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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.… (more)
User reviews
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 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.