Sounds like a the case of the Maundays…
Today is Holy Thursday. Last week at JP2 I referred to this day as “Maundy Thursday” and was greeted with a number of confused looks. Apparently this moniker isn’t used that often in the United States…
The name “Maundy Thursday” comes from a verse in John’s Gospel. The Latin translation in the Vulgate is as follows:
“Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos”
– Johannes XIII:XXXIV
The word “Maundy” is a corruption of the first word in the above quotation. That word, “Mandatum”, is the root from which we get the English words “mandate” and “mandatory”, terms which we use to indicate that something is required. This is because “Mandatum” literally means “commandment”, as we can see from the translation of the previous passage:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”
– John 13:34
This is the passage which we will hear read at Mass today and which is then enacted by the priest, where he washes the feet of twelve of his parishioners, in imitation of Christ washing the feet of the Twelve:
Not much used in Australia either. A pity…
You fix Australia, I’ll fix the States 😉
Awh…nobody a fan of the “Office Space” pun? :,-(
You’ve pulled out the “Jump to Conclusions” mat, haven’t you? 😉
That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard…yes, that’s a horrible idea…
Oh, and remember, next Friday is Hawaiian shirt day. …so go ahead and wear your Hawaiian shirt and jeans.
Funny thing is, it’s used most often in Protestant circles… I grew up ONLY hearing Maundy Thursday and not Holy Thursday….. my parents, grandparents, and other protestants I know still say Maundy Thursday. but now i’m glad to know the history behind it because I didn’t know why Catholics didn’t call it that. 🙂
huh…bizarre, especially considering it comes from the Latin Vulgate!