What's with Maundy Thursday?

The Thursday before Easter, the day we commemorate the Last Supper, the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples, the origin of the Eucharistic ritual, the day Jesus washed the feet of his apostles. Also, this is the day Christians refer to as Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday, or Maundy Thursday. The term Holy Thursday is obvious -- the Thursday within Holy Week. Sheer Thursday, not as obvious, apparently suggests that on this day Catholics purify their souls by confession before Easter Sunday.


But what is Maundy Thursday? It is difficult to find the word, maundy, in any other context than Holy Thursday or the alms given to the poor on this day. Therefore most of us think of it in terms of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as they gathered for the Last Supper. This task would normally be carried out by servants who attend to visitors whose feet are dusty as a result of traveling by foot and wearing sandals. The fact that Jesus did this is a remarkable lesson to his disciples and Christians throughout the ages.

The word, maundy, however, has nothing to do with washing feet or eating a meal. It does relate to the Latin word, mandatum, from which comes our English word, mandate. It means "that which is required or commanded" and is related to the Last Supper because it was then that Jesus said: "A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; even as I have loved you..." This new mandate is the source of our English (or middle English) word, "maundy."

Notice that this is not a suggestion or recommendation, it is a mandate. Notice also that it doesn't tell us to love just our friends or people that look like us, think like us, or worship like us. "One another" includes the whole human family.

We still have the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament, but this is the commandment of the New Testament, the commandment that was essential to the Christian Revolution.


Although in recent years populist voices from around the world have been trying to tear the human family apart by spreading misinformation and hatred, the "new commandant" reminds us that our salvation lies not in greed, fear, hatred, xenophobia, misogyny, and derogatory personal attacks, but in the love of each other, no matter that the other is different. Black and white, Republican and Democrat, gay and straight, wealthy and destitute, Muslim or Christian, we all have the same "mandatum."

And one of the inspiring aspects of our present pandemic is that most people around the world are practicing the "new commandment," some to a heroic degree. Most of us, however, are loving"one another' by practicing social distancing and wearing masks even though it may devastate our source of income.  As the death toll rises, the cases of so many people doing their share to help "one another" rise even more.

 Sometimes tragedies remind us of the basics.