Healing Wounds (Erik Varden)

Are we healed through our wounds or are our wounds themselves healed from some other source?

In Healing Wounds, Erik Varden examines the New Testament where it spells out why Christ’s wounds were efficacious for the healing of humankind. He contends that while this theological perspective is fundamental, it often falls short of addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of believers.

Bob Dylan once said, tongue in cheek, ’Pain sure does bring out the best in people.’ The philosopher Donald MacKinnon said, ’Suffering never ennobled anyone.’ Suffering by nature poses questions people wrestle with today in many fields of life with counsellors, therapists, philosophers, and spiritual directors. But the conundrum remains and in this book Varden sets out to resolve it.

Structured to guide readers through a journey of reflection, beginning with the raw reality of suffering and moving toward the possibility of redemption and renewal. Varden employs a contemplative tone, inviting readers to sit with their own experiences of pain and consider how these might be transformed through faith and introspection.

Erik Varden is a monk and bishop. Norwegian by birth, he studied at Cambridge and in Rome. Having served as abbot of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, he was appointed to the ancient see of Trondheim in 2019. His books are read throughout the world. With Bloomsbury Continuum he has previously published The Shattering of Loneliness, Entering the Twofold Mystery, Chastity, and Healing Wounds.