After [Jesus] had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you….
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
John 13:12-15, 34
Thank: those who helped you find your calling
Today is Maundy Thursday, from the Latin word mandatum, commandment. The name comes from the new commandment Jesus issues to his disciples on the last night of his life: to love one another as he has loved them.
During the fifth week of Lent, we explored vocational joy, seeking the places where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. One more way of defining our vocations is as the particular paths we take as we live into Jesus’ new commandment. Vocation is how we love others as Jesus first loved us.
Today, identify at least three people in your life who help define and shape your vocation: the person teaching you to play a musical instrument, a parent, a child, even a coworker. Express love and gratitude to them today.