The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin completed this book just a few weeks before succumbing to cancer. It is a short but intimate account of the final two years of his life, years marked by emotional and physical suffering. The challenging road began with a false claim of sexual abuse (later recanted by the accuser), followed by a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer which would eventually lead to the Cardinal's death.

This could easily have been a bitter book or, if not, one marked by bleakness and/or self-pity. True to its title, however, this short publication exudes a sense of peace, the peace of a man of faith and prayer who whilst appreciating the good things in life accepts approaching death with serenity.

For obvious reasons, the book will appeal show more primarily to Christians, Catholics in particular. However, it contains vital life lessons for anybody, not least the importance of dedicating quality time to our dearest ones, whether family or friends, while we are still in time to do it.

I read this in a Maltese translation prepared by Francesco Pio Attard. show less

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin completed this book just a few weeks before succumbing to cancer. It is a short but intimate account of the final two years of his life, years marked by emotional and physical suffering. The challenging road began with a false claim of sexual abuse (later recanted by the accuser), followed by a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer which would eventually lead to the Cardinal's death.

This could easily have been a bitter book or, if not, one marked by bleakness and/or self-pity. True to its title, however, this short publication exudes a sense of peace, the peace of a man of faith and prayer who whilst appreciating the good things in life accepts approaching death with serenity.

For obvious reasons, the book will appeal show more primarily to Christians, Catholics in particular. However, it contains vital life lessons for anybody, not least the importance of dedicating quality time to our dearest ones, whether family or friends, while we are still in time to do it.

I read this in a Maltese translation prepared by Francesco Pio Attard. show less

In the final two months of his life, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin made it his mission to share his personal reflections and insights in this book, The Gift of Peace. Using as a framework the previous three years, which included false accusation of sexual misconduct, diagnosis of cancer, and return of the cancer after fifteen months of being in remission, Cardinal Bernardin tells his story openly and honestly. At the end of his life, the Cardinal was at peace. He accepted his peace as a gift from God, and through this book, he shares that gift with the world. The Gift of Peace is part of the Cardinal’s pastoral legacy; through this book his ministry lives on.