Maundy Thursday: 5 Things You Should Know

By Brandon Showalter, Opinion writer and social commentator Twitter

"Maundy" Means Mandate, Refers to Jesus' Command to Love

Maundy Thursday — which is also referred to as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries — occurs on the Thursday right before Easter Sunday.

A painting of the Last Supper of Christ.
A painting of the Last Supper of Christ. | (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret)

As BibleGateway explains, the consensus definition of "maundy" means "commandment," and is derived from the Latin word mandatum, from the verb "mandare."

The commandment spoken of here is the one Jesus gave in John 13:34-35 at the Last Supper when He told His disciples: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

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Follow Brandon Showalter on Facebook: BrandonMarkShowalter Follow Brandon Showalter on Twitter: @BrandonMShow

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