Thomas Hopko (1939–2015)

"In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest" [24]. "Anyone who loves his life loses it; anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" [25]. [John 12, NJB translation, 1985]. Christ portends a morbid trek for Himself and anyone to follow, but only if you put stock in the way that many people outside the Church consider themes of sacrifice and death. Among us show more Christians, Hopko suggests, Christ promises both a transformed experience of suffering and an exalted final word about life unending [34 passim].

Father Thomas Hopko introduces repentance on the very first page, because repentance is a critical experience of Christian faith as well as holds a central place throughout the 40 days of Great Lent. However, Hopko dismisses any hint of doom and romantic piety, and discards ideas of "psychosomatic benefits" that others mistakenly associate with abstinence [10]. Abstinence from certain foods and social occasions prevails during Great Lent to stoke enthusiasm among Christians to run the race of faith harder and obtain the joy of union with the Holy Trinity.

The book's first sentences set a joyful tone for the journey in the lenten spring: "The Church welcomes the lenten [sic] spring with a spirit of exultation. She greets the time of repentance with the expectancy and enthusiasm of a child entering into a new and exciting experience" [9].

In fact, Hopko makes it clear that Christ having already accomplished the plan of salvation draws the faithful to the lenten spring in order to correct, purify, and enlighten the "...total person through the fulfillment of the commandments of the crucified God" [11]. In that way, Hopko saves readers from wasted pious charades in a common liturgical trap of medieval passion plays, which whip up a fine show of horrified tears without substance in faith.

Approaches to worship during Lent outside of Orthodoxy reward emotive displays in response to macabre "real life" reenactments of the Passion as necessary pathways to repentance. Hopko warns that histrionic displays in liturgical settings confuse and mislead worshipers who seek a fix or adrenalin rush by observing and/or participating in Christ dying year after year. To what end a frenzy as this? So that we might imitate Christ's agony? Instead, the sole imitation of the drama embedded in the Orthodox cycle of services is an honest and repeated acknowledgment that we sin just as Adam and Eve sinned before us [30].

Lest I fail to make Hopko's point as clearly as he, Hopko admits to an increase in mystical joy in annual repetitions of lenten-season hymns and chants. Even though joy might include emotion when sung or recited in Orthodox rubrics, just the same emotion is kept in its limited place of importance. The joy of Orthodox lenten services transforms the entire community, which is the overall focus of the lenten spring.

Communal transformation happens by way of words and graphic images grander than emotion and without requisite interaction with emotions to wit. Nevertheless, as Orthodox Christians intone rubrics of Lent in solemnity from the Typikon, they do not abstain from liturgical drama unfolding in the divine services of the lenten spring. Rather, the ancient verses and hymns are dramatic vessels that cover, protect and unite the faithful within. Together they head toward Pascha.

To state it in brief, "the lenten spring is welcomed by Christians in the Church not as the time for self-inflicted agony or self-improving therapy" [11].

Redoubling the joyous news, Hopko samples from the "Kanonion" (lectionary), liturgical responses, intervening Feasts of the Holy Theotokos, Apostles and Saints of the Church to portray how the Church introduces select themes early in Great Lent. Doubling back on these same themes several times more, worshipers are consoled and motivated to continue their observances. For example, midway through the road to Pascha, readings from the great Prophets, such as Isaiah, ask worshipers why they fast [118 passim]. The Prophet's questions are rhetorical and serve the purpose of provoking the mind's assent to not only abstain from certain foods, but also to rend the heart in true repentance.

Father Thomas' book is fitting to introduce in late teens as well as adults of any age. It is my recommendation to begin group preparation for Great Lent four weeks before the start of Great Lent. In fact, employing Hopko's book in Christian education before the start of Great Lent prepares individuals to devote one day to digest in prayer the meditation for each of 40 days contained herein, starting with the first day of Great Lent and concluding with the last meditation just prior to Pascha. show less

In addressing "same-sex attraction," Fr. Hopko gives a very thorough, yet concise, presentation. This is well-written book for anyone interested in understanding the Orthodox Christian approach to same-sex attraction, pastoral care, and theology. Definitely a standard text to be kept nearby, re-read often, and recommended to others.

Father Thomas Hopko has crafted forty "meditations" to reflect upon Orthodox-Christian lectionary readings, designated Feasts during the season, and ancient liturgical verses appointed to "Winter Pascha." Pascha is translated as Easter. Therefore, Hopko meditates upon the "winter" Easter--a "second" Easter season, which occurs proximal to calendar date(s) for the Nativity of Christ.

