Maundy Holy Thursday

Today is Maundy Holy Thursday.

Question: What is Maundy Holy Thursday?

Answer: Maundy Thursday’s name is derived from the Latin word mandatum, which means “commandment” or “mandate”. The plural of the Latin word “mandatum” is mandata. This is a reference to the new commandment Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper: “Love one another”. The Latin phrase associated with this commandment is “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“A new commandment I give to you”). 

The Latin phrase “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” means “A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another as I have loved you”.  St. John 13:34.

Here’s a breakdown:

• Maundy Thursday: The day in Holy Week that commemorates the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet. 
• Maundy: Derived from the Latin word “mandatum,” which means “commandment” or “mandate”. 
• Mandatum novum: A new commandment. 
• Diligatis: Love one another. 

We read St. John 13:31-35 USCCB

31^* When he had left, Jesus said,^* “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

32[If God is glorified in him,] God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once.^r

33My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, ‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you.^s

34I give you a new commandment:^* love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.^t

35This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”