Holy Thursday, known as Maundy Thursday in some traditions, holds a special place in the Christian calendar. This day marks the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s last supper with his disciples before his crucifixion.
As believers gather to reflect on the profound significance of this event, the power of quotes becomes evident in conveying the deep spiritual lessons encapsulated in Holy Thursday.
These quotes serve as bridges connecting individuals to the essence of humility, sacrifice, and unity that Holy Thursday symbolizes.
Origin Of Holy Thursday
The origins of Holy Thursday trace back to the Gospel accounts of Jesus sharing the Passover meal with his disciples in the Upper Room. This intimate gathering was the setting for the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the washing of the disciples’ feet.
Religious Traditions On Holy Thursday
Various Christian traditions have developed rituals and observances on Holy Thursday. The Eucharistic liturgy and the reenactment of Jesus’ washing of the feet are central to this day’s commemoration.
The church celebrates the day as Passion Sunday, commemorating the suffering and death of Jesus. It is a good time for personal prayer and meditation about God’s love and forgiveness.
Holy Thursday Quotes
“If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament, I am sure that the thought of Christ’s love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude.” – St Angela of Foligno
“When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now.” – Saint Teresa of Calcutta
“I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ …; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of unending love.” –St Ignatius of Antioch
“I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master.” – St John Vianney
“And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’” – Mark 14:22-24
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” – Luke 22:19-20
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” –John 14:6
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’” – John 6:53
“God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.” – St Maximilian Kolbe
“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’” – Mark 10:17-31
Holy Week Thursday Quotes
Happy Holy Thursday, everybody! Hope you all have a safe and joyous Easter weekend!-Unknown
Happy Holy Thursday everybody….remember Jesus said on his last supper to love one another, as He has loved us-Unknown
I’m falling on my knees, offering all of me. Jesus, You’re all this heart is living for this Holy Thursday.-Unknown
Holy Thursday! The spirit of prayer! Mindfully recharged with peace.-Unknown
As he bathes our feet and feeds us with his very self he simply asks us: Let me love you. Happy Holy Thursday.-Unknown
Today is Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper within hours Judas betrays Jesus. God bless you.-Unknown
Blesses Holy Thursday. For me, this is sadder than Good Friday. This is the time when Jesus offered himself as the lamb at the last supper.-Unknown
Today is Thursday of Holy Week. Tonight Jesus will gather his disciples for the ‘last supper and Then begins praying to bare our transgressions.-Unknown
Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. Happy Holy Thursday.-Unknown
You see I have to be in the clinic every Thursday and it’s in Phoenix so I have to fly down or drive down. It has to be every Thursday for this damn stuff they’re giving me.-Lee Hazlewood
Today is Holy Thursday and tomorrow is Good Friday. No meat today or tomorrow. Just a reminder.-Unknown
Merciful and ever-living God, Creator of heaven and earth, the crucified body of your Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy day. Grant that we may await with him the dawning of the third day and rise in newness of life, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.-Unknown
Holy Saturday is the time to remember family and the faithful who have died as we await the Resurrection or to honor the martyrs who have given their lives to the cause of Christ in the world. Holy Saturday is a time for reflection and waiting, a time of weeping that lasts for the night while awaiting the joy that comes at Easter-Unknown
Holy Thursday, The disciples prepare the pass-over meal, They meet in the upper room, Jesus washes the disciple’s feet, and they head to the garden of Gethsemane post-meal, something that rubs against every law of Jewish culture, but is quintessential Jesus. This is it…the cup won’t be passed. Everything Jesus ever said about the Kingdom, Temples, and the empires of men is about to become very real.-Unknown
Merciful and ever-living God, Creator of heaven and earth, the crucified body of your Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy day. Grant that we may await with him the dawning of the third day and rise in newness of life, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.-Andy Kinsey
The holy spirit means the invisible power of Jehovah, holy because he is holy. This power of Jehovah operated upon the minds of honest men who loved and who were devoted to righteousness, directing them in the writing of the Bible.-Joseph Franklin Rutherford
Eternal God, rock, and refuge… we wait for revival and release. Abide with us until we come alive in the sunrise of your glory. Amen.-Unknown
Merciful God, release us from the time of trial and oppression, that we may witness the eternal hope of grief becoming joy and life rising from death. Amen.-Unknown
Happy Holy Thursday everybody….remember Jesus said on his last supper to love one another, as He has loved us.-Unknown
I’m falling on my knees, offering all of me. Jesus, You’re all this heart is living for this Holy Thursday.-Unknown
As he bathes our feet and feeds us with his very self he simply asks us: Let me love you. Happy Holy Thursday.-Unknown
Today is Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper within hours Judas betrays Jesus. God bless you.-Unknown
Blesses Holy Thursday. For me, this is sadder than Good Friday. This is the time when Jesus offered himself as the lamb at the last supper.-Unknown
Quotes About Holy Thursday
We give glory to You, Lord, who raised up Your cross to span the jaws of death like a bridge by which souls might pass from the region of the dead to the land of the living. We give glory to You who put on the body of a single mortal man and made it the source of life for every other mortal man. – St. Ephrem of Edessa
Ultimately, in the battle against lies and violence, truth and love have no other weapon than the witness of suffering. – Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Do you realize that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle expressly for you – for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart. – St. Therese’ of Lisieux
Be assured of God’s love for you. Seek by his grace to heal the damage of sin. Seek communion with him and with those who make up his Church and those who are not yet within. His love for all of us is unconditional. His joy is infinite. His mercy overflows. – Deacon Michael Bickerstaff
The washing of the feet and the sacrament of the Eucharist: two expressions of one and the same mystery of love entrusted to the disciples, so that, Jesus says, “As I have done… so also must you do” (Jn 13: 15). – St. John Paul II
“We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world because, by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.” – Stations of the Cross
