April
What is Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday - also called Holy Thursday is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
The Last Supper
On this day, Christians remember the Last Supper. During the meal Jesus took
bread and wine and shared them with his disciples. As Christians we continue to share
bread and wine(Communion) as part of their worship in church.
The Last Supper was probably a Passover meal – the meal which Jewish people share together to celebrate the time when God delivered Moses and the people from slavery in Egypt.
The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
When is Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday. It is one of the lesser known days of the Christian calendar.
What is the origin of the name Maundy?
The name 'Maundy' is derived from the Latin word “Mandatum”, meaning a commandment. Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, commanded:
'And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.' John 15:12
The washing of feet
During the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This act has sometimes been followed literally in history as a good way of reminding rulers that they are here to serve their subjects.
What once happened in England on Maundy Thursday?
In England, the custom of washing feet by the Monarch was carried out until 1689. Up until then the King or Queen would wash the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday in Westminster Abbey. (It should be noted, however, note that the feet were first washed by Yeoman of the Laundry before the monarch had to wash them and kiss them!). Food and clothing were also handed out to the poor.
Maundy Thursday Ceremony
In Britain today, the Queen follows a very traditional role of giving Maundy Money to a group of pensioners. The tradition of the Sovereign giving money to the poor dates from the 13th century, from the reign of Edward I.
At one time recipients were required to be of the same sex as the Sovereign, but since the eighteenth century they have numbered as many men and women as the Sovereign has years of age.
Every year on this day, the Queen attends a Royal Maundy service in one of the many cathedrals throughout the country. 'Maundy money' is distributed to male and female pensioners from local communities near the Cathedral where the Service takes place.
The Service
Yeomen of the Guards carry the Maundy Money in white and red leather purses on golden alms trays on their heads.
From the fifteenth century, the amount of Maundy Money handed out, and the number of people receiving the coins, is related to the years of the Sovereign’s life.
In 2008, the white leather purse contained silver Maundy coins matching the Queen's age in pence - 82p, while the red purse contains ordinary money.
In 2009, each recipient was given two purses – a red
purse containing a £5 coin celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Accession of
Henry VIII and a 50p coin to mark the founding of Kew Gardens, and a white purse
containing 83p in Maundy coins because the Queen was 83 years old that year.
The men and women who receive the coins are all retired pensioners recommended by clergy and ministers of all denominations
