This book traces the development of vocation from scriptural, patristic roots through Thomism and the Reformation to engage with the modern vocational crisis. How are these approaches compatible? Is some sense of a higher calling part of the Catholic theology of vocation or not? Jamison explores this neglected yet vital aspect of Church life.

There is currently no shared language of vocation among Catholics in the developed, post-modern world of Europe and North America. The decline in practice of the faith and a weakened understanding of Church teaching has led to reduced numbers of people entering into marriage, religious life and priesthood.

Uniquely, this book traces the development of vocation from scriptural, patristic roots through Thomism and the Reformation to engage with the modern vocational crisis. How are these two approaches compatible? The universal call to holiness is expressed in Lumen Gentium has been read by some as meaning that any vocational choice has the same value as any other such choice; is some sense of a higher calling part of the Catholic theology of vocation or not? Some claim that the single life is a vocation on a par with marriage and religious life; what kind of a theology of vocation leads to that conclusion? And is the secular use of the word 'vocation' to describe certain profession helpful or misleading in the context of Catholic theology?

This fascinating book has something for everyone. Almost without exception, the chapters are beautifully written, scholarly but accessible to people who are not specialists. It explores how the life of every human being is a vocation, whose deepest meaning is to respond to God's call to love and freedom. It also suggests how each of us can discern what might be our particular way of realising this vocation, through marriage, religious life, priesthood or single life. I could not put it down.