How to guarantee yourself Salvation

Want Salvation, want it almost guaranteed, and even despite your religion or beliefs, or what others say of those with your religion or beliefs? Here is the secret: first you have to master the difference between jobs and vocations, and then always act accordingly.

There are certain activities that are considered jobs by virtually everyone, and there are certain activities that are considered vocations by virtually everyone. In truth, however, the same activities that are usually considered jobs by most, can really be treated as vocations in the minds of those who perform these activities, while the same activities that are usually considered vocations by most, can really be treated as jobs in the minds of those who perform them. It is really a question of attitude in most cases, not situation, although there are a few exceptions.

Certain activities can be either jobs or vocations, depending on the situation, more than your attitude. This is the exception, rather than the rule.

Teaching in state or private schools requires university degrees, sometimes advanced university degrees, as well as state certifications of various kinds. That is a job, no doubt about it, what you do so you can provide for your family, because you are called by necessity, not by God.

Teaching as a parent, aka homeschooling, which is not allowed in all nations, but is currently legal in every US state, does not really require degrees, although having one may help; does not require certifications, but may still require permits of various kinds in many states of the United States. That is a vocation, no doubt about it, what you do so your family can provide for themselves, because you are called by God, not by necessity.

Think about the difference between those two teachers for a moment. One is a professional, or considered such by the majority of people, while the other is an amateur. Yet the amateur often does a better job than the professional, and purely because of differences in attitude. The amateur often does a better job than the professional purely by what he/she wishes to accomplish for the student in the future, rather than by what he/she has supposedly accomplished as a student in the past.

Certain activities can actually be either jobs or vocations, depending on your attitude, more than the situation. This is the rule, rather than the exception.

Even being a priest or a minister can be either a job or a vocation in truth. It is not because the preparation of different priests is fundamentally different (the situation), but because their attitude can vary tremendously.

The priest whose activity is really a job in his head, can be distinguished from the priest whose activity is really a vocation.

The former kind of priest, through his actions and philosophy, tries to essentially replace Jesus in various ways, and then he acts like he is doing Jesus a favour. These people act like they are the very door to Heaven, not the wise person you might wish to meet so you can get there. These priests are like those professional teachers who wish to ensure their students will not be able to learn one iota without them. It's just a job to them, after all, just a business, not a vocation.

The latter kind of priest, through his actions and philosophy, does not try to replace Jesus at all. These priests usually don't claim to know it all, yet they may still do a great job by actually becoming that wise person you might wish to meet so you can get to Heaven. These priests are like those amateur teachers (aka "parents"), who wish to ensure their students (aka "children") will be able to learn, and even keep on learning when they will no longer be around. It's a true vocation to these priests, not a job.

So whether you're a priest or not; whether you're a Christian, or a Buddhist who merely suspects that Jesus probably wasn't lying about that "Judgment Day stuff": you have to understand that there is really only a single way to guarantee for yourself Salvation, a single way besides Jesus himself.

Turn that awful job you do for the money into a vocation, something you usually don't do for the money, but to please God (or Jesus)! Try that out for a while, even though it is not easy, and maybe you'll make progress towards Eternal Life! Also, work even harder at that little or big real vocation you may have, especially if you are a priest, and forget about the money as much as you can without actually starving! If you don't have a vocation, then find one, one that helps Jesus with his "vocation", rather than working against it.

You see, it's your attitude, not your situation fundamentally. It's what you have in your heart, not what you claim to know in your mind. It's the meekness which comes from the feeling of being imperfect, not the false sense of security that comes from knowing just a little more than your neighbour. It's what you expect to accomplish on a future date, not how many degrees or certificates you managed to get in the past.

That's what Salvation is about. It's about syntropy, the future, order, and love, not entropy, the past, chaos, and hate! It's about what leads to, and preserves life, in essence, not what leads to death, what destroys life.

God or Jesus will probably disagree with you regardless of your attitude, because Gods, whether big or little, are all very opinionated, a little like those loving parents of yours were! However, Gods in truth won't hold those differences of opinion against you if your attitude is right, anymore than your parents would if your attitude is right.

That's all Salvation is about. It's about attitude, not situation. It's essentially about how you think and feel, not essentially about what you think or feel.


Most Rev. Dr. Cesidio Tallini