It’s a common question for Catholic students at the undergrad and graduate levels.
Who should study theology? What can I do with a theology degree?
The simple answers are “everyone” and “a lot.” But the more specific response pertains to what an individual has discerned is his or her call in life. Some are called to work directly for the Church as lay leaders — either in the parish, school or another Catholic nonprofit. Others are called to live their faith in the “secular” working world; no less important, just different. And others have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life.
It’s this particular vocation that should be the guiding principle for one’s theological study. But in the words of Dr. Chris Thompson, academic dean at the Saint Paul Seminary, theology is ultimately for everyone.
“In Heaven, we’ll all be theologians, won’t we?” Thompson posits. “We’ll all be contemplating the divine Word and drawing incredible satisfaction from gazing upon the the glory of Christ and the Trinity and God, and the presence of God and the creatures and creation. All of that’ll happen in the eschaton, right? So in principle, yes, everybody’s gonna be doing theology eventually. So why not practice in this life?
“The worst things in life are being fully employed but not sure why. It’s far worse to sort of have all of that property, and not sure what it’s for, or at the end of your run, of the long labor, to sorta look back and just see a pile of stuff that’s soon to pass.” — Dr. Chris Thompson, academic dean, Saint Paul Seminary
“Why not get ready for a taste of heaven by entering into the contemplative study of God and His relationship to the world?”
How do we do this? By starting with the foundational questions of human existence, Thompson says.
“The question really is more enduring values of what is happiness, genuine happiness, and does it actually consist in the maintenance of property and lineage?” Thompson says. “Does it actually consist in the acquiring of things? So before I get mired in the sort of approximate questions of what should I do to find a career, maybe ask the deeper questions. Well, what in my heart of hearts is God calling me to be before my career? There are worse things in life than being unemployed, and there are worse things in life than searching for a career.
“The worst things in life are being fully employed but not sure why. It’s far worse to sort of have all of that property, and not sure what it’s for, or at the end of your run, of the long labor, to sorta look back and just see a pile of stuff that’s soon to pass.”