Maundy Thursday: The Sacrament of the Altar

Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, commemorates the night Jesus was betrayed and marks the beginning of the Holy Triduum. On this night, Jesus gathered with His disciples to celebrate the Passover and instituted the Lord’s Supper—giving His true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26–28; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26). The term “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning "command," referring to Jesus’ new command: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).This the final sermon in our Lenten series on the Small Catechism.