MAUNDY THURSDAY Today the Church begins the commemoration period called the Sacred Tridium - 3 days of our Lord's Passion leading to the 4th day, his resurrection. Maundy Thursday is the first of the three days and after the Vigil tonight, and until the Vigil of Easter, a more profoundly somber attitude prevails (most especially during the hours between Noon and 3:00 PM on Good Friday). Raucous amusements should be set aside... Maundy Thursday (also "Holy Thursday" or "Shire Thursday"1) commemorates Christ's Last Supper, the initiation of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and our Lord's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemani on the Mount of Olives. Its name of "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "command." This stems from Christ's words in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you." The Last Supper took place in "the upper room" of the house believed to have been owned by J...