Fr. Victor Feltes on Jesus as the Center of History

"If you had walked through the streets Bethlehem or Rome asking people on the first Christmas Eve, 'What year is this,' the answers you'd hear might vary. The Sun numbers our days, the Moon tracks our months, and the seasons indicate the passage of years, but answering what year it is requires people to make reference to some shared historical event. . . .

"If you had run into a merchant on the first Christmas Eve who used the Roman coins and roads to trade goods, he might have said that it was 752nd year since the founding of the City of Rome. Considering the wealth and influence of Rome at that time, it might have seemed like that empire would live and reign in the world without end. However, from decay within and barbarian attacks from without, much of what that empire built remains today, if at all, only as ruins for tourists. . . .

"On the first Christmas Eve, some two thousand and eighteen years ago, only a handful of people on earth had any clue of the world-changing significance of what was about to occur. The baby born that night was the source of the universe and the center of human history."

In a recent commentary, Father Victor Feltes (pastor of Saint Wenceslaus Parish, Eastman, WI) reflected on the birth of Jesus as a turning point in Earth's history.

To access Fr. Feltes' complete reflection, please visit:

Parishable Items: Jesus Christ, the Center of History (25 DEC 17)