Human Vocations: Kingship, Priesthood, and Prophecy
A reflection on human vocations as a guide to finding identity and meaning.
Christian theology says about Jesus that in him the priesthood, kingship, and the spirit of prophecy are united. Within this triple title lies a taxonomy of the human vocation.
Most people aspire to kingship. Their deepest desire is to occupy a piece of this world, to work it each day, and to enjoy the fruits it yields. This can be understood literally in the vocation of a farmer, but it can also be generalized by considering the extension of that plot in an abstract sense. In some cases, it will be a business, a ministry of public service, or even the governance of a nation. A software developer laboring over their new app, an architect designing a more functional home, or a street cleaner ensuring the cleanliness of their designated part of the city. Family also falls under this definition. It’s about finding a place in the world, working it, and taking joy in its fruits.
The priesthood and prophecy, on the other hand, are meta-vocations. Their focus is the human being and their work. The priest is the shepherd of souls, but also the psychiatrist or doctor, the judge or police officer. They are responsible for sustaining life by offering healing to all human faculties (body, intellect, and soul, according to some anthropologies). In return, they sacrifice their place in the world. They do not have a true place of their own; their home is the well-being of those they manage to help.
Lastly, we have the prophet. Perhaps the most mysterious of the three, in the sense that he is the furthest removed from society. Here we find the man of God, the hermit who retreats to the heart of a solitary forest to seek his transcendent sustenance, but also the artist, the intellectual, the inventor, or the visionary. In this group is the consultant offering creativity and knowledge, the explorer venturing into uncharted territory, or the writer whose texts critically examine the society they live in, aiming to denounce its excesses and forge new paths. If the priest is concerned with the preservation of life and the inner dimension of humanity, the prophet is focused on the health, efficiency, and harmony of the systems that structure society, seeking to address problems at their source and open new pathways where there was once only unknown territory—the outer dimension. The prophet first embarks on a journey, confronts the dragons, and eventually returns with the treasure he has conquered, to share it, expanding the world for all.
Both priests and prophets offer a meta-service to the larger group, those with the vocation to kingship. The prophet, like the priest, does not have a place of their own in society, at least not while remaining in this vocation; instead, their place is found in the value they manage to offer others to aid them in their pursuits. Understanding the essence of one’s vocation helps in achieving a long-term purpose in life, a light that guides our steps, providing us with security, meaning, and identity. It would do us all good to ask ourselves about our essential vocation. Modernity, and postmodernity after it, have uncovered some precious treasures—answers that add new depth to the great questions humanity faces. However, they have also brought an anthropological crisis caused by the loss of identity and the resulting alienation.
The farmer who left behind his subsistence life in the countryside to seek better conditions in the new industrial cities suddenly found himself uprooted. He likely had a vocation to kingship, needing to find his place in the world and work it. However, he lacked answers on how to effectively articulate this vocation within the new framework of industrial society. Much progress has been made in this regard, with numerous proposals and conceptual frameworks offered, but there is still much work to be done to find a new balance that unites respect for the dignity of every human life with the common space we share: the planet that sustains us, its nature, and the fabric of societies with their customs and traditions.
That humble farmer has risen significantly, expressing his kingship with a power unknown in human history, both in depth and scope, but today, more than ever, he needs the indispensable help offered by priestly and prophetic vocations. Every human activity generates pollution: from the most material level, like microplastics or a forest devastated by excessive logging, to pollution in intellectual spaces (such as the internet), and even noise pollution. The work of priests and prophets is to find ways to reduce this pollution and increase harmony, thus contributing to a better world.