| Second Sunday of Easter | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | Christians |
| Observances | Church services |
| Date | Sunday afterEaster Sunday |
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TheSecond Sunday of Easter is the eighth day of theChristian season ofEastertide, and the seventh afterEaster Sunday.[1] It is known by various names, includingDivine Mercy Sunday,[2][3] theOctave Day of Easter,White Sunday[a] (Latin:Dominica in albis),Quasimodo Sunday,Bright Sunday andLow Sunday.[1][4] InEastern Christianity, it is known asAntipascha,New Sunday, andThomas Sunday.
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The Second Sunday of Easter is the eighth day after Easter using the mode of inclusive counting, according to which Easter itself is the first day of the eight. Christian traditions which commemorate this day recall the Biblical account recorded to have happened on the same eighth day after the originalResurrection.
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, andThomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
It is because of this Scriptural episode that this day is calledThomas Sunday in the Eastern tradition.[5]
In earlyRoman Rite liturgical books, Easter Week used to be known as "White Week" (Latin:Ebdomada alba), because of the white robes worn during that week by those who had been baptized at theEaster Vigil.[6] Apre-Tridentine edition of theCatholic Church'sRoman Missal, published in 1474, called Saturdayin albis, short forin albis depositis orin albis deponendis (of removal of the white garments), a name that was kept in subsequentTridentine versions of the missal for that Saturday. In the 1604 edition of the Tridentine missal (but not in the original 1570 edition), the descriptionin albis was applied also to the following Sunday, the octave day of Easter.[7]
The 1962Roman Missal (stillin limited use today) refers to this Sunday asDominica in albis in octava Paschæ.[8] The namein albis was dropped in the 1970 revision.
The nameQuasimodo (orQuasimodogeniti) originates from theincipit of this day's traditional Latinintroit,[4] which is based on1 Peter 2:2.
Quasi modo géniti infántes, allelúia: rationábile, sine dolo lac concupíscite, allelúia, allelúia, allelúia.[8]
Translated into English:
As newborn babes, alleluia: desire the rational milk without guile, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Another name traditionally given to this day in the English language isLow Sunday. The word "low" may serve to contrast it with the "high" festival of Easter on the preceding Sunday.[9] Or, the word "low" may be a corruption of theLatin wordlaudes, the first word of asequence used in the historicalSarum Rite.[10]
On April 30, 2000,Pope John Paul II designated the Second Sunday of Easter asDivine Mercy Sunday, based on a petition by St.Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938), who said that Jesus had made this request of the Church in anapparition. In theRoman Missal, the official title of this day is "Second Sunday of Easter; or, Sunday of Divine Mercy" (Latin:Dominica II Paschæ seu de divina Misericordia[11]).
Five years later, Pope John Paul II died the evening before Divine Mercy Sunday, on Saturday, April 2, 2005. His successor,Pope Benedict XVI,beatified him also on a Divine Mercy Sunday, on May 1, 2011.[12]
In the Catholic Church, special Divine Mercy celebrations often take place on this day, and theSacrament of Reconciliation is often administered.[13]
The Italianfeast of Our Lady of the Hens[14][15][16][17] and theChileanCuasimodo [es] festival[18] are held on this day. Both festivals includeEucharistic processions.
In theLutheran Churches, the Second Sunday of Easter (or Quasimodogeniti), according toThe Lutheran Missal, "recounts the appearance of Our Lord to the apostles in the locked upper room, together with Thomas’ confession."[1]
Dates
The Second Sunday of Easter falls 7 days after Easter, between March 29 and May 2 respectively.
InEastern Christianity, this Sunday is calledAntipascha, meaning "in place of Easter".[19] It is also calledThomas Sunday due to the Gospel passage read in theDivine Liturgy.[20] Another name for this day in Eastern Christianity is "New Sunday".[21] This Sunday has many hallmarks of a Great Feast, despite not actually being one. For example, no Resurrection texts from the Octoechos are sung, there is a Polyeleos and magnification, the Matins Gospel is read from the Royal Doors and there is no veneration of the Gospel Book, and the Great Prokimenon 'Who is so great a God as our God?' is sung at Vespers on Sunday evening.
| Sundays of theEaster cycle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Second Sunday of Easter April 27, 2025 | Succeeded by |
