Maundy Thursday                         Good Friday                 Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil

​"Maundy" is from the Latin mandatum                         On this day, we remember                  On this day, Jesus lay dead in the tomb
meaning commandment. On this day,                         Jesus' death on the cross                     until sunset --the beginning of the 
we recall two commands: 1. the institution                 as the means of humanity's                  third day. Then,many believe, he
of the Lord's Supper and the command to                 deliverance from sin, death,                 descended into hell (or to the dead)
"do this in remembrance of me" and                            and evil. He made the ultimate            and vanquished the powers of evil. This
2. Jesus' new commandment that we                          sacrifice for the wrongdoing                is truly a mystery.  Many Christians
"love one another as he has loved us,"                         of all people against themselves,        observe the most ancient of liturgies
symbolized by the washing of feet.                              creation and the Creator. Tradition       and rituals, the Great Vigil of Easter.
The day ends with the stripping of the                         notes two reasons for it being              The Vigil is documents in great detail
altar while praying Psalm 22, just as Jesus                  "Good": 1. that it is "God's" Friday         in a 4th century document by a pilgrim
was stripped of his garments, mocked,                        and 2. that it accomplished                  named Egeria. It begins where Good
and tortured before being crucified.                              great good.                                             Friday left off, in the tomb, blessing the 
                                                                                                                                                                   new fire and telling the  stories of                                                                                                                                                                           salvation. It continues with  Baptism and                                                                                                                                                                   then we exit the tomb and in great light,                                                                                                                                                                    celebrate the first Communion of Easter.