Maundy Thursday 2026

 IN PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP

Holy (Maundy) Thursday begins the celebration of the holy three days of Christ's

Passover, commonly known as the Triduum Sacrum (Latin for "sacred three days" --

Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday). The Service for Holy Thursday

culminates the Lenten period of preparation for Christ's Passion and Resurrection and

leads into His sacrifice on our behalf. As such, today's Service exhibits a mood of

restrained joy as the Church remembers with thanksgiving the sacrificial death and great

salvation of the Lamb of God.

The historic Gospel for this day (John 13) recounts the washing of the disciples'

feet by our Lord. Although this is an example of Christian love for the neighbor, the foot

washing is first and foremost a demonstration of the Lord's enduring love for His people

and a depiction of our return to Holy Baptism through contrition and faith where the Lord

washes us clean in those blessed baptismal waters. To emphasize the primacy of our

Savior's actions for us, the name "Holy Thursday" is commonly used in place of the well-

known "Maundy Thursday." Maundy (from Latin mandatum which means

"commandment") comes from the Lord's words in John 13:34: "A new commandment I

give to you, that you love one another." Receiving and celebrating both aspects of this

important day, the Service for Holy Thursday consists of four parts: 1) the Service of

Corporate Confession and Absolution, signaling the end of our Lenten preparation with

the absolution and peace of Christ; 2) the Service of the Word, focusing upon Christ's

sacrificial service to us; 3) the Service of the Sacrament, culminating the Service of Holy

Thursday with the Lord's ministry to His people through His true body and blood; and 4)

the Stripping of the Altar, demonstrating the depth of Christ's servanthood in preparation

for the Church's observance of Jesus' death on Good Friday.

The penitential discipline of Lent has brought us to this point, and Christ Jesus,

our Savior, loves us to the end. The dust and ashes of sin and death are washed away by

Jesus' word of Holy Absolution, and the One who humbled Himself, even to death, now

serves us in love with His own holy body and precious blood, exalting those who have

been humbled by the Law throughout this Lenten season.