The number 40 reflects not only the total meditations contained in Hopko's 183-page text, but also 40 days show more assigned by the Orthodox Church to prepare for the Feast of Christ's Nativity according to the Flesh (called Christmas among western Christians--25 December or 07 January in Orthodox calendars). For example, in the year 2009, Orthodox "Nativity Fast" began on 15 November (new calendar), and ends after the strict Fast of 24 December--the 40th day. However, the comparison stops there. Hopko's goal is to meditate on the entire season of Winter Pascha and not the preparatory 40-day Fast alone.

Readers from many Christian liturgical traditions will find their own ways to this book, which is now 25 years old. I have heard praises from readers with limited knowledge of the Orthodox understanding of the Winter Pascha. However, they tell me that readers outside of Eastern Orthodox traditions need a bit more guidance to note contextual hooks on which the author hangs ideas like work clothes. Therefore, I hasten to add another clarification--a "hook," if you will.

There is no precise equivalent for the season of Advent among Orthodox Christians. Differentiating Advent from Orthodox practice, Advent varies in duration of days each year. Readers with an Advent mindset can avoid misunderstanding Hopko's meditations by not attributing parallels between Advent and Winter Pascha.

Hopko defines Winter Pascha in the first meditation (chapter) [9-11], which bears the same name. The term Winter Pascha was coined by Father Alexander Schmemann, who preceded Hopko as Dean of St. Vladmiri's Orthodox Seminary in Yonkers, NY. However, the idea of Winter Pascha, as Hopko reflects [11], comes from ancient liturgical sources called the Typikon (spelling variant replaces the letter "k" with a "c;" the Greek source for "type"). Schmemann coined the term mid-20th Century.

The Typikon sets a rule or pattern of comparable liturgical observances around the Resurrection (Pascha) and the Nativity of Christ. Hopko notes the Typikon's conscious pattern [10], by which ancient sources exercised intent to unite these major Feasts in a permanent bond of rubrics. The Typikon provides the principal source to conclude that Easter and Christmas mirror the other among Orthodox Christians by disclosing many apparent similarities, whereas Advent and the Winter Pascha resemble distant cousins in a clan.

Hopko makes a couple assumptions that I would like to state. First, the Typikon provides `but one' example among high-liturgical Christians that combines Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition in a practice called "What we pray is what we believe." Second, Hopko assumes that Orthodox Christians, in liturgical practice if not also elsewhere, do not pray like their distant cousins in the Christian clan.

Differences in how and what the clan prays become evident in Hopko's meditation, "The Conception of Mary" [41-4]. "On the ninth of December the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the conception of the Virgin Mary by her parents Joachim and Anna" [41]. Ostensibly, the same feast of Mary's conception appears in the Roman Catholic calendar on December 8th [42], where it is called the Immaculate Conception. Looks can be deceiving, however.

Hopko briefly entertains profound differences between eastern and western doctrines about the Mother of God [cf. fn.3, 42]. In particular, he notes the Orthodox perspective, which maintains that every human being at birth is sinless. Therefore, Joachim and Anna conceived the Mother of God without the necessity of God interrupting a transmittal of sin to the child. However, as joyfully acclaimed in Orthodox liturgy on December 9th, God made Anna's barren womb fertile, just as God made the womb of Sarah fertile centuries earlier:

"Today the great mystery of all eternity,
Whose depths angels and men cannot perceive,
Appears in the barren womb of Anna.
Mary, the Maiden of God, is prepared to be the dwelling
Place of the eternal King
Who will renew human nature" [44].

Included in Hopko's meditations about the Winter Pascha are 40 days of preparation [9-98 passim], the Eve of the Feast and Feast of the Nativity [99-130], followed by twelve liturgical days that culminate in the Feast of the "Theophany" (Epiphany: 131-61] and sequential liturgical dates that the Church assigns to culminate seasonal "after-feasts" [162-83].

Hopko composes these meditations in simple language. With few exceptions, they may be read silently or aloud because Hopko employs idioms that are common to North American English. For example, alternate reading the following passage about St. Herman of Alaska (12/25 or 13/26 December) with and without verbalizing:
"Herman came to America with the first group of missionaries. He alone survived,..." [46].

Or you might alternate using another passage: "This is the message of Christmas. There is a new Adam. There is a restored image of God. It is the restored image of the Image Himself, God's Son and Word, Jesus Christ" ..."In Him all people can be human" [author's emphasis, 83]. show less

"I should've read this long ago. Very helpful for anyone who's new in the Orthodox or just want to learn what's the real deal throughout Church history."