Because the choice of the priesthood or the consecration of a nun (just two examples of the non-marital vocation) is unnatural insofar as it requires non-marriage as part of its discipline, it’s quite rare.  People accordingly figure that there must be some means by which God selects who will join this separate vocation.  And as such, they say that God “calls” people to it.  Biblical examples are then trotted out to support this view:  Jesus literally called out his disciples, “Drop your fishing nets and come, follow me.”  St. Paul was knocked off his donkey and surrounded by a great light when Jesus personally came to him and redirected his life to become an apostle.  So, one might think that it’s the same today, that there must be some special sort of event whereby God “calls” people into these vocations.  As a result of this assumption, it’s hard to find a seminarian who doesn’t have some bizarre story about the moment God “called” him.  Or, if he doesn’t have one yet, he is earnestly concerned about the legitimacy of his vocation.

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