Religion and Ethics

Key unit competence:

The learner will be able to discuss different ways God calls His people.Learning Objectives:

• Identify different vocations from the Bible.

• State the ways that God uses for calling his people.

• Describe the ways through which God calls his people for different services.

• Explain the relationship between different callings from God.

• Make right decision in choosing career and style of life.

• Link God’s call for service and spiritual gifts given to everyone.

• Appreciate different types of God’s callings.

• Show awareness of the importance of God’s callings.

• Show respect for God’s callings.

Introductory Activity 1:

In our family, we are six members: mother, father two girls and two boys. When our parents call us by names, we respond with a kind reply and our presence. It is their choice to call the young child or the elder to carry out different assignments. They give us different tasks that we should honestly accomplish according to our capacity.Suppose you are a parent and you call your child but he/she refuses to respond. How would you feel?

What could be your attitudes towards him/her in the next days?

1. Describe different calls you know from the Bible and the responses given to each of those calls.

2. How can you use your talents or gifts from God including life?

3. How can you know your vocation?

4. Identify some calls that children may get from their parents.

1.1 Meaning of Vocation

Learning Activity 1.1

The parent called her four children to assign tasks to them. The first one accepted the task and accomplished it immediately. The second attempted to refuse but she accepted after. The third one immediately refused. The fourth one accepted but he never practiced. What lessons do you get from each child? Is this a vocation or a command?

Vocation means a call. If you have a vocation, you have a strong feeling that you are especially invited to fulfill a particular job or to fulfil a particular role in life. Then you need to respond positively to your call. Call, vocation and mission are linked concepts. The voice of God calls us for general and for particular mission.

If you are called to serve, God has chosen you to carry out His work in the world. He has determined the tasks He wants each of us to do; our job is to serve Him by accomplishing what He has planned for us. Everybody is called for a particular mission. God expects our obedience and adhesion of faith. Our answers to God calls are different. Some of the called people hesitate (hesitation) to say yes to God’s call; others refuse (total refusal), and others accept immediately.

Application activity 1.1

1. Explain the link between a call and a mission.

2. How do you respond to the call of your parents?

3. If God calls you, what does He expect from you?

4. How can you discover your vocation?

1.2 The call of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Jonah and Mary

Learning Activity: 1.2

Read the biblical text about the call of Abraham Genesis 12:1-9 and the call of the young rich man in Matthew 19:16-24 thereafter identify the purpose and values (service) related to this call.

The common and fundamental call from God is life. God calls everybody to life/(serve the community) in order to know him and to serve him by loving/(serving) our neighbors and the society in general. God started his plan of salvation when He called Abraham.

Paul was not among the twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was called to be an apostle by the will of God (1Corinthians 1:1) afterward. Paul made 3 missionary journeys to spread the Good News:

• The first journey (46-48 AD): Antioch in Syria-Attalia in Cyprus and Minor Asia (Acts 14:24). He then came back to Antioch.

• The 2nd journey (49-52 AD): from Antioch to Jerusalem (Acts 18:22). He came back again to Antioch.

• The 3rd journey (53-58 AD): from Antioch to Caesarea (Acts 21:15-17), then to Rome.

Paul died a martyr in 67 AD under Nero Caesar the Roman emperor. He founded many churches and he wrote 13 letters which are part of the New Testament.

Application Activity: 1.2

1. Identify and Categorize responses we give to different God’s calls and give a biblical example for each Category.2. Life is a fundamental call from God. How can you protect it? 3. What lessons do we learn from the call of Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Jonah, Mary, Paul?

1.3 Types of Calls/ Vocations

Learning Activities 1.3

1. What talents do you think you have that can help you to respond well to God’s call for you?

2. Discuss how these talents may help you to carry out God’s call for you?

3. In which capacity/services would you like to serve God and your neighbour? Explain

God’s calling always has something to do with the good life people have to live. From the very beginning of mankind, people have to subdue the earth by work, knowledge and by procreation. This is the mission given to human being (Genesis 1:28). Mankind has the opportunity to be co-worker with God. Calls are of different types:

Call to different services

• Educational services: to give educational services.

• Health services: to protect and improve human life.

• Spiritual services: to nourish the soul, give spiritual orientation and be role-model

• Services of charity: to help, to share and empathy.

• Social services: caring and meeting people’ requirements.

• Economic services: Develop, maintain and Improve people’s socio-economic developments.

• Security services: to defend human rights and prevent any kind of violence

Call to Particular Work

Some people are gifted and talented to perform particular work for example:

• Perform a healing prayer

• Perform a prayer of deliverance or exorcisms

• Prophesy and interpret the World of God

• Professional work like teaching, Art and craft, designing, leadership, journalism etc.

God invites everybody to use their own talents, gifts, skills for God’s own interest and for the community.

Call to Christian Vocation

In this type of vocation we have 3 categories: ordained ministers, consecrated life and laity. Their nomination may differ according to the Christian Denomination:

Ordained Ministers

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Order is required to be in this category.

