A man knows when he has found his vocation when he stops thinking about how to live and begins to live

A man knows when he has found his vocation when he stops thinking about how to live and begins to live

Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk and renowned spiritual writer, is a perfect example of someone who found his vocation and truly began to live. Merton's journey towards discovering his calling was a long and winding one, filled with twists and turns that ultimately led him to the peaceful solitude of the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky.

Merton was born in 1915 in France to an American mother and a New Zealander father. After a tumultuous childhood marked by the early death of his mother and the separation of his parents, Merton found solace in literature and philosophy. He attended Columbia University in New York City, where he studied English literature and became involved in the vibrant intellectual and artistic scene of the 1930s.

Despite his academic success and promising future in academia, Merton felt a deep sense of emptiness and restlessness. He struggled with questions of faith and meaning, and eventually decided to convert to Catholicism in 1938. This decision marked the beginning of Merton's spiritual journey, which would eventually lead him to the Abbey of Gethsemani in 1941.

At the abbey, Merton found the peace and solitude he had been searching for. He embraced the monastic life wholeheartedly, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Merton's days were filled with prayer, meditation, and manual labor, and he found great joy and fulfillment in the simple rhythms of monastic life.

Merton's vocation as a monk and writer blossomed at Gethsemani. He wrote extensively on spirituality, social justice, and the contemplative life, becoming a leading voice in the Catholic Church and beyond. Merton's writings, including his best-known work "The Seven Storey Mountain," continue to inspire and challenge readers to this day.