O Thou, who at thy Eucharist didst pray

This is my 41st entry in the Lenten Hymn-of-the-Day project. It is for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Maundy/Holy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s institution of the Eucharist. The name is taken from an anthem sung in Roman Catholic churches on that day: “Mandatum novum do vobis” (“a new commandment I give to you”; John 13:34). In the early Christian church the day was celebrated with a general communion of clergy and people.

In England, alms are distributed to the poor by the British sovereign in a ceremony held at a different church each year. This developed from a former practice in which the sovereign washed the feet of the poor on this day. In most European countries Maundy Thursday is known as Holy Thursday; other names are Green Thursday (Gründonnerstag; common in Germany), from the early practice of giving penitents a green branch as a token for completing their Lenten penance, and Sheer Thursday (clean Thursday), which refers to the ceremonial washing of altars on this day.

The words today are by Bishop William Turton (1856-1938), and the music, "Song 1" is by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625).