The word maundy in Latin means mandate. During the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples before he went to the cross, he gave them a new mandate, that they love one another. In just a few hours, Jesus would demonstrate that love by dying in the place of sinners like us. We begin our Easter celebrations with a somber worship service where we observe the sacrament of communion as a reminder of Christ's sacrificial death in fulfillment of this new commandment.