The Gift of Peace
What better place could there be to talk about the gift of inner peace than the beautiful beaches of North Palm Beach, Florida? Invited by the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fr. Robin Ryan was one of the key note speakers at a retreat for diocesan priests.
One of the talks is entitled: “I Leave You Peace, My Peace I Give you”: The Gift of Peace in the Life of a Priest
Robin describes the challenges to peace in the life of priests, which might sound familiar not only to priests, but to whoever is carrying out a ministry in service of the Church. Referring to Cardinal Bernardin’s book The Gift of Peace he points out three recurring themes that created that openness in Cardinal Bernardin to receive the gift of peace from the Lord throughout the tumultuous final years of his life: his commitment to personal prayer; his efforts to let go; and his desire for reconciliation. “It seems to me”, Robin says, “that these commitments which Bernardin made (followed through on) paved the way for his experience of Christ’s gift of peace a the end of his life. I believe that they also have something to say to us about the gift of peace in our own lives.”
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Robin Ryan, C.P.
Robin Ryan, C.P., taught systematic theology at Catholic Theological Union from 2004-2010. He was elected Vicar Provincial of his religious congregation (the Passionist community) in May 2010. He earned his Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America. Prior to coming to CTU, he taught theology at Saint John's Seminary in Boston for nine years. During his time at CTU, he also served as the founding director of Catholics on Call, a national vocation discovery program for young adults. He is the author of a number of essays on God and human suffering, young adults and the Church, Christology, and ecclesiology. He is the editor and co-author of Catholics on Call: Discerning a Life of Service in the Church (Liturgical Press, 2010). He is also the author of the forthcoming book God and Suffering: A Theological Conversation Through the Ages (Paulist Press, 2011).
