A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (V) Expected by the Romans While the Blessed Virgin was on earth, the Jews were awaiting their mysterious Christ precisely during this same period of time. But what is even more surprising is to discover that other people were also experiencing a time of waiting at exactly the same time. We have unequivocal testimonies of the most accurate nature on this universal expectancy for the One who was to emerge from Judea. From two of the greatest Latin historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, we also learn how the Romans were stirred up at the approach of a century which we were to call “the first century after Christ.” Tacitus wrote in his Historiae: “Most were convinced that the ancient books of the priests predicted that, around this time, the East would grow more powerful. And that the rulers of the world would emerge from Judea.” In the same way, Suetonius says, in his Life of Vespasian: “Throughout the East, an idea was gaining currency: the consistent and very ancient view that it was to be written in the world’s destiny that from Judea would emerge the rulers of the world.” These two historians were writing at the end of the first century and at the beginning of the second, without being able to know of the triumph, still to come, of He who would indeed be the “ruler” of the western world.
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (IV) The amazing prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods Through the prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods, Daniel’s prophecy most amazingly describes the coming of the Messiah. This well-known passage in Daniel 9 begins thus: “Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to stop disobedience, and to make an end to sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.” The new world (the iniquity which ceases and is expiated, the sin which is “sealed” and the reign of eternal justice) will come about when Christ has “received his anointing.” It is then that the visions of the prophets will be realized. And all of this will happen after the “70 seven-day periods.” This indication of time, the only one in the whole of the Old Testament has never given rise to excessive controversy among Old Testament interpreters. It is clear that this involves seven-day periods, that is to say periods of seven years, and that it refers to the coming of the Messiah after 490 years. But where should we count from? “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to re-build Jerusalem,” after the exile in Babylon, according to the Bible. Some experts counted from the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC, others from Cyrus in 538 and the liberation of Israel, others still in solar years and others in lunar years. The discovery of parchments from the first century B.C. found at Qumran show that the community living there was preoccupied with signs of the times and that they also made much of the “70 seven-day period” prophecy. They had calculated that the Messianic period would begin in the year 26 B.C. and in view of this expectancy, retired to the desert. There was still a small “error” of 20 years in their calculations; according to Hugh Schonfield: “We can clearly see today the degree to which, almost with pinpoint accuracy, Jesus could proclaim at the beginning of his mission: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand” (Mk 1:15). Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

