Antipascha: Saint Thomas Sunday

Meaning of the feast

Antipascha is kept on the first Sunday after Pascha. Its name does not mean something opposed to Pascha. Rather, it is understood as “in place of Pascha.” The feast does not set aside Paschal joy; it brings the Church back to it on the following Sunday. From this Sunday onward, the Church dedicates every Sunday of the year to the Lord’s Resurrection. In Russian, Sunday is called “Resurrection,” while in Greek it is called “the Lord’s Day.” Antipascha therefore helps show that Pascha is not confined to a single calendar day, but gives meaning to every Sunday.

Thomas and the image of the event

The day is also known as Saint Thomas Sunday. Some icons of this event bear the title “The Doubting Thomas,” but this is not the meaning of the traditional inscriptions. The Greek inscription says “The Touching of Thomas,” and the Slavonic inscription says “The Belief of Thomas.” These names direct attention away from a fixed label for Thomas and toward his assurance. In the Church’s tradition, Thomas touched the life-giving side of the Lord and then had no doubts. The icon and its inscriptions thus present belief and the assurance that followed his encounter with the risen Lord.

Spiritual meaning today

Antipascha invites Christians to receive Sunday as the day of the risen Lord and as a continuation of Pascha. The remembrance of Thomas’s belief makes room for serious questions without reducing a person to those questions. The Church’s names for the event emphasize the movement toward faith rather than a lasting identity of doubt. On this feast, one may look attentively at the icon, notice its traditional inscriptions, and remember why each Sunday is dedicated to the Resurrection. In this way, the feast joins Paschal joy to the rhythm of the whole year.

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