2nd Sunday of Easter
Thomas meets the risen one. Faith without seeing.
Bibelsk grunnlag
Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples and refused to believe: "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger into them, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:24-29). A week later, Jesus appears again: "Put your finger here... Do not be unbelieving, but believing!" Thomas answers: "My Lord and my God!" Jesus says: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Betydning
Thomas's doubt is not condemned — Jesus meets him where he is. But the blessing applies to those who believe without seeing: all future generations of believers. Faith rests on testimony, not on personal experience of the risen one. Thomas's confession "My Lord and my God" is one of the strongest Christological confessions in the Gospels.
GT-forbindelser
Habakkuk 2:4: "The righteous shall live by his faith" — faith as trust without seeing. Abraham's faith in the promise of a son he had not yet seen (Genesis 15:6). Gideon's sign with the fleece (Judges 6:36-40) as a parallel to Thomas's desire for proof.
Liturgisk kontekst
White color. Called Quasimodogeniti after the introit from 1 Peter 2:2. In some traditions also called "White Sunday" because those newly baptized at Easter Vigil removed their white baptismal garments on this day.
Historie
This Sunday concluded the oldest octave of Easter. Those baptized at Easter Vigil wore white clothes for eight days. The Gospel of Thomas has been associated with this Sunday since the early church.