This Sunday Has A Lot of Names!

This coming Sunday historically has been referred to by a number of different names! Let's take a few minutes to examine its various monikers!

1. The Second Sunday of Easter - This is the Novus Ordo name for this Sunday and the most banal. But, it is accurate as this is indeed the second Sunday of Easter!
2. The Octave Day of Easter - Another descriptive name for this Sunday and a good reminder that we are in the midst of one of the few remaining octaves in the Church's liturgical year (there are many, many less octaves these days than there have been historically).
3. Pascha Clausum - Literally, "the closing of the Pascha" -- that is, the closing of the Octave of Easter.
4. Low Sunday - This is actually a bit more descriptive than it sounds once you understand why it is called "Low Sunday." Although it seems unclear historically, I tend to buy the explanation that this Sunday is low in tone compared to all we have experienced over the last few weeks with Palm Sunday, Passiontide, The Sacred Triduum, and Easter (with its octave).
5. Quasimodo Sunday - Taken from the first words of the Introit for this Sunday's Mass ("Quasi modo geniti infantes..." -- "As newborn infants..."), this name evokes images of Victor Hugo's famous hunchback of Notre Dame. And that is with good reason, as he was named after the day on which he was found abandoned at Notre Dame! This name is a good one as it quite common for Sunday's to be referred to by the first word(s) of the Introit (think Gaudete Sunday and Laetare Sunday, for example).
6. Dominica in albis - A good explanation to provide for the newly baptized, who would have historically worn their baptismal garments throughout the octave and removed them on this Sunday: hence, "Sunday of putting away the albs."
7. Divine Mercy Sunday - This is the newest title for this Sunday and it is a fitting one as we consider the events we have recalled over the past few weeks (and throughout Lent for that matter). It is certainly fitting that we consider the Divine Mercy as the Octave of Easter comes to a close! As an aside, the Divine Mercy celebration on this day has fascinated me as an organic intertwining of the new and the old. Divine Mercy was placed on this day in the calendar only in 2000 and yet we see the Divine Mercy devotions prayed in the afternoon even in Traditional Chapels and parishes -- surely this is reminiscent of the sort of organic development that has historically occurred in the Church's calendar and liturgy.
8. St. Thomas Sunday - The Eastern Churches call this Sunday St. Thomas Sunday because the Gospel for the Mass (from that of St. John) relates St. Thomas the Apostle's doubts about the resurrection of our Blessed Lord. The Gospel is, interestingly, the same in the Eastern Churches, the Traditional Lectionary, and the the Novus Ordo Lectionary!

I cannot think of any other day in the Church calendar with so many potential names! Fascinating!