought in the matter from St. Thomas Aquinas all the way to the modern popes.
This book, I hope, will help remedy the tendency (as I see it) of young Catholic discerners to take an overly mystical approach to discernment. Many look for miraculous or semi-miraculous signs from God that will give them absolute certainty in their path. But (as few of us have yet reached the mystical heights of contemplation) such "signs" too often merely affirm what we wanted for ourselves. God created us to be rational and free, and in the choice of a vocation, as in all our moral choices, he expects us to use our reason and free will, as enlightened by faith. Human acts seldom admit of absolute certitude, and sometimes what He asks of us is to dive in, even when we don't know for sure.
I'm afraid Bolin's final answer may leave one unsatisfied. This is not a criticism of his book, but of us readers. Purity of heart, he says, is prerequisite to all vocational discernment. That is, we must try to banish all selfishness from our hearts, and then apply Christian prudence to our choice. Were you looking for an easier solution? Sorry, but you were going to have to work on that purity-of-heart thing anyway.
Paths of Love is recommended for any Catholic ready to seriously pursue his vocation to holiness, and to discern in which way of life to do so.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By gadnerb
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I highly recommend this book. Thought provoking and easy to read. The book helps those still discerning but also for those that have chosen, to live their vocation well. Not sure what to do, not sure what God's plans are for your life? A great read-- it gives you peace as you better understand the nature of the discernment process. When I need a graduation gift in the future, this is what I will be getting!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Bolin's book begins with a helpful distinction between the objective and the subjective approach to discerning a celibate vocation.
The objective approach, emphasized by Thomas Aquinas, points out the perpetual and universal teaching of the Church that the celibate state of life is a more perfect and higher calling than marriage. Under this view, my discernment of whether or not I have a vocation to priesthood or religious life begins from this principle: if I think I could be okay as a priest, monk, nun, etc., I should assume that is my calling until proven otherwise, even if I also think I'd be a good husband or wife. Bolin points out that Aquinas even argued, based on this principle, that someone who believed he could flourish in the celibate life would commit the sin of presumption by marrying, choosing the less perfect and spiritually more dangerous path--at least in the absence of a clear revelation from God (he seems to be thinking of the Annunciation)!
The subjective approach was first clearly laid out in Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The person on the Ignatian retreat is supposed to consider the movements of the Holy Spirit throughout his life and during the time of that retreat. At particular moments during the retreat, he is then supposed to consider whether he would flourish if he gave himself more completely to God in celibacy, and whether hesitation to do this was as a result of spiritual defects (e.g., attachment to the world, cowardice) or from a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit. Today the subjective approach is the default, but most people don't investigate their vocation in the context of an intense 30 day retreat. Bolin's treatment is helpful in restoring this approach to its original setting, and showing why it is not the same as waiting for a mystical flash a la St. Paul's.
Bolin then analyzes these two broad approaches, shows their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how Church doctrine since Vatican II has incorporated and developed them.
The weakest part of the book is the section focusing on Church doctrine after Vatican II, probably because the teaching is something of a moving target (how does the "universal vocation to holiness" fit in?), and not nearly as clearly presented or as well-studied as the older trends. Bolin's book is useful even there, because it calls attention to the documents and writings from which further study will have to begin.
I'm not sure how useful or practical this book is for someone trying to discern a vocation to religious life or the priesthood. It is a book of theology, after all. It should be read by spiritual directors and vocations directors, though, as well as by parish priests. Bolin's treatment of the objective approach in particular is an important rediscovery of a neglected tradition, and his sophisticated treatment of it should help the Church better explain to its faithful the beautiful truth of God's call to total self-giving in celibacy.
The objective approach, emphasized by Thomas Aquinas, points out the perpetual and universal teaching of the Church that the celibate state of life is a more perfect and higher calling than marriage. Under this view, my discernment of whether or not I have a vocation to priesthood or religious life begins from this principle: if I think I could be okay as a priest, monk, nun, etc., I should assume that is my calling until proven otherwise, even if I also think I'd be a good husband or wife. Bolin points out that Aquinas even argued, based on this principle, that someone who believed he could flourish in the celibate life would commit the sin of presumption by marrying, choosing the less perfect and spiritually more dangerous path--at least in the absence of a clear revelation from God (he seems to be thinking of the Annunciation)!
The subjective approach was first clearly laid out in Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. The person on the Ignatian retreat is supposed to consider the movements of the Holy Spirit throughout his life and during the time of that retreat. At particular moments during the retreat, he is then supposed to consider whether he would flourish if he gave himself more completely to God in celibacy, and whether hesitation to do this was as a result of spiritual defects (e.g., attachment to the world, cowardice) or from a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit. Today the subjective approach is the default, but most people don't investigate their vocation in the context of an intense 30 day retreat. Bolin's treatment is helpful in restoring this approach to its original setting, and showing why it is not the same as waiting for a mystical flash a la St. Paul's.
Bolin then analyzes these two broad approaches, shows their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how Church doctrine since Vatican II has incorporated and developed them.
The weakest part of the book is the section focusing on Church doctrine after Vatican II, probably because the teaching is something of a moving target (how does the "universal vocation to holiness" fit in?), and not nearly as clearly presented or as well-studied as the older trends. Bolin's book is useful even there, because it calls attention to the documents and writings from which further study will have to begin.
I'm not sure how useful or practical this book is for someone trying to discern a vocation to religious life or the priesthood. It is a book of theology, after all. It should be read by spiritual directors and vocations directors, though, as well as by parish priests. Bolin's treatment of the objective approach in particular is an important rediscovery of a neglected tradition, and his sophisticated treatment of it should help the Church better explain to its faithful the beautiful truth of God's call to total self-giving in celibacy.
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