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The Gift of Peace Paperback – Deckle Edge, Nov. 10 1998

by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (Author)

4.7 200 ratings

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Joseph Cardinal Bernardin's gentle leadership throughout his life of ministerial service had made him an internationally beloved figure, but the words he left behind about his final journey would change the lives of many more people from all faiths, from all backgrounds, and from all over the world.

In the last two months of his life, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin made it his ultimate mission to share his personal reflections and insights as a legacy to those he left behind. The Gift of Peace reveals the Cardinal's spiritual growth amid a string of traumatic events: a false accusation of sexual abuse; reconciliation a year later with his accuser, who had earlier recanted the charges; a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and surgery; the return of cancer, now in his liver; his decision to discontinue chemotherapy and live his remaining days as fully as possible. In these pages, Bernardin tells his story openly and honestly, and shares the profound peace he came to at the end of his life. He accepted his peace as a gift from God, and he in turn now shares that gift with the world.

Review

“A wonderful book celebrating and showing the way to peace.”
–New York Newsday

“Poignant.”
–Chicago Tribune

“A gem of a book.”
–Publishers Weekly

“This is a book for people of all religions.”
–Columbus Dispatch

“Very moving–written with simplicity and deep wisdom.”
–Library Journal

"A gentle, personal voice."
–USA Today

“This uplifting book testifies to a life well spent–The Cardinal shares with his readers a tremendous trust in the Lord that results in inner peace–Simple true words that can give us all a deeper sense of hope.”
–America

“Overflows with strength and compassion–Bernardin's recipe for personal peace transcends organized religion.”
–Paul Reid, Palm Beach Post

“In his final testament, Cardinal Bernardin urges the dying to bask in the light of each other.”
–Newsweek

“We come to know a humble man who touched many people with love and compassion, without judgment.”
–Hartford Courant

From the Back Cover

Joseph Cardinal Bernardin's gentle leadership throughout his life of ministerial service had made him an internationally beloved figure, but the words he left behind about his final journey would change the lives of many more people from all faiths, from all backgrounds, and from all over the world.
In the last two months of his life, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin made it his ultimate mission to share his personal reflections and insights as a legacy to those he left behind. "The Gift of Peace reveals the Cardinal's spiritual growth amid a string of traumatic events: a false accusation of sexual abuse; reconciliation a year later with his accuser, who had earlier recanted the charges; a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and surgery; the return of cancer, now in his liver; his decision to discontinue chemotherapy and live his remaining days as fully as possible. In these pages, Bernardin tells his story openly and honestly, and shares the profound peace he came to at the end of his life. He accepted his peace as a gift from God, and he in turn now shares that gift with the world.

About the Author

Joseph Louis Bernardin was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1928. He was ordained a priest in 1952 and served as an Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta (1966-68), general secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. (1968-1972), president of the Conference (1974-1977), and Archbishop of Chicago (1982-1996). He became Cardinal in 1983. Cardinal Bernardin was widely respected for his gentleness, his spirituality, and his ability to reconcile. He received the Medal of Freedom at the White House two months before he died of pancreatic cancer in November 1996.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome."

On August 31, 1996, the day after I announced that the cancer had spread to my liver and was inoperable, I presided at a communal anointing of the sick at Saint Barbara Church in Brookfield, Illinois.  I told my fellow sick that, when we are faced with serious illness (or any serious difficulty), we should do several things--things that have given me peace of mind personally.

The first is to put ourselves completely in the hands of the Lord.  We must believe that the Lord loves us, embraces us, never abandons us (especially in our most difficult moments).  This is what gives us hope in the midst of life's suffering and chaos.  It is the same Lord who invites us: "Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.  Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light" (Mt 11:28-30).

This is a favorite passage of mine and, possibly, one of yours also.  It is so comforting, so soothing.  Perhaps it also sounds too good to be true.  Indeed, further reflection shows that Jesus' message is a bit more complex than it appears at first sight or hearing.

For example, is there not a tension between the "rest" that Jesus offers and the "yoke" he invites us to wear? What did Jesus mean by his "yoke"? The ancient rabbis used to refer to the Mosaic Law as a kind of yoke.  But Jesus' metaphor is different because central to his "yoke" or wisdom or law is the Lord himself.  He practiced what he preached.  He was gentle toward the people he served and humbly obedient to the will of his Father.  He called us to love one another and laid down his own life for us.  The "rest" he offers us comes from adopting and living each day his attitudes, his values, his mission, his ministry, his willingness to lay down his very life--in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

What makes Jesus' yoke "easy"? A good yoke is carefully shaped to reduce chafing to a minimum.  Jesus promises that his yoke will be kind and gentle to our shoulders, enabling us to carry our load more easily.  That is what he means when he says his burden is "light." Actually, it might be quite heavy, but we will find it possible to carry out our responsibilities.  Why? Because Jesus will help us.  Usually a yoke joined a pair of oxen and made them a team.  It is as though Jesus tells us, "Walk alongside me; learn to carry the burdens by observing how I do it.  If you let me help you, the heavy labor will seem lighter."

