Holy Cross launches a podcast

(Holy Cross Bookstore) - Unto the Healing of Soul and Body: Encouragement for Restoration and Reconciliation in a Broken World: The Sacrament of Holy Unction, celebrated on Holy Wednesday and at other times throughout the year, lasts about ninety minutes. Yet, that time is packed with such spiritual richness that it deserves to be reflected upon more deeply. This book contains forty-six reflections on the hymns, Scripture readings, and prayers of the service.

The human body is comprised of mind, body, and spirit, all of which are interrelated. When one part of the body suffers, so do the other parts. For every physical wound, there is also a spiritual consequence. This book not only reflects on God’s ability to heal our physical in infirmities but especially how our souls can be healed along with our bodies. In the times when our bodies are beyond physical healing—at some point, we will all suffer a physical death—Holy Unction serves as a reconciliation with God and a preparation for eternal life. This service includes many prayers offering forgiveness, many of which speak of the mercy of God, and many which speak of the ultimate destination, eternal life. The sacraments of the Church provide us a means to prepare for eternal life, by offering us the spiritual stamina to get through this life.

Father Stavros N. Akrotirianakis is a Greek Orthodox priest who serves St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Tampa, Florida. A list of his other books can be found at the end of this volume.