Maundy Thursday
The "maundy" in Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word "mandatum," which means "command." The meal commemorates the 2 commandments Jesus gave at the Last Supper -- to continue the sacrament of communion and to love one another.
We had a simple Armenian meal of Lentil Soup with the elements as the first and the last piece. Then we moved to the living room for a footwashing ceremony to symbolize the second commandment. Because of space issues, we followed a simple Mennonite service consisting of scriptures, candles, Mozart's Requiem, extinguishing candles, and washing one another's feet. The 8th candle was left burning to remind us of Jesus' urging to his disciples to keep watch in the garden. (Because it was so dark, we don't have many pictures to post.)
Finally, we each signed up to keep watch for an hour throughout the night. Beginning at 10 pm and ending at 7 am, we each awoke and spent one hour in prayer and meditation before we convened for our usual morning prayer.
We had a simple Armenian meal of Lentil Soup with the elements as the first and the last piece. Then we moved to the living room for a footwashing ceremony to symbolize the second commandment. Because of space issues, we followed a simple Mennonite service consisting of scriptures, candles, Mozart's Requiem, extinguishing candles, and washing one another's feet. The 8th candle was left burning to remind us of Jesus' urging to his disciples to keep watch in the garden. (Because it was so dark, we don't have many pictures to post.)
Finally, we each signed up to keep watch for an hour throughout the night. Beginning at 10 pm and ending at 7 am, we each awoke and spent one hour in prayer and meditation before we convened for our usual morning prayer.
