Sunday, April 19, 2020 –
One of the most celebrated days in the Catholic calendar is Divine Mercy Sunday. Seriously, people go nuts for today. What a lot of people do not know is that today has a myriad of names! Today I want to talk about all the names for, well, today. And I apologize in advance. This is going to be a very long post.
Low Sunday
The name “Low Sunday” was used for years before it was called “Divine Mercy Sunday.” However, the origin of the name is a bit unclear. Traditionally, it is thought to be a contrast for “High” Sunday, or rather the celebration of Easter and Christ’s Resurrection.
White Sunday
Along the lines of “Low Sunday” is the term “White Sunday.” It was a very ancient tradition that Easter week called for celebrations each day in albis (in white). Those who had been baptized at the Easter Vigil wore their white garments for the celebrations throughout the week, taking them off after the last celebration on the Saturday after Easter. The neophytes (literally “new plants” referring to the newly baptized) would “shed” their white garments and were now considered ordinary Christians and part of God’s chosen people.
In ablis was dropped in the 1969 revision of the Roman Missal. Now it is called Divine Mercy Sunday or the Second Sunday of Easter.
Second Sunday of Easter
Technically speaking, today is the “Second Sunday of Easter,” but only if you’re using the current Missal. This one is a bit straight forward. It is literally the second Sunday in the Easter Season.
However, in the older 1962 Missal, “Second Sunday” used to refer to the Second Sunday AFTER Easter, also known as Good Shepard Sunday (aka NEXT Sunday).
Eighth Day in the Octave of Easter
Another extremely straightforward name for today is the “Eighth Day in the Octave of Easter.” Starting on Easter Sunday, count eight days. That gets you to today. What is an octave, you ask? Well, it literally means “eight.” Easter is such a huge celebration that it lasts for eight days, all of which are celebrated as solemnities. Hope you took advantage of Friday’s meat day!
In contrast, there is also an Octave of Christmas, but those eight days are NOT raised to the level of solemnity.
Divine Mercy Sunday or the Feast of Mercy
The first recorded Mass where the Divine Mercy image was displayed was April 28, 1935. It was attended by Maria Faustina Kowalska, who died later just three and a half years later on October 5, 1938. According to Saint Faustina’s diary, Jesus told her:
“Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in You.’ I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.” (Diary 47-48).
Likewise, Jesus said “I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it.” (Diary 341)
On April 30, 2000, at the Canonization of Saint Faustina, Pope John Paul II actively promoted Divine Mercy Sunday and it was added to the General Roman Calendar.
Quasimodo Sunday
This one comes from the introit in the 1962 Missal and speaks directly to those baptized at Easter. An introit is an antiphon or psalm that is sung or said at the beginning of Mass while the priest approaches the altar.
Quasi modo geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite ut in eo crescatis in salutem si gustastis quoniam dulcis Dominus. (Introit: 1 Peter 2:2)
As newborn babes, alleluia, desire the rational milk without guile, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice to God our helper. Sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
On a literary note, Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was named by Claude Frollo, Quasimodo’s adoptive father, for the day that he was found on the doorstep of the cathedral, which happened to be Quasimodo Sunday:
He baptized his adopted child and called him Quasimodo; whether it was that he chose thereby to commemorate the day when he had found him, or that he meant to mark by that name how incomplete and imperfectly molded the poor little creature was.
Doubting Thomas Sunday or Thomas Sunday or (in a very RARE, mostly incorrect instance) Didymus Sunday
Another super obvious name is “Doubting Thomas Sunday.” All three of the names above go hand-in-hand and refer to the same thing: the Gospel reading for today. In both the old and new Mass we have the exact same Gospel: Doubting Thomas sticks his fingers in Christ’s wounds.
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. (John 20: 24-25)
Side note: “Didymus Day” more rightly refers to the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle (July 3) or the Feast of St. Didymus (April 28, but no longer on Roman calendar). I only include it here because some people (incorrectly) use it for today.
Antipascha
And finally, in some Eastern Catholic Churches today is referred to as Antipascha. Again, this one is really straightforward. Coming from the Greek, Antipascha literally means “after Easter.”
So there you have it. Today has a lot of names! Which is your favorite?
Saint Thomas the Apostle, pray for us!
