Thursday, April 2, 2026
The Thursday before Easter commemorating the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist, and Christ's command to love.
Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday) commemorates the Last Supper — Jesus' final meal with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. The day's events include the institution of the Eucharist ('This is my body... this is my blood'), Jesus' washing of the disciples' feet, his new commandment to love one another, and his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane that night. The name 'Maundy' comes from the Latin mandatum ('commandment'), from Jesus' words in John 13:34: 'A new commandment (mandatum novum) I give to you, that you love one another.' Maundy Thursday begins the Paschal Triduum — the three days from Thursday evening through Easter Sunday that the church considers a single continuous liturgical movement. The Last Supper itself was a Passover meal, locating Jesus' death within Israel's deliverance narrative: as the original Passover lamb's blood spared Israel from the angel of death, the blood of Christ — the true Passover Lamb — covers the sin of those who trust him.
Maundy Thursday observance typically includes: the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, the ritual washing of feet (the priest or pastor washes the feet of twelve members of the congregation), the institution narrative read from 1 Corinthians 11, the stripping of the altar (the sanctuary is stripped bare in preparation for Good Friday), and a final procession of the Eucharist to a 'altar of repose' where worshipers may pray late into the night, recalling Jesus' agony in the garden. No Mass is celebrated on Good Friday — the Maundy Thursday liturgy ends without a final blessing, signaling that the Triduum continues.
The traditional Bible readings for Maundy Thursday include:
'Maundy' comes from the Latin mandatum — 'commandment.' On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples 'a new commandment, that you love one another' (John 13:34). The Latin antiphon Mandatum novum was traditionally sung during the washing of the feet, giving the day its name. The same root gives us the English word 'mandate.'
Four major events: (1) Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples, a Passover meal; (2) he washed the disciples' feet, modeling servant leadership; (3) he instituted the Eucharist, declaring the bread and wine to be his body and blood given for them; (4) he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after praying through the night. The events span Thursday evening into early Friday.
Maundy Thursday establishes three foundational Christian practices: the Eucharist (continued by Christians worldwide every week), the new commandment of love (the defining mark of Christ's disciples), and servant leadership (modeled by Jesus washing the feet of those who would lead his church). It also begins the Paschal Triduum, the most sacred three days of the Christian year.
The traditional readings are Exodus 12:1-14 (the Passover instructions), Psalm 116 (the cup of salvation), 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (Paul's account of the Lord's Supper), and John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Jesus washing the disciples' feet and giving the new commandment). The Gospel from John replaces the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper because John alone records the foot-washing.