Reflection Thursdays 

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (April 2, 1928 – November 14, 1996) was an American Cardinal of the Catholic  Church and served as the Archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until his death in 1996 from pancreatic cancer. He was an influential bishop, speaker and author known for the Consistent Ethic of Life or Seamless Garment teaching; care for the poor and his work in the interfaith community.

What I would like to leave behind is a simple prayer that each of you may find what I have found—God’s special gift to us all: the gift of peace. When we are at peace, we find the freedom to be most fully who we are, even in the worst of times. We let go of what is nonessential and embrace what is essential. We empty ourselves so that God may more fully work within us. And we become instruments in the hands of the Lord. - Cardinal Joseph Bernardin