When the winter begins to make way into the Northern World, the Church of Christ begins to celebrate a "splendid three-day Pascha."
Thus Fr Thomas Hopko begins the first of forty meditations for the season of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, ending with the feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple on the fortieth day after Christ's birth. In the style of his popular book for the paschal fasting season, The Lenten Spring, the author draws on the biblical readings and liturgical hymns and verses of the season to illumine the way for believers to enter fully into the reality of the Coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in human flesh. Many references are made to the writings of the saints and Church Fathers, as well as to contemporary Christian teachers and spiritual guides. All those who love the Lord's Coming will find comfort and strength, as well as enlightenment and instruction, having passed through the Winter Pascha with this book as their companion.
Other excellent volumes featuring the works of Father Hopko and published by St Vladimir's Seminary Press are The Lenten Spring, All the Fullness of God: Essays on Orthodoxy, Ecumenism and Modern Society, and Women and the Priesthood (edited by Fr Hopko).
About the Author: Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (1939–2015) was professor of dogmatic theology and served as dean of St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. Alongside his numerous books and articles, Father Thomas was also renowned as a gifted speaker and homilist.
