WHAT'S HOLY IN THE HOLY THURSDAY?

HOLY THURSDAY OR MAUNDY THURSDAY

Holy Thursday or MaundyThursday is the start of the Paschal Triduum, meaning the three days before Easter or the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The term Maunday, comes from the Latin term “mandatum” (mandate) or “mandatum novum” (The New Commandment, see John 13:34)

Holy Thursday is also called the COVENANT THURSDAY, GREAT THURSDAY, SHEER THURSDAY AND THURSDAY OF MYSTERIES.

Sheer Thursday another name for Maundy Thursday;  Sheer (meaning ‘blameless, clear’) is an allusion to the purification of the soul by confession on that day, in preparation for Good Friday, and perhaps also to the traditional washing of the altars.

Covenant Thursday or Thursday of Mysteries, refer to the Promise of Jesus, His New and Everlasting covenant:  “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.” (John 13:34-35)  So He had given the example to His disciples by washing their feet, sign of a concrete Love: Service. “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (Jn 13:8).

On this Solemn Day, we celebrate important moments of our Christian Catholic Faith:
1. The Feast or The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist - The Last Supper - The so called “Holy Mass” for the Catholics.
2. The Day of all Priests - Ministerial Priesthood
3. The Service - As Christians, we should never forget the MANDATUM NOVUM or The New Commandment “…you must love one another… By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”