"Is sacramental anointing the same as last rites?""Don't you have to have some kind of special gift to be part of the Church's healing ministry?""Why am I sick? Is it God's punishment?""Ever since I became sick, I don't feel like myself anymore."If life is a journey, what happens when our way is obstructed by sickness or failing health? In Healing Touch and Saving Word, Linda Malia draws upon the rich theology of the Anglican tradition personified in the Episcopal Church's sacramental liturgies of healing. In easy-to-understand language, Healing Touch examines the theological foundations of the Episcopal Church's healing liturgies, from the first Book of Common Prayer to the most recent sacramental rites. Probing the dynamics of symbol and ritual, the complex relationship of sin and sickness, and the spiritual and psychological impact of every serious illness, the book explores the power of these graced encounters in enabling the faithful to draw new hope and renewed purpose out of the chaos and turmoil of illness and debility. Individuals struggling with life-changing illness and those who care for them--clergy and laity alike--are sure to find Healing Touch a helpful and thought-provoking resource.

Linda Malia is a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York who serves two historic parishes of South Buffalo. From 2000 to 2006 she authored "Spiritually Speaking," a monthly column on spirituality, forChurch Acts, the official diocesan publication, for which she received a Polly Bond Award and an Honorable Mention from the Episcopal Communicators. Her articles and book reviews have appeared in theToronto Theological Review and theAnglican Theological Review.