god’s creative activity in the worldearth, its resources and its life. at the simplest level this...

1. THE BASIC HUMAN VOCATION

10 COME FOLLOW ME – YEAR 10

God’s creative activity in the worldGod’s creative activity today sustains theexistence of the universe, developing it andperfecting it. People participate in thisactivity by sustaining and developing theearth, its resources and its life.

At the simplest level this includes caring forpets and other animals, parks, gardens andforests.

Produce a card cluster using these headings:

• sustainable practices

• conservation of species and environments

• social justice

• restoration and rehabilitation

• appreciation of creation.

Instructions:

1. Put each heading on a notice board.

2. In groups, list practical examples of ways that people participate

in God’s creative activity.

3. Write the examples on cards or ‘post-it’ notes and cluster

them around the relevant heading.

In Class Work

At a more complex level, examples ofpeople engaged in sustaining anddeveloping creation include thosefollowing sustainable practices such asbuilding dams to provide water ortaking care not to waste waterunnecessarily. Other examples arepromoting an appreciation of the beautyand goodness of creation through art,science, writing and music.

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COME FOLLOW ME – YEAR 10 11

God’s creative activity in human societyHuman beings are created in the image andlikeness of God their Creator. Human societyreflects the attributes of God through love,goodness, care for those in need, justice andmercy.

God’s creative activity in society includessustaining the efforts of all people who seek to develop society in a way that reflects God’s love and care for his creation. Some of the ways people can do so include becomingpolitically or socially active, providingentertainment or promoting religious worship.

Identify other ways in which people can participate in God’s creative

activity in society. Find newspaper clippings of stories that show how

individuals do this.

In Class Work

God’s creative activity in familiesGod’s creative activity in families is the sameas God’s creative activity in creation andhuman society. God sustains the lives offamily members and supports theirdevelopment in goodness. Ways ofparticipating in this creative activity of God include:• caring for each other’s needs, especially

those who are younger, sick, unemployedor frail

• supporting each other’srelationships with God,especially through prayerand living the two greatcommandments of Jesus

• encouraging and supportingeach other when facingchallenges or difficulties

• contributing to familyincome to provide for familyneeds.

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God’s creative activity in individualsWhen people care for their lives and theirhealth and try to live as good people, they areparticipating in God’s creative activity. Thisincludes:• studying to prepare for the future• working to develop personal gifts,

especially through service• caring for personal health and well-being• striving to develop one’s personal potential

to love, to forgive, to behave justly and tokeep the commandments of Jesus and ofGod.

In your journal:

1. Write a definition of your understanding of the word ‘Home’.

2. Spend some time reflecting on how building a home

together helps a married couple to grow together and to

develop their relationship.

3. Spend some time reflecting on what sort of a family you

would like to have in the future. In what ways do you think

you would need to nurture marriage and family

relationships? How would you encourage children to

contribute to the family?

4. Write down any thoughts and ideas that have come from

your reflection. Pray for God’s guidance that in the future you

will do what God is calling you to do.

To develop their good and nobler aspects, peoplehave to overcome failings and weaknesses.

This is why Jesus came and called allpeople to accept God’s saving power.

This power which is demonstrated mostfully in the Resurrection of Jesus fromthe dead enables people to overcomehuman failings, weaknesses andsinfulness.

As people accept the gift of this powerthey come to know and experience God

and are able to pray, worship and live inways that will bring them closer to God.

Religious development, therefore, is necessaryfor the development of the whole person.

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God’s creative activity included rest and recreationIn the first of the Genesis creation stories, God rested on the seventh day. Contributingto God’s creative activity, therefore, also includes a day of rest from unnecessary work.Pope John Paul II reminded all people of the need for balance between work and rest inhis encyclical, On Human Work:

Man ought to imitate God both in working and also in resting since God himselfwished to present his own creative activity under the form of work and rest.

(On Human Work 25)

Rest and recreation is important in order to:• renew one’s personal energy• prevent stress and tension• help protect people from becoming so involved in

business and other career activities that they lose sight of the importance of relationships and other normal human activities.

It was to protect people from these difficulties that God made rest as well as worship part of the third commandment to keep holy theSabbath. Where people cannot avoid workingon Sunday, this commandment calls themto rest on another day in the week.

WORK REST+

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Work is participation in God’s creative activity

Many people today think of work only as paid employment.However, in God’s plan, work is something thateveryone has been created to do. Work includes anyway that a human being participates in God’screative activity even the most ordinary every-day activities.

This understanding of work is much broaderthan simply ‘having a job’ – though it caninclude this. Full-time home makers,unemployed people who contribute to familylife or voluntary organisations, young people notyet in their first job, retirees and those unable towork, can all participate in God’s work of betteringand perfecting the world.

Work has a place in fulfilling one’s vocation

Paid employment or ‘having a job’ means ‘working for an income’. Most people have toseek paid employment. They will need to study and skill themselves so that they will becapable of working and earning a living.

Employment has several purposes. It provides:• an income, allowing people to engage in other activities related to their vocations

(such as family life)• well-being, self-worth and human dignity as it is a means of developing intellectual,

emotional and social talents through the tasks it involves and through relating andresponding to others in the work-place

• a means for contributing in some way to the over-all needs of society.

Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking oftheir employment only in terms of an income

and benefits. As a result, many people overlookopportunities that their place of employmentoffers them to find happiness by fulfillingtheir vocations to work with God to make theworld a better place. They may through their

work contribute to the lives of individuals,society and the environment.

