Maundy Thursday

maundy-thursday1.jpgMaundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the feast that commemorates the Last

Supper of Jesus Christ as he shared the Passover meal with the Disciples. The Mass of the Lord’s Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Depending on the geographical area and/or denomination, determines the name used for today. For instance in the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Western Rite Orthodoxy today is “Maundy Thursday”. The Roman Catholic Church uses “Holy Thursday” as does the United Methodist Church and Lutheran Church. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the name for the today is, in the Byzantine Rite, “Great and Holy Thursday.” In the Maronite Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church, the name is “Thursday of Mysteries”. For the Coptic Orthodox Church, today is “Covenant Thursday.”
“Before the Passover meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. By performing this lowly act of service, the Bible says in John 13:1 that Jesus ‘Showed them the full extent of his love.’ By his example, Jesus demonstrated how Christians are to love one another through humble service.” Many churches celebrate the tradition of feet-washing at their service today.
During “The Last Supper”, Jesus took the bread and the wine and asked his Father (God) to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples and said, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Then he took the cup of wine, shared it with his disciples and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you–an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.” This is where the practice of “The Holy Communion” originated from. Many churches celebrate Communion at their serves this evening.
This week is considered “Holy Week” as it is the last days of Jesus’s earthly life. Tonight also marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the sacred “Triduum” (“three days”) of Holy Week starting with Good Friday, where Jesus hung on the cross, thru Sunday the Resurrection.
Sources:
Maundy Thursday-Wikipedia
“What is Maundy Thursday”-ask.com

http://thebqb.com/maundy-thursday/227367/
“The Days of the Holy Week”-The Voice