Perhaps, the ultimate burden is death itself.  It is often preceded by pain and suffering, sometimes extreme hardships.  In my case it is primarily a question of a pervasive fatigue that seems to increase day by day, forcing me to spend much of the day and night lying down.  But notice that Jesus did not promise to take away our burdens.  He promised to help us carry them.  And if we let go of ourselves--and our own resources--and allow the Lord to help us, we will be able to see death not as an enemy or a threat but as a friend.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Image
Publication date

Nov. 10 1998
Dimensions

13.97 x 1.27 x 20.96 cm
ISBN-10

0385494343
ISBN-13

978-0385494342
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Image (Nov. 10 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385494343
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385494342
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 187 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 1.27 x 20.96 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #786,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #300 in Inspirational Catholic Books & Bibles
- #403 in Roman Catholicism
- #1,794 in Christian Faith (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 200 ratings

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Kyle Andrew Brown

A Pastor's Journey

Reviewed in Canada on March 16, 2001

America was drawn to the story of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin when he publicly shared with the community of the Archdiocese of Chicago the news that his liver cancer was inoperable on August 30, 1996. The Cardinal wrote The Gift of Peace to share his thoughts on the last three years of his life. His writing reflects the principal role of a Roman Catholic bishop - - the teaching office, to nourish within the community the principles of faith illustrated by the realities that present themselves in the course of everyday life.
Like most Americans outside of Chicago, I first learned about the Cardinal in the news coverage that accompanied his last year on the front pages of the newspapers. He wanted to walk with the community as he confronted his death. Sharing with the community both the pain of his illness and the discoveries of the intellect that bridged for him, first acceptance of his terminal illness, and then the process of personal reconciliation of his life journey.
There are so many books upon the shelves of Amazon.com on the topic of Death and Dying. None of them adequate to the task of being "how to's", but offering reasonable guidance for that most personal of tasks, confronting personal death and death in the family. Yet, I keep coming back to The Gift of Peace. Perhaps, because of the Cardinal's one-to-one conversation by which he engages the reader.
For those of us that can prepare for death, a struggle may develop as we form a personal inner conversation to embrace with grace and maturity and purpose our changed fortune. The Cardinal models in the journey of his illness the direction our own path may take.
Upon hearing the first fateful news of his illness, the Cardinal experienced a feeling of helplessness. The same helplessness I nervously experienced when the heart specialist began taking my history. The Cardinal acknowledged then, as I did also, the state of great anxiety as patients wait to hear from doctors what their fate will be. "God was teaching me yet again just how little control we really have and how important it is to trust in him."
The Cardinal describes how terrible illness changes lives - - not only the life of the person carrying it, but also the lives of friends and family members who love and care for that person. We follow in the book's narrative the Cardinal's trajectory along illness as described by Therese A. Rando: keeping alive, understanding and acknowledging the illness, experiencing the pain, framing realistic expectations and completing unfinished business.
And in the midst of the Cardinal's struggle, he continued his own ministry to others with cancer. "Somehow when you make eye contact," he says, "when you convince people that you really care - - that at that particular moment they are the only ones that count - - then you establish a new relationship." It is all about entering into an intimacy with those we minister to, however brief, forever permanent.
Jesus learned this lesson from the Canaanite woman to whom he first avoided, saying he was sent to minister only to the house of Israel." She continued to confront him, to engage him. She established a relationship that from that moment forward propelling Jesus' ministry beyond Israel to embrace all the nations. For ministry, the Cardinal concludes, is about imparting a sense that "somehow you truly care and have somehow mediated the love, mercy and compassion of the Lord."
Ministry to the dying is all about strengthening the relationship between each person and God. I understand that each of our ministerial encounters is unique. Our need for healing is no different in dying than in living - - however the more apparent and actively sought out for. I strive to go to the bedside with practical skills fashioned around a dynamic toolbox of appropriate pastoral applications.
A dynamic shaped by what the Cardinal would call prayer and prayer's search for peace. Peace that accompanies recognition, acceptance, reconciliation. And as a pastor, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin offers us a simple prayer that we may find the gift of peace. It is in the journey toward death's great mystery that we call out to the Lord for peace. The peace that finds voice in prayer. Prayer that nourishes. Prayer that heals. Prayer that reconciles. Prayer that brings us to salvation.

Helpful

The road to eternity...

Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2004

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.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

John Halloran

Amazing reflection

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023

Verified Purchase

Cardinal Bernardine was, in my mind, a Saint. I have purchased multiple copies of this book and graced others with copies, the same way I learned of this masterpiece! For whatever reason, guys have to read section by section. He speaks directly to us, man to man, not as an ordained priest. For women, they can't seem to put it down and must read it straight through. But everyone finishes and is better for it!

One person found this helpful

Happy .... Customer

Inspirational and humble man, who shared with everyone how ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

Inspirational and humble man, who shared with everyone how to find that inner peace. God bless Cardinal Bernstein

TL

Wonderful book

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023

Verified Purchase

Received on time and no issues.

Echo Smartpen 8GB

A Gift to all who read it.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2013

Verified Purchase

Wonderful personal reflections from a very holy man. An inspiration for all those who are suffering and dying from a terminal illness.

Fred in AZ

Amazing non-fiction book

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023

Verified Purchase

I am Christian but not Roman Catholic so I was quite skeptical when a Priest recommended it during a fiends funeral service. The book is well written albeit from a Roman Catholic perspective yet applicable to all Christians. His life's journey is witness to the hope and peace a strong faith in God brings to the individual and also to those lives you touch. He may be a Catholic Cardinal but his wisdom transcends the denomination, i.e. you don't need to be ordained clergy to benefit from the compact book. I ordered two more for gifts and going to order more for more family and friends in the midst of this life's struggles.

One person found this helpful

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