Showing posts with label Thomas Hopko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas Hopko. Show all posts

Monday, May 11, 2020

What Is Needed for Reconciliation with Rome

According to Fr. Thomas Hopko -- AFR: What Does Rome Need To Do? - Part 2 (and Part 1)

Some are the same demands of Rome made by Orthodox polemicsts in the immediate centuries following the supposed date of the schism.

Russian Faith has a summary: 22 Changes Roman Catholics Must Make to Repent, Become Orthodox, and Join the One True Church

The restoration of ad orientem worship was not included, but it probably should have been. Many of Fr. Hopko's demands regarding supposed "doctrinal errors" seem to ignore legitimate differences in theologoumena between the Latin and the Byzantine churches. I will have to reconsider those.

The doctrinal errors concerning the papacy are important, and considered by others to be the main or primary obstacle to full reconciliation.

I agree with the demands that are based on the tradition once universally observed by the Church Universal:
Some comments on the following proposals:
Prepare Holy Communion with Leavened Bread
I have read that Rome used to use leavened bread as well; despite the claim that unleavened bread was used at the Last Supper, I don't see why Rome can't make the use of leavened bread at least optional.


Affirm New Bishops, Not Appoint Them
I think there need to be changes in how bishops are elected, but such a reform would require prior reforms of the local Church and its ecclesiology, and the Orthodox themselves need to consider what changes they should be making to church governance. So I don't think that should be a necessary condition for reconciliation.

Abdicate the Position as Head of State

With regards to the pope being a sort of figurehead and teacher of the universal teacher, I disagree with Hopko, who writes:
Then finally, in this area, I say: As leader of the world’s Christians, the pope of Rome would travel extensively. He would take full advantage of contemporary means of transportation and communication. He would master electronic media to serve his ministry in proclaiming Christ’s Gospel, propagating Christian faith, promoting ethical behavior, protecting human rights, and securing justice and peace for all people. He would be the servant of unity among all human beings, and first of all his fellow Christians, not as a unique episcopus episcoporum—that’s an expression of St. Cyprian—not as a bishop of other bishops—there is no bishop of other bishops, as was decreed already in the Council of Carthage in the third century: he is not the bishop of bishops; he is one of the equal bishops with all the others—so he would not have that position, but he would have the position as the leading bishop in the world, that Pope St. Gregory the Great called servus servorum Dei, the servant of the servants of God, among all the Christian bishops in the world. 

In an age of the collapse of a "civilization" powered by fossil fuels, this sort of role as "universal teacher" will pass into history. In the age of collapse, if anyone should be exercising some sort of teaching authority with regards to some political community or unit, it should be the local bishops, but within their competence, and the Christian laity must be acknowledged as having a role within the reform of political society that is partly separate from whatever teaching authority bishops may have in that area.

Sunday, May 03, 2020

The Jesus Prayer

I just wanted to take the long version and show how it embodies most of the aspects of prayer outlined here.

"Lord Jesus Christ": adoration/doxology/praise/benediction

"Son of the Living God": adoration/doxology/praise/benediction

"have mercy on me": petition

"a sinner": contrition

The only aspect that seems to be missing would be thanksgiving, but it may be implicit in the first two, an acknowledgement of what God has done for us that is joined with thanksgiving in the spirit.

I would argue that all 4 aspects can be implicit in the Most Holy Name of our Savior, the simplest form of the Jesus Prayer which is His name itself. A cry to our Lord should be a cry for His Mercy, an expression of our humility and recognition of our sinfulness.




Monday, March 18, 2019

Eternal Memory

OCA: Remembering Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko
SYOSSET, NY [OCA]

Today—March 18, 2019—marks the fourth anniversary of the repose of Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY, and noted Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, preacher, and speaker. ...

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Remembering Fr. Thomas Hopko

In this touching two-hour remembrance, Kevin Allen welcomes three friends who knew Fr. Thomas Hopko as a friend, a...

Posted by Ancient Faith Radio on Friday, March 18, 2016

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Remembering Fr. Thomas Hopko

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Blessed Repose...

Memory eternal! Seraphim reflects on the lives and legacies of Fr. Roman, Fr. Thomas, and Fr. Matthew.

Posted by Orthodox Christian Network on Saturday, May 2, 2015

Related:

“What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the...

Posted by Orthodox Christian Network on Friday, May 8, 2015

Caption this photo!

Posted by Orthodox Christian Network on Friday, May 8, 2015

In loving memory of Fr. William Chiganos, who recently fell asleep in the Lord, we have an excerpt from a sermon Fr. William gave in 2009 on the Rich Young Ruler’s question to Christ regarding salvation.

Posted by Orthodox Christian Network on Friday, May 8, 2015

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Funeral for Fr. Thomas Hopko


Info at OCA.

Truncated video from today: