Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday or Great and Holy Thursday), is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. In 2009, Maundy Thursday will occur on April 9 for Western Christian traditions including Roman Catholicism and on April 16th for Eastern Christian traditions including most Orthodox Churches.
On this day four events are commemorated: the washing of the Disciples' Feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.
As Christians we focus a lot on Good Friday and Easter. Mel Gibson's movie the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre, aka Passion of the Christ, excessively glorified Good Friday. However, we should pay more attention to Maundy Thursday. For Christians in sacramental traditions (Anglicans among them), the primary ritual that puts us in touch with Christ is the Eucharist. Jesus asked the Disciples to continue breaking bread and sharing wine on that day.
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