Some Protestant denominations ordain ministers by anointing them or just laying hands on them and pray. In some cases, ministers go through interview to make sure they are qualified. Generally, the roles of the ordained ministers are to teach the Word of God, to govern the operations of the church and act as shepherds to the congregation. They operate in the name of Jesus Christ, the founder of the church.

The Consecrated Life

In the Roman Catholic Church one becomes consecrated by solemn vow to take oath for poverty, obedience and celibacy. The consecrated people are called brothers or sisters.

In few Protestant denominations also consecrate sisters. The members of this category are stimulated by Matthew 19:16-24).

The Laity

• We become laypeople by Baptism. For the Roman Catholic Church members one has to go through confirmation also. Lay people serve and participate in evangelization of the world by good Christian testimony and works of love (Acts 2:42-47).

• Most Protestant denominations consider laypeople as “the people of God” who have equal responsibilities to spread the gospel just like the ordained minister. They consider baptism as enough for one to carry out the great commission of Jesus as outlined in Matthew 28:18-20. This is what is called by Peter the “priesthood of all believers” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Laypeople can preach and do any-thing the ordained minister can do. However, some tasks remain the prerog-ative of the ordained minister such as baptizing, officiating a wedding unless the layperson has been given authorization by the higher church authority.

• In the Roman Catholic Church only laypeople are allowed to marry. The clergy vows celibacy. Laypeople are supposed to get married based on love and fulfil the given mission in Genesis 1:28: human being is then master of creation by work of knowledge, procreation and education of children. The Christian couple then has to be characterized by unity and indissolubility.

• The meaning of vocation also can be expressed in different social services and professionals people are entrusted in the society such as teaching profession, medical profession, law profession. In this sense, some professions, due to their nature and requirements are considered as vocations.

So people in those professions are called to serve in that service by the society.

Application Activity 1.3

1. Show with Christian examples how you can fulfil your call in order to serve God and people in your community.

2. From your personal experience, what do you expect to become in the future? Discuss this in regard to Christian vocation.

1.4. Christian and Social Services

Learning Activities: 1.4

1. Can one be at the same time a good Christian and a good citizen? Argue your answer.

2. Consider the list of duties below. What are the corresponding civic and Christian values: Offering the tithe, community work, pay taxes, liturgical activities, attend the mass, voting leaders, pay health insurance, cleanness in the chapel, visiting sick, spread Good News.

Social Services and Christian Behaviors

A society is an organized community of people with laws and traditions controlling the way that they behave towards each other. A Christian is at the same time member of the society and of the church. He or She must live with social and Christian values, serve God and the society. Having all these values helps us to be good to ourselves, to God and to the county.

Church Services

The church is a visible institution which serves its members in particular and it renders some services to the society in general.

• Church services to itself: the main service of the church to itself is the Evangelization (Matthew 28:18-20). Other related services are: liturgical services, prayer for healing and deliverance, spiritual direction, pastoral care, teaching, etc.

• Church services to the society: in partnership with the society the church offers some services to the community at large: setting infrastructures, peace building services, encouraging the values of the families, calling people to hard working, increasing moral principles, protecting human rights, doing charitable acts, educating people in all matters of life, financial support, etc.

Application Activity: 1.4

1. What is your opinion of taking sick people of your family to the praying room?

2. You are supposed to be a salesperson in a shop. What will be your Christian and social values in your business?

3. List at least four social welfare contributions you give to the church and to the community.

1.5 Basic Elements of Vocational Discernment

Learning Activity: 1.5

Case Study: Munyemana and Mukamana have five children. Ange is an engi-neer, Peter is a Doctor, Mary is a pilot, Mugisha is an agriculturist. They also wish they would have a priest in their family and they are trying to force their young-est son, Paul to attend the seminary studies. Do you think they are doing the right thing? Argue your opinion.

We realize our vocation through the experience, the testimony, what you learn and what you read, the attended meetings etc. Therefore, to discern vocation we base on:

1. Freedom: right to do what you want. You must discern vocation independently without pressure or other’s influences (Is 6:8)

2. Need to serve: do you feel the commitment to perform duties for interest of a person or a community?

3. Need of perfection: are you ready to completely serve God and people free from fault?  Do you think the chosen vocation will help you to be perfect? The conditions are faith, Hope and Love(1Corinthians 13:13)

4. Skills and gifts: examine your ability, your perseverance to complete well your responsibilities

5. Self-control: verify your degree of controlling your feelings, emotions, languages etc.

6. Self-awareness: do you possess qualities and critical thinking to judge and to understand your true thoughts and feelings?

7. Hearing God’s voice: it is a state of feeling commitment to serve God and your neighbor.

Application Activity: 1.5

What will you base on to identify your vocation?

1.6 End Unit Assessment

End Unit Assessment Questions

1. For what purpose do you think God created you?

2. Identify different calls/vocation with their specific services.

3. Explain reasons why these particular people were called by God: Abraham, Moses and Samuel.

4. Distinguish the Christian who is performing services of his/her calling with a Christian who is only serving his/her personal benefit.

5. Defend this statement with concrete examples. “The church and the community are different institutions which have separate services to offer.”

6. If you are chosen as a leader of your village, what particular services would you offer as a leader?