December 4 - The Immaculate of Sameiro (Portugal)   A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III) “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” The second important prophecy foretelling the time of the Messiah’s coming could be found in the last book of the Old Testament, Daniel, which, by the time of the Virgin Mary, had already been put together and read in that form for two centuries. In Chapter 2, the book recounts the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in which he sees a stone shattering a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. The king is troubled and cannot sleep until Daniel is able to interpret it correctly for him: “After you another kingdom inferior to you shall arise; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, (...) shall it break in pieces and crush…” (...) “As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” (...) “In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever…” (...) “The great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure” (Dan 2:39-45). Now, after Nebuchadnezzar came the Persians aided by the Medes, then the Greeks who, under Alexander, dominated the whole earth, then the Romans, who by means of iron, reduced all their adversaries to dust, until, in the first century, Israel was divided between the iron of Rome and the clay of Herod. The stone which was to break the statue was to become a huge mountain that would fill the whole earth. The humble Virgin, mother of Our Lord, perhaps had an inkling of the lowly beginnings of this Messianic kingdom which “would never be destroyed and would remain forever” - reflecting, like Blaise Pascal who was to write about the prophecy of the little stone that became a mountain, “It was foretold that Jesus Christ was to have lowly beginnings and would grow in stature.” Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III) “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” The second important prophecy foretelling the time of the Messiah’s coming could be found in the last book of the Old Testament, Daniel, which, by the time of the Virgin Mary, had already been put together and read in that form for two centuries. In Chapter 2, the book recounts the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in which he sees a stone shattering a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. The king is troubled and cannot sleep until Daniel is able to interpret it correctly for him: “After you another kingdom inferior to you shall arise; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, (...) shall it break in pieces and crush…” (...) “As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” (...) “In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever…” (...) “The great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure” (Dan 2:39-45). Now, after Nebuchadnezzar came the Persians aided by the Medes, then the Greeks who, under Alexander, dominated the whole earth, then the Romans, who by means of iron, reduced all their adversaries to dust, until, in the first century, Israel was divided between the iron of Rome and the clay of Herod. The stone which was to break the statue was to become a huge mountain that would fill the whole earth. The humble Virgin, mother of Our Lord, perhaps had an inkling of the lowly beginnings of this Messianic kingdom which “would never be destroyed and would remain forever” - reflecting, like Blaise Pascal who was to write about the prophecy of the little stone that became a mountain, “It was foretold that Jesus Christ was to have lowly beginnings and would grow in stature.”
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (II) "The scepter shall not pass from Judah until tribute be brought him" The first of the prophecies foretelling the coming of the Messiah is found in Genesis (Gen 49:1-10) when Jacob, the son of Isaac, blesses his son before his death. "Gather round, so that I can tell you what is in store for you in the final days." And he continues, "The scepter shall not pass from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute be brought him and the peoples render him obedience." This passage which has always had Messianic significance for the exegetes of Israel, took on new significance at the time of the Blessed Virgin, after Herod 1st had been made King of Judea, bringing to an end the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty. From then on, the Jews of Israel would be governed by an Edomite, the son of a Nabatean woman, who came from an Arabian tribe; even though he had converted officially to Judaism, Herod was a friend of the Romans. Judea thus became a vassal province of Rome and remained so until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When Octavius confirmed Herod 1st as the King of Judea, Samaria, Idumea and Galilee, also offering him the Golan plateau and the cities bordering the Mediterranean which he had been formerly compelled to give to Cleopatra, an earthquake struck Jerusalem and claimed 10,000 victims. With the accession of Herod 1st, authority passed to the Romans and the sign presaging the coming of the Messiah was fulfilled because the scepter had left Judea for good. Thus the Jews could now quite rightly reply to Pilate at Christ's trial, "We have no king except Caesar" (Jn 19:15).
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (I) While the Blessed Virgin was on earth, all Israel was awaiting "the One to come" When she was a little child, the Virgin Mary waited, in the midst of her people Israel, for the coming of the Messiah, who had been heralded not just by only one prophet, but by a long succession of men who, as time went by over the centuries, foretold and kept adding to previous prophecies. She waited in the midst of a small nation, tossed by history, which had survived every confrontation with the empires surrounding it and which was to remain the only nation that was able to resist the break-up of the ancient world and to preserve its identity intact. Israel always held on to the unshakeable knowledge that it was destined to be the instrument of divine providence and have a global significance. The time of the Messiah's coming, clearly yet mysteriously heralded by the prophets, was constantly sought. And this period of expectancy and fulfillment had become so clearly defined and precise at this particular moment in history, that more than 100 Messianic candidates had been identified by the historians. "As the people were in expectation" (Lk 3:15) when John the Baptist appeared, they all asked him, "Are you He who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Lk 7:19). This was an absolutely unique period in history, and, according to many experts, this singular aspect of Christianity is, of itself, sufficient to set it apart in the religious history of the world. Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

                                
DECEMBER 2011

•Thursday, December 1, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 7,21.24-27

•Friday, December 2, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 9,27-31

•Saturday, December 3, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 9,35 - 10,1.5-8

•Sunday, December 4, 2011

Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 5, 2011

Lectio: Luke 5,17-26

•Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 18,12-14

•Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 11, 28-30

•Thursday, December 8, 2011

Lectio: Immaculate Conception of the B.V.Mary

•Friday, December 9, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 11,16-19

•Saturday, December 10, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 17,10-13

•Sunday, December 11, 2011

Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 12, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 21,23-27

•Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 21,28-32

•Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Lectio: Luke 7: 19-23

•Thursday, December 15, 2011

Lectio: Luke 7, 24-30

•Friday, December 16, 2011

Lectio: John 5, 33-36

•Saturday, December 17, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 1,1-17

•Sunday, December 18, 2011

Lectio: 4th Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 19, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,5-25

•Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1: 26-38

•Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1:39-45

•Thursday, December 22, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,46-56

•Friday, December 23, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,57-66

•Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,67-79

•Sunday, December 25, 2011

Lectio: The Birth of Our Lord (B)

•Monday, December 26, 2011

Lectio: St. Stephen, first martyr - Mt. 10:17-22

•Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lectio: St. John the Apostle

•Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Lectio: The Holy Innocents - Mt 2:13-18

•Thursday, December 29, 2011

Lectio: Luke 2,22-35

•Friday, December 30, 2011

Lectio: Luke 2,36-40

•Saturday, December 31, 2011

Lectio: John 1,1-18