A Channel of Peace
Rating:
5 / 5
"It is precisely in letting go, in entering into complete union with the Lord, in letting him take over, that we discover our true selves." p. 48. This is the union that Cardinal Joseph Bernardin spoke of in "The Gift of Peace". The frivilous matters of this world mean little when they are placed in the proper perspective. Bernardin's tumultuous final three years of life led him through false accusations of misconduct and cancer. He invites to follow his journey in the book as he puts his life in the proper perspective and prepares for his eternal reward.
Just as Jesus suffered and died to be reborn to greater things, we do the same. Death is a passage to a greater life. As one becomes ready to die, they begin the process of "putting their life in order." There is also the matter of putting the soul in order which is acknowledged less frequently. Bernardin advises readers to pray now as it is often difficult to find the strength or focus during sickness. Additionally, by praying now we are more prepared to release the worries of this world and trust our fate to God. Worrying about what is out of our control is among the most frivilous wastes of energy during illness. In the book, Bernardin readily admits that even he was unsure if he was praying well at times. The truth is that your prayer life will tell you when it is adequate.
One need not being dying to appreciate Bernardin's wisdom. We all have our daily sufferings or cross to bear. Bernardin's wisdom provides strength for the journey as we embrace death as a friend and passage to eternal peace. Even our sufferings our only a passage to greater things. Bernardin has written a masterfully written, spiritually uplifting book that only hints of the peace in the next life.
Beautiful
Rating:
5 / 5
As a native Chicagoan, I was living there when the allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Bernardin came out back in 1993. Being quite young still, as well as not being Roman Catholic, and not having a whole lot of contact to the Roman Catholic Church, I didn't know who he was before then. However, from that point onward, Cardinal Bernardin became more of a presence in Chicago, in good part because of his loving attitude toward his accuser, whose charges were false, and because of all the work he did trying to work for the good of all people, Roman Catholic or not. Therefore, when he died in 1996, I, as well as most of the city of Chicago, mourned the passing of a truly great man. This book is an autobiographical "letter" from Cardinal Bernardin chronicling the last three years of his life. It's written as somewhat of a long letter to the reader, and at once one gets drawn in to the utter love and the kindness that radiate through the words written in the pages of this book. I had been looking for something to learn more about the kind of person Cardinal Bernardin was and the sort of things that he taught. I was fairly dubious that I would "get" much from this book, as a lot of it is written about his battle with cancer, and with him facing an imminent death. However, I ended up enjoying it immensely. It's just a bit eerie as well, because by the time he finishes it up, he knows his time on earth is extremely short, and the reader is kind of put in a place of seeing glimpses of the world as he must have seen it in that fall in Chicago. Here I was, in that same city, seventeen years old, and "starting" life as a college freshman. And yet, despite this disparity, there is something very comforting, and something that rings very, very true in the writing, something that made me devour the words, ending up reading the book in the matter of a few hours. Cardinal Bernardin finished this book on 1 November 1996, and died two weeks afterward. The Gift of Peace. Yes. May his spirit be eternal.
The road to eternity...
Rating:
5 / 5
Joseph Cardinal Bernadin of Chicago was one of the leading lights of the Roman Catholic church through the past few decades; in the last three years of his life (he died in 1996) he endured the beginnings of the scandals of the church (including accusations, later proved false, against himself) as well as a recurring battle with cancer. Through all of this, Bernadin was able to find peace, and it was the peace of God, a peace that is a gift and grace from God.While the issue of the false accusation is the first piece of the text, it does not dominate it. After a few pages, it is over and done with. One wonders at such power of forgiveness. Perhaps it was in response to the next, final battle that became much more dominant. Prominent throughout the book is the battle with cancer. Bernadin speaks of his own struggles and fears, but puts these in perspective as he became acquainted with the others who were getting treatment with him. He became, in his words, an unofficial chaplain to the other cancer patients. Bernadin struggled to maintain his sense of faith that all who similarly suffer must endure - as Bernadin said, it was finally time to practice what he preached! He renewed his sense of the importance of prayer, and his sense of ministry. While his post-operative treatments would only require ten minutes, he often found his visits would last for hours, as he visited with others. When the hospital staff offered to make private entrance and exit arrangements so that he would not be `disturbed', he countered with the observation, `I'm a priest first, a patient second.' Bernadin shares letters he received from other cancer patients, their families and friends, all added to his prayer list. It grew from the handful of people he met to well over 700 names in a very short time. The letters are touching, some asking for prayers, some also offering prayers. The farmer who knew the seasons, who wished the Cardinal faith as his harvest time drew near; the fathers and mothers of children who asked for special prayers for children or gave thanksgiving for recoveries; all these letters are important. There is a difficulty with dying publicly, as Bernadin had to endure. There was also a responsibility, to make valid a lifetime spent in the ministry. Relating the story of his recent visit with Fr. Henri Nouwen, Bernadin found peace in the idea that life is a preparation for death, and those who have lived life in the faith should see death as a friend. Bernadin also found faith in the example of Jesus - when the doctors gave Bernadin his final pronouncements of `inoperable' and `incurable', he finally knew what Jesus felt in the Garden of Gesthemane. One touching aspect of this book is that it was completed in draft form less than two weeks prior to Bernadin's death. Being a man who took pride in his penmanship, he decided he wanted to write (actually write, not type or draft for typeset) the opening section (done on All Saints Day, 1996), the cover, and section dividers. The publishers kept this promise, so one feels a real sense of connection with the text. It is not an easy thing to die. It is even harder to watch someone else. Walking with Bernadin during his final days as this book permits the reader to do in many ways will help all of us for a journey we are destined to make, and to relate more fully to others who are on the same journey, on the road to eternity.
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