Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday begins our observance of the Holy Triduum (Three Days).  “Maundy” is an English derivative of the Latin word mandatum (commandment), referring to Jesus’ words on this night recorded in John 13:34:  I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  As young and old sit in our Chisholm Hall “Upper Room,” we reflect on this commandment of Jesus while we taste 1st century-era food, follow his servant example by washing one another’s feet and then move to the nave of the church to share in the Eucharist, the sacred meal our Lord instituted on this holy night.  

Following the Eucharist, we strip the altar and all decorations from the worship space.  The altar is cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and water, reminding us of the gall given to Jesus as he hung on the cross.   In our tradition, the altar is the place where Christ makes his presence available to us each week through his Body and Blood.  By stripping it bare, we remember the eventual abandonment of Jesus by his disciples. (This abandonment is evident when the sanctuary lamp is extinguished and remains lowered until the first Eucharist of Easter on Saturday night.) 

Opportunity is then given to follow Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane where he asked his disciples, “Can you not watch with me for one hour?”  From 8:30pm on Thursday until 8am the next morning, the Blessed Sacrament will be present in our Memorial Garden.

Please sign up for this event to aid in our food preparation by contacting the Parish Office with the number that will be attending.