Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. The evening vigil held on Maundy Thursday marks the start of the Easter Triduum, which includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter.

The Last Supper: Biblical accounts

The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26:17–29; Mark 14:12–25; and Luke 22:7–23) and the early traditions of the church affirm that the Last Supper occurred on Passover. According to the biblical accounts, Jesus sends two of his disciples to prepare for the meal and meets with all the disciples in the upper room. Before the meal, in what is understood to be an act of hospitality and humble leadership, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. This event is also described in the Gospel According to John (13:1–15). During the meal, Jesus tells them that one of them will betray him. According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus establishes the Eucharist at the Last Supper when he blesses the bread, which he says is his body, and shares it with his disciples. He then shares a cup of wine with his disciples, telling them that “this is the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many.”

Another key moment during the Last Supper is Christ’s new commandment, given to the disciples after the meal, which Christians understand as one of the core instructions of the faith. According to John 13:34–35, Jesus said:

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I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Origin of the word “Maundy”

The name is thought to be a Middle English derivation taken from a Latin anthem sung in Roman Catholic churches on that day: “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34). In most European countries, Maundy Thursday is known as Holy Thursday; other names are Green Thursday (Gründonnerstag; common in Germany), from the early practice of giving penitents a green branch as a token for completing their Lenten penance, and Sheer Thursday (clean Thursday), which refers to the ceremonial washing of altars on this day.

Observances

In the early Christian church the day was celebrated with a general communion of clergy and people. At a special mass the bishop consecrated the chrism (holy oils) in preparation for the anointing of the neophytes at the baptism during the Easter vigil. Since liturgical reforms in 1956, Maundy Thursday has been celebrated in Roman Catholic churches with a morning liturgy for the consecration of the holy oils for the coming year and an evening liturgy in commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist, with a general communion.

During the evening liturgy the hosts are consecrated for the communion on Good Friday (when there is no liturgy), and the ceremony of the washing of feet is performed by the celebrant, who ceremonially washes the feet of 12 people in memory of Christ’s washing the feet of his disciples. This foot washing first appeared in the Spanish liturgy of the 7th century. In 2016 Pope Francis changed the Roman Missal to permit the washing of the feet of women and himself washed the feet of migrant men and women from a variety of faiths for that year’s Maundy Thursday service at an asylum center outside Rome. In many Western churches, the evening liturgy concludes with the stripping of the altar, in which all ornaments, cloths, and candles are removed, symbolizing the abandonment of Jesus before his crucifixion.

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Eastern Orthodox churches also have a ceremony of foot washing and blessing of oil on this day. Many Protestant denominations, including Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist churches, also observe Maundy Thursday with Holy Communion and, in some cases, foot-washing rites.