Divine Mercy Sunday is also known as “Thomas Sunday”
Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the second Sunday of Easter, was officially designated by St. John Paul II in 2000 following the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska. The liturgical reading for this day focuses on St. Thomas encountering the Risen Lord, highlighting the connection between Christ's wounds and the mystery of Divine Mercy. Eastern Catholic and Orthodox traditions refer to this day as 'Thomas Sunday' and emphasize the 'Touching of Thomas' rather than his doubt, focusing on Jesus reaching out to the individual.
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Divine Mercy Sunday—celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter—is also known in many Eastern Christian communities as “Thomas Sunday,” named for the Gospel reading about St. Thomas’s encounter with the Risen Lord, which is linked to the theme of God’s mercy. 1
Both East and West proclaim the Gospel account of St. Thomas’s encounter with the Risen Jesus, presented as an encounter with Divine Mercy. 1
In the Roman Catholic Church, this Second Sunday of the Easter season (the first Sunday after Easter) is commonly called “Divine Mercy Sunday.” 1
The article says that in 2000, St. John Paul II canonized St. Faustina Kowalska and, in his homily, officially designated the Second Sunday of Easter as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” 1
It adds that the designation responded to Jesus’ request to St. Faustina in a private revelation. 1
The article quotes St. John Paul II’s Regina Caeli address, stating that the Gospel shows Jesus presenting “his hands and his side” to the Apostles and that these “glorious wounds” reveal God’s mercy. 1
It frames this as the “mystery of love” at the heart of the liturgy for Divine Mercy, according to the article’s quotation. 1
In many Eastern Catholic Churches, as well as the Orthodox Church, the article says the same Gospel is proclaimed and an icon of Thomas touching Jesus’ side is venerated. 1
It highlights that the inscription on such icons, as explained by the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix, does not use language equivalent to “Unbelief” or “Doubting.” 1
Instead, the Greek inscription is described as meaning “Touching of Thomas,” with emphasis on Jesus touching Thomas “both in body and soul,” as presented in the article. 1
The article describes paintings of the scene where Jesus guides Thomas’s hand into his side, presenting Jesus as inviting Thomas into the Sacred Heart. 1
It also cites a Kontakion for the Sunday, which (in the article’s wording) says Thomas touched the “life-giving side” when Jesus came to the Apostles through closed doors. 1
Investigate Divine Mercy Sunday’s theological roots in Catholic doctrine
Divine Mercy Sunday is not a “separate theme” added to Easter; in Catholic doctrine it is a liturgically rooted way of contemplating the Paschal Mystery—Christ risen, who grants peace and forgiveness, and thus reveals the Father’s “inexhaustible wellspring” of mercy through the Spirit and the sacraments.
Catholic theology treats devotions as most fruitful when they are harmonized with the liturgy, not detached from it. The Church’s guidance explicitly states that the devotion to Divine Mercy developed “in connection with the octave of Easter,” and that the liturgy of the Second Sunday of Easter (the day now called Divine Mercy Sunday) is the “natural locus” for expressing the faithful’s acceptance of the Redeemer’s mercy.
A key doctrinal claim follows from this: the devotion is meant to be read through the Church’s Easter liturgy, where Christ is presented as:
So the “theological roots” of Divine Mercy Sunday lie first in the Church’s conviction that Easter is already the definitive revelation of mercy, and the feast simply gives a concrete, pastoral way to enter it.
The Gospel context of Divine Mercy Sunday is inseparable from its theology. Faustina’s diary (and the devotional interpretation given there) directly links the day to John 20, where the risen Christ appears in the Upper Room and (in the Church’s understanding) is connected with the Sacrament of Penance (forgiveness).
Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on John 20 deepens the doctrinal meaning: Christ shows His hands and side (the marks of the Passion) not as abstract symbolism but as credible proof that the risen One is the same crucified Person. In other words, mercy is not “new spirituality”; it is the same Cross made present in resurrection.
Aquinas also highlights the effect of this appearance: Christ’s gift is peace, and that peace is tied to reconciliation with God after sin (a reconciliation “accomplished by his suffering”).
Thus, the scriptural root of Divine Mercy Sunday is the Paschal sequence:
The Church’s liturgical guidance portrays the Divine Mercy devotion as focused on mercy “poured forth in Christ’s death and resurrection,” and explicitly describes this mercy as:
That matters theologically. Mercy is not treated as a vague divine mood. It is treated as:
In this light, Divine Mercy Sunday is a doctrinal bridge between Christology (the crucified-risen Jesus) and pneumatology (the Holy Spirit’s forgiveness), all within the Church’s Easter liturgical vision.
Divine Mercy spirituality has a strong sacramental grammar. Faustina’s explanation of the Image shows that the “two rays” symbolize:
Faustina also frames the image itself as connected to the Gospel’s link between Christ’s risen peace and forgiveness of sins at the price of His Passion and death.
Therefore, the sacramental roots of Divine Mercy Sunday can be summarized as follows:
The feast is not merely private devotion. Recent Popes situate it explicitly within the Church’s preaching.
Saint John Paul II calls Divine Mercy Sunday the Church’s “Easter gift” received from the risen Christ, and he places Faustina’s message in response to “questions and expectations” marked by modern tragedy. He summarizes the core call with the line:
“Humanity will never find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy.”
This grounds Divine Mercy Sunday in pastoral anthropology (peace, trust, reconciliation) while still remaining tethered to Easter.
Benedict XVI teaches that John Paul II wanted this Sunday “to be celebrated as the Feast of Divine Mercy,” and in the word “mercy” John Paul II “summed up and interpreted anew for our time the whole mystery of Redemption.” Benedict adds:
“Mercy is the garment of light … given to us in Baptism,”
emphasizing again the sacramental anchoring of Divine Mercy spirituality.
John Paul II (general audience) explicitly frames the Church’s mission as bringing humanity to the “inexhaustible wellspring” of mercy, and he repeats the simple prayer of Faustina:
“Jesus, I trust in you!”
Taken together, these show the ecclesial roots: the feast is a doctrinally continuous way the Church interprets Easter redemption as mercy received in trust.
A frequent theological misunderstanding is to reduce “mercy” to passivity. The Divine Mercy tradition itself counters this.
Faustina states that the image is “a reminder” of both:
She also explicitly defines the devotional essence as:
Even when the devotion is expressed through specific practices (image veneration, feast, chaplet, hour of mercy), it remains doctrinally shaped as an ethical-spiritual consequence of grace: mercy received must be mercy enacted.
This is also consistent with John 20’s logic of faith: Aquinas notes the move from seeing/witnessing to believing, and he stresses that Christ blesses those who believe—implying faith is not mere information but a response.
Divine Mercy Sunday’s theological roots in Catholic doctrine are best understood as a convergence of four realities:
In short: Divine Mercy Sunday is a doctrinally coherent way the Church proclaims that the definitive revelation of mercy is Christ’s Paschal Mystery, received through faith expressed in sacramental life and active love.