Through the stark and solemn Liturgy of the Friday, we call “Good”, we stand at the Altar of the Cross where heaven is rejoined to earth and earth to heaven, along with the Mother of the Lord. We enter into the moment that forever changed – and still changes – all human History, the great self-gift of the Son of God who did for us what we could never do for ourselves by in the words of the ancient Exultet, “trampling on death by death”. We wait at the tomb and witness the Glory of the Resurrection and the beginning of the New Creation. – Deacon Keith Fournier
The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, and forgiveness. It also reveals a judgment, namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Remember this: God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but by my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves. – Pope Francis
No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. – William Penn
Awake, thou wintry earth – Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness! – Thomas Blackburn, “An Easter Hymn”
Monty Thursday Quotes
The washing of the feet and the sacrament of the Eucharist: two expressions of one and the same mystery of love entrusted to the disciples, so that, Jesus says, “as I have done… so also must you do.’ (Jn 13: 15). Pope John Paul II
‘I throw myself at the foot of the Tabernacle like a dog at the foot of his Master.’ St. John Vianney
‘The Bread that we need each day to grow in eternal life makes of our will a docile instrument of the Divine Will; sets the Kingdom of God within us; gives us pure lips, and a pure heart with which to glorify his holy name.’ Edith Stein
‘It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass.’ Padre Pio
‘When you look at the Crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now.’ Blessed Mother Teresa
‘The best way to economize time is to ‘lose’ half an hour each day attending Holy Mass.’ Frederic Ozanam
‘I hunger for the bread of God, the flesh of Jesus Christ …; I long to drink of his blood, the gift of unending love.’ St. Ignatius of Antioch
Holy Thursday Quotes And Images
Frequently Asked Question{FAQ}
- Attending Holy Thursday Mass or Service: Many Christians attend a special Holy Thursday liturgy, which often includes the celebration of the Eucharist and the reenactment of the Last Supper. During this liturgy, priests consecrate the bread and wine, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ.
- The Washing of the Feet: In some churches, a reenactment of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples takes place during the Holy Thursday service. This symbolic act highlights the importance of humility and service in the Christian life. A few individuals are selected to have their feet washed by clergy or fellow worshippers.
- Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: After the Holy Thursday Mass, some churches have a tradition of the "Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament," where the consecrated Eucharist is placed in a special vessel called a monstrance and displayed for adoration. This practice reflects on Jesus' time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- The New Commandment: The phrase "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34) is often read or referred to during the service. This highlights Jesus' call to love and serve one another in the same selfless manner he demonstrated.
- Refraining from Celebratory Music: Some churches may omit the use of musical instruments and refrain from the ringing of bells as a sign of mourning and reflection during the Triduum.
- Preparation of the Altar: In Catholic and some other Christian traditions, the altars are often stripped of decorations and ornaments after the Holy Thursday service, symbolizing the stripping away of Christ's glory before his crucifixion.
- Collecting Offerings for Charity: The word "Maundy" in Maundy Thursday is derived from the Latin "mandatum," meaning commandment. Some churches engage in acts of charity and service on this day, reflecting the commandment to love one another.
- Private Reflection and Prayer: Many individuals engage in personal reflection and prayer, contemplating the significance of Holy Thursday and its lessons of humility, service, and love.
- Sharing a Meal: Some families and communities come together for a special meal reminiscent of the Last Supper, often featuring unleavened bread and grape juice or wine.
- Observing Silence: Some people observe a period of quiet reflection during the evening, recognizing the solemnity of the events commemorated on Holy Thursday.
- The Last Supper: Holy Thursday commemorates the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples in the Upper Room before his crucifixion. This meal is commonly known as the Last Supper and was a Passover meal, during which Jesus established the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.
- The Institution of the Eucharist: During the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to his disciples, saying, "This is my body" and "This is my blood." Christians believe that through these words, Jesus established the sacrament of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are transformed into his body and blood, representing his sacrifice for the redemption of humanity.
- The Washing of the Feet: Another significant event on Holy Thursday is Jesus' act of humility and service in washing the feet of his disciples. This act symbolizes the importance of humility, selflessness, and the call to serve others. Jesus' action teaches his followers about the essence of true leadership and love.
- The New Commandment: The term "Maundy" in Maundy Thursday is derived from the Latin word "mandate," which means commandment. During the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." This call to love and serve is a central message of Holy Thursday.
- Preparation for Good Friday: Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, a three-day period that leads up to Easter Sunday. It sets the stage for the events of Good Friday when Christians reflect on Jesus' crucifixion and death.
- Communion and Unity: The emphasis on the Eucharist and the washing of the feet underscores the themes of communion and unity among believers. Holy Thursday highlights the importance of coming together as a community, sharing in the body and blood of Christ, and serving one another.
- "Happy Holy Thursday, Father."
- "Blessed Maundy Thursday to you."
- "I appreciate the profound significance of Holy Thursday and the events it commemorates."
- "Thank you for guiding us through the meaningful rituals of this day."
- "Thank you for your dedication and service to the community, especially on this special day."
- "Your role in leading us through Holy Thursday's liturgy is truly appreciated."
- "The themes of humility and service on Holy Thursday really resonate with me."
- "It's a day that reminds us of the importance of selflessness and unity."
- "Could you tell me more about the Holy Thursday liturgy and its significance?"
- "Are there any special observances happening at the church on Holy Thursday?"
- "Would you bless this [item or intention] for me on this Holy Thursday?"
- "May I receive your blessing on this significant day?"
- "May your Holy Thursday be filled with blessings and reflections."
- "Wishing you a meaningful and spiritual Holy Thursday."
- "I'm looking forward to attending the Holy Thursday service."
- "I'm intrigued to learn more about the customs associated with this day."
