The Lenten Spring: Readings for Great Lent

by Thomas Hopko

The Church welcomes the Lenten spring with a spirit of exultation...with the enthusiasm of a child... The tone of the church services is one of brightness and light. Thus the author begins the first of forty meditation on Great Lent, casting out the gloom and darkness with which many Christians approach this holy season and revealing, in a simple, clear and beautiful manner, its true meaning. In his meditations, Fr Hopko draws on his long experience as a pastor and teacher, working with young and old throughout the country, to present to the modern reader the relevance of the Church's two-thousand-year-old tradition of preparing to greet our Lord's Resurrection. But in so doing he also makes extensive use of all facets of church tradition from all times'inspiring scriptural and liturgical passages from the Lenten services, the spiritual wisdom of the ancient saints and fathers, as well as the teachings of modern guides to the Christian life. All Christians who undertake the yearly journey to the blessed Pascha of our Lord will find inspiration and guidance in these meditations. All can enjoy reading and rereading them and share in the profound thoughts of the author as they make their own spiritual way through this holy season.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality, Religion, Devotional, Faith, Nonfiction, Christianity

229 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Thomas Hopko is an Orthodox Christian priest and theologian. He was the Dean of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary from September 1992 until July 1, 2002 and taught dogmatic theology there from 1968 until 2002. Now retired, he carries the honorary title of Dean Emeritus. Father Hopko is a prominent Orthodox Christian lecturer and speaker, well-known both in Orthodox and ecumenical circles. He has several podcasts on the internet radio station for Orthodox Christians called Ancient Faith Radio

Reviews

[Kristen Shipman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for the Lenten season!

[Twitchmatic · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, daily read and reflection for lent. Could do with a little more organization / flow. For example, a week or two in to the daily reflections was a section going through St. Ephrem’s prayer. I only realized that near the end of that section (so, in hindsight it was probably just me). Lots of other sources/quotes used and identified in the bibliography which was super useful. The length and material covered was great for morning contemplation and good, bite-sized pieces.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parish priest recommended this book as Lenten reading for this year. Overall, I am very glad to have worked through this text during Great Lent.
Many times throughout my reading of this text, I found myself challenged and convicted by Fr Hopko’s reflections. I also liked that each day’s reading was pretty brief, so it was simple to keep up with the readings over the course of the 40 day fast.

[Emily Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book consists of forty short reflections focused making Lent fruitful. It especially focuses on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and each chapter has a selection from the Bible, the Byzantine liturgy, or a Church father. I found it to be good, down-to-earth advice. Eastern and Western Christians would find it equally helpful. Highly recommend.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend this as required reading for every Lenten celebration. I found it very informative and inspiring. The very same Fr. Tom Hopko I got to know through his podcasts (still worth listening to, btw!.).

[Christian A Moulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just excellent! Lots of great voices that Fr Thomas pulls in here in his characteristic way, showing you that what he's laying out is in sync with all the teachings of the Church. Lots of great stuff here to show you what you should do with Lent.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A daily reading for Orthodox Christians for the 40 days of lent leading up to holy Week. I have read it many times and each time find something new or renew a truth that I have forgotten. A book to be approached with prayer and an open heart.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't beat Thomas Hopko for pure Orthodox theology.

[Garrett Paschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great devotion by Fr Hopko. A guide through Lent using Scripture and hymnography of the church. He writes with firmness and gentleness that are necessary to the season.

[Josh McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and encouraging. Small readings that add so much to the season and provide wisdom to carry throughout the years. I'll likely read again next year.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is broken into 40 different chapters that offer short reflections on Lent. Fr. Hopko of blessed memory excels at breaking down the powerful imagery and importance of Lent for laity and non-laity alike.

Personally, I chose to read this as a Lenten devotional with one chapter per day. This worked really well for me as I was able to take my time to reflect on the message of each self-contained chapter.

I will definitely be making this a regular part of my Lenten journey each year.

[Else · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am re-reading this for a Lenten activity that our whole church is doing. Hopko's daily essays really hit home and make you think about the meaning of Lent and what Jesus did for us. Highly recommended!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent set of day-by-day Lenten reflections by Fr. Tom of Blessed Memory.

[Thomas GOSSE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another one of the great classics for Lent.

[w gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fr. Thomas is always both informative and inspiring. These concise reflections provide food for thought for the day.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book and one I will undoubtedly read for many years. The combination of church tradition, sayings of the fathers, and his own explanations is incredibly useful in understanding what we do for Lent and why. I would recommend this to anyone trying to get a primer on the Orthodox Church mixed with spiritual reading for Lent.