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It may be interesting to ask someone who is employed:• What is it that you do? What does it involve?• Who do you work with?• What kinds of people are they?• Are there people whose needs you can help meet (for example, an elderly

person who is lonely or a fellow student who needs special attention)?• What talents and other gifts are you using to go about your employment

(manual, intellectual, relational, personal qualities such as ‘being a goodlistener’, justice and compassion)?

• What aspects of your work do you find most fulfilling?

Produce a ‘Looking for Work’ advertisement for display in a newspaper. On it,

describe the qualities, skills and abilities you would offer anyone who gave

you work.

Promote yourself by outlining how you are seeking to contribute to

improving society and the environment in the work that you will do,

be it paid or unpaid.

In Class Work

When thinking about future employment,people need to consider their vocation,asking ‘What path do I need to follow inlife?’ They need to seek ways that helpthem to fulfil their vocation as much aspossible and also provide opportunitiesfor the development of their personalgifts.

Many people are fortunate enough to findthat the very tasks they are employed toperform also fulfil their vocation anddevelop their gifts. They may express joyat having such fulfilling work withremarks like, ‘I’d be happy doing this evenif they didn’t pay me’, or ‘It’s wonderfulbeing paid for doing something you love!’

Other people may find that their employment is not very satisfying but that it providesthe stable income they need to live a fulfilling life in other ways. For example, theirincome may make it possible for them to ‘work’ better in their families, to contribute tosociety in voluntary ways or to contribute to the environment.

What path do I need to follow in life?

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The basic human questionThe search for who God is calling each person to be, is life long. Young peoplecan wonder about this when they start thinking about their futures and leavingschool. This is a question that tends to reappear in difficult times in one’s life andis related to the human heart question people ask: ‘What is the meaning andpurpose of my life?’

The place of unpaid work in fulfilling one’s vocation

Not all people work for an income. Many peopleare involved in helping to improve society in otherways than through paid work. One examplewithin families are those who spend most of theirtime caring for family members who require

special attention like children, the disabled, thesick and the aged.

Another example is retired people who have manyopportunities to engage in a variety of activities helping them

to fulfill their vocations. Often these relate to their children’s families and working inorganisations that help others in the community.

Some people cannot participate in paid employment. Nevertheless those without paidemployment can find other ways to share in God’s creative activity using their gifts.

There are also people who decide that their families have sufficient income, and so donot seek employment. Their motivation is either that the job they could have had is thenavailable to others in greater need or they want to live a simpler life.

Career choices and vocationThe most satisfying career, job or profession will beone that involves the use of a person’s gifts andtalents leading them to fulfil their vocation.

People cannot always follow the career theywould ideally like to pursue. In this situation,people need to be realistic and seek the bestposition they can in order to earn an income.But they need to look for other opportunitiesthrough which to use their gifts, including:• voluntary organisations• personal initiatives• family life• other options in society.

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People’s vocations lead to different lifestyles

‘The question of vocations is vital to the Church. Everyone has a vocation: parents,teachers, students, workers, professional people who are retired. Everyone has somethingto do for God.’

Pope John Paul II, Homily at Giants Stadium, New York, October 5, 1995, #5

People are called to different lifestyles. The most common are:• the single life• marriage.

The single lifestyleSingle people can respond to the needs of others in different ways from married peopleand parents. Being single may simply be the result of a person’s life circumstance such ascaring for an elderly or sick parent or not having met the person they might wish tomarry. Those who choose the single life however, do so for a special reason. Some maydecide that they should consecrate their lives to lay religious service, such as that of amissionary. Others may choose to remain single in order to use their gifts and talents tomake a difference in the world in a way they wouldn’t be able to do as a marriedperson.

For everyone, there is at least one period in life when they are single. Perhaps they aretoo young for marriage or the right person to marry has not come along. For manypeople, there is more than one such period (e.g. pre-marriage, death of a spouse,separation or divorce).

As for all lifestyles, the single lifestyle calls for chaste love.

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Jesus is the model for all chastityThe perfect model of chaste love is Jesus Christ. As Son of God, Jesus loved in a waythat was open to all people. His lifestyle reflected this love – in his openness for thedowntrodden or despised, in his dignified approach to women, in his time spent withchildren, in his acceptance of foreigners and in his compassion for the sick and allpeople in need.

Marriage and ParenthoodMarriage is a special relationship that isshared exclusively between husband and wife.The bond between spouses is special. This isseen most obviously in their closeness to eachother. They work together, sharing theirhopes, fears, successes and disappointments.They help, support and encourage each otherand they try to provide for each other’sneeds. Their relationship with each other willbe different from their relationship witheveryone else, including their children.

ParenthoodMost people who marry have children,though not all couples are able to do so. Thequality of a marriage is no less if the coupledoes not have children.

The parent-child love relationship is a uniqueone. It has a strength that helps parents to carefor their children in every circumstance of life.



Consider the relationships that are possible in:

• the single life-style

• marriage.

Make a collage of pictures and/or words from magazines or newspapers that

depict how personal needs and the needs of others can be met through each

life-style.

In Class Work

Choosing lifestylesPeople should not choose a lifestyle for the wrong reasons. Social trends and materialgain for example, should not be key considerations. The key question when makinglifestyle choices is: ‘Which lifestyle is the most appropriate to my talents and other gifts?’

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