Os funcionários de Deus: a vocação religiosa a partir da psicologia profunda de Eugen Drewermann

Abstract

The Roman Catholic Church understands religious vocation (as in the case of priests, nuns and consecrated brothers) as a specific calling for only a few special men and women. This vocation is established by the existence of three binding vows: poverty, obedience, and chastity. Those who are called to this function are comprehended as special from God. However, Eugen Drewermann, on his work "God's Servants", renders problematic this ideal model. Through Depth Psychology he seeks to understand the unconscious psychological motives that lead a young person to look for religious vocation as a way of life. Proceeding from the author's statements, the purpose of this research is to examine some issues, like the reasons that lead a young person to look for priesthood on the Catholic Church as a way of life, what psychological aspects affect this choice, and how does it feel for someone who judges himself called, to verify his understanding about the three evangelical counsels and to consider proposals made to the Catholic Church in order to minimize the conflicts experienced by the “elected”.