Sacraments of Healing

by Kallistos Ware

These six reflections, which meditate upon the sacraments as sources of healing, reveal the wisdom, insight, and wit of Met. Kallistos Ware. He explores the human condition in light of the Orthodox Tradition from many the deep meaning and mystery of the human body and its healing; the somewhat ambiguous role of the passions in our life; the therapeutic vision of the Church expressed in the Mysteries of Confession and Anointing; our experience of healing both in the Divine Liturgy and in the wider world, and, finally, in the great mystery of death itself. It is often said that the Orthodox Church is a hospital and that our understanding of salvation is therapeutic. Here Met. Kallistos explores what this means in many different ways, and helps us to understand more deeply our relationship with Christ the Physician of souls and bodies, who came to save and to heal both us and the world.

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2023

About the author

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (also known by his lay name, Timothy Ware) is a titular metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Great Britain. From 1966-2001, he was Spalding Lecturer of Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and has authored numerous books and articles pertaining to the Orthodox Christian faith.

Reviews

[Kimberly Hancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Metropolitan Ware is always a joy to read. He is erudite but not arrogant. He adeptly draws on sources as varied as the Philokalia and Philip Larkin. That said I had a couple of disappointments with this book. First of all, I understand that it is transcribed from talks he gave but for that reason it lacks the structure of an actual book. Second, this book has six chapters and I thought ‘ok, one chapter for each of the sacraments!” But no. He doesn’t mention marriage or holy orders at all. He very briefly mentions baptism, anointing, and the Eucharist. He spends most of his time on confession and the structure of the liturgy, not exactly a sacrament per se. In his last chapter on death he writes beautifully about the meaning of death but not about the sacraments. So, overall, while I enjoyed the book I think the title and the contents didn’t fully match up.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally, I like the writings of Metropolitan Kallistos. Some say he is a storyteller maybe more than a theologian, or at least a theologian who often uses stories to convey his message. Ware is not afraid to acknowledge that parts of Tradition trouble him and though he doesn't reject Tradition, sometimes he is willing to see outside the box in dealing with modern issues and to acknowledge that there may be more than one way to understand an issue.

[w gall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find that English Orthodox Christian writers communicate the Faith's truths in a way I can relate to better than those outside my earthly culture. Everything here is crystal clear, illustrated by stories, conveying both comfort and challenge. But I feel a missing element - the medicine of immortality, the Eucharist. In any case, may his memory be eternal.

[Monique Mathiesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edifying reflections on the healing power of the church. In particular, I enjoyed his thoughts on death. Unfortunately, he had to go on making some ecumenist argument about why we should consider open communion. Overall it’s a good read minus that part.

[Ryan Laferney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading but this book is a profound joy to read. Met. Kallistos Ware will be deeply missed. May his memory be eternal.

[Spencer Beadle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book, a collection of thoughts on the sacraments and their relation to the body, is deep and thorough. It’s relatable to one’s everyday life, making it an easier and more thoughtful read than initially expected.

I have two criticisms: it lacks a consistent thread linking everything together — or it could at least ‘top and tail’ it with an introduction and conclusion that brings together the main themes clearly. Also, it assumes that the reader is familiar with Orthodox Christianity, which to some potential readers, may not be the case.