The Progress November 21, 1996
In Joy and Hope by! Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin: May he rest in peace On Thursday Nov. 14, 1996, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Archbishop of Chicago, died. He was a remarkable and gifted person of faith. On Thursday evening, I offered Mass for Cardinal Bernardin at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. At this liturgy, I noted in the homily that we gathered to mourn the death of a man whose life and death have impacted a nation and a world. We came together that night to ask God to welcome Cardinal Joseph Bernardin into the Lord’s presence for all eternity. !
In the Gospel proclaimed to us that evening, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus responded by telling them not to look here or there, but to look at the present moment and to realize that the Kingdom of God is present among us now. Yet, if we are to recognize the Kingdom of God, we need people around us to preach the Good News that the Kingdom of God is present. !
Throughout the past several days, we have remembered a man for whom the preaching of the Kingdom of God was a passion. Cardinal Bernardin in living and dying, announced the message of the Gospel in powerful, persuasive ways. As a leader of the church in our country and world, Cardinal Bernardin called all people of good will to recognize the values of the Gospel message. He did this first by living the Gospel, then teaching by example. !
A man of peace!
We may remember Cardinal Bernardin as the chair of the committee that called people of faith to a commitment to peace. It was Cardinal Bernardin who challenged us to use our resources and wisdom on behalf of life instead of war. !
It was Cardinal Bernardin who offered us the image of the “seamless garment” that asks us to respect life in all forms from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. It was Cardinal Bernardin who asked us to avoid the extremes of the present moment and to discover the common ground that unites us as daughters and sons of God. !
It was Cardinal Bernardin who had an impact on our local church here in Western Washington. Cardinal Bernardin found a way to bring peace to a troubled church and to respect the leadership and gifts that Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen shared with us here in the Archdiocese of Seattle. !
It was Cardinal Bernardin who came among us several years ago to spend an afternoon with our priests while he himself was undergoing a time of torment as a result of a false allegation of sexual abuse. In a quiet, powerful way, the cardinal challenged our priests to be “bearers of the mystery of Christ.”
Continued on next page Cardinal Joseph Bernardin: May he rest in peace
Meeting death as a friend!
Yet, it was Cardinal Bernardin himself who lived out this challenge this past year as he faced the reality of cancer and death. At a time when society is losing an appreciation for the elderly and dying, and the seeming futility of suffering, Cardinal Bernardin lived out his final days in a powerful testament to the gift of life and death.!
He called death a “friend,” and early last Thursday morning, Cardinal Bernardin met his “friend.” We pray that God will now share with Cardinal Bernardin the gifts of life, peace, and joy for all eternity. !
On a personal note, during the NBA playoffs, Cardinal Bernardin called me and wanted to place a bet on who would win the championship – the Sonics or the Bulls. We bet a couple of Chicago pizzas against Seattle salmon. I had planned to send him Seattle salmon for Thanksgiving, but I now pray instead that Cardinal Bernardin will be enjoying the eternal banquet of Thanksgiving in God’s presence. !
The church in our country and world has lost a leader and a pastor of compassion. The world has a lost a person whose commitment to faith and values will be long remembered. I and so many people have lost a friend. !
But what we have not lost is a man who was a prophet, a prophet who still lives among us in the legacy he shared with us – a prophet who challenges us to be people of peace, a prophet who gives us an appreciation of life in all its expressions, a prophet who lived out compassion and forgiveness, a prophet who calls all people to a common ground to dialogue and respect, a prophet who teaches us more than we could ever imagine about the meaning of suffering and death.!
Cardinal Bernardin has died. But the prophet’s voice remains, calling us to a new and more abundant life. For that we give praise to our good and gracious God, and we are grateful. May God’s gift of love and peace be yours. !