Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, is a special date in the Christian calendar. It celebrates the beginning of many beliefs and traditions in the Catholic Church – Holy Eucharist, the washing of the feet ritual, the institution of the priesthood. Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of Holy Eucharist prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates His institution of the priesthood. The word “maundy” came from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “command.” It is called Maundy Thursday to commemorate Christ’s “mandate.” At the Last Supper, Christ said His commandment for us to “to love one another”: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34) which he said during the Last Supper. Christ’s commandment “to love one another” sounds easy to follow. But it is not that simple. He did not only ask us to love those we already love, or those we see as deserving of our love. The commandment tells us to love those who do not deserve to be loved, like someone who has committed a wrong against you. That is a tough order. It’s a thought to bring along in the following days leading to the elections. With the election campaign reaching an intense level, it is difficult to think of loving those who do not think like us, or those who will not vote for our candidates. Or those who spread fake news against our candidates; do they too deserve to be loved? Not only has Christ commanded us to love one another, His extraordinary act of humility through washing the feet of the apostles, shows us that if we want to follow Christ, we need to be humble. Through that act, Christ has shown that humility is a virtue that distinguishes a Christian. The washing of the feet is a ritual that is celebrated in all churches by the bishops and parish priests. The 12 men and women who sit as the “apostles” in that ritual are usually chosen from the disadvantaged sectors of society such as the poor, the prisoners, the migrants. Sometimes, the parish priest chooses lay ministers of youth active in parish work. In the Vatican, this ritual of the Pope washing the feet of strangers is shared through media, to disseminate the message of the enduring virtue of humility. It was also during the Last Supper when “Jesus offered himself as the Passover sacrifice, the sacrificial lamb, and teaches that every ordained priest is to follow the same sacrifice in the exact same way.” Today, bishops and priests on Holy Thursday morning “come together to celebrate the institution of the priesthood. During the Mass, the bishop blesses the Oil of Chrism that will be used for Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the sick or dying.” Amid a pandemic and a hotly-contested elections, the message of Holy Thursday becomes more significant – following the commandment “to love one another” and Christ’s example of humility and service leads to peace in our hearts and in the communities.