What is the significance of Maundy Thursday? Why and how is it observed?
Maundy Thursday is the day that Christians remember the gathering of Jesus and his disciples for the Last Supper. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning commandment, in reference to Jesus’ teachings about a new commandment. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35, NRSV). In some churches, Maundy Thursday is commemorated with a symbolic washing of the feet. (See John 13:1-20.) Other traditions observe Maundy Thursday with a service of Holy Communion. — Mary Jane Pierce Norton General Board of Discipleship, UMC Tennessee, USA MaryJane Pierce Norton serves as Team Leader in Family & Life Span Ministries at The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. She writes “Pocketsful of Scripture” for Pockets magazine, and has written other books and articles in the areas of children and
