For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, the Vatican announced this past week that they will be placingst_peter_vatican the holy remains of St. Peter on display for the world to witness. The bones of St. Peter were first discovered in June of 1968 in a Roman cemetery in the city of the Vatican. He had died 1,950 years ago and was one of the first Christian martyrs.

Before I continue with the details surrounding this most historic event, I would like to provide you some past history with a quote from Ezekiel 37:1-14, that appears to mention these days. It is known as “The Valley of Dry Bones.”

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

I believe this event is significant due to the fact that there are signs in the bible, such as the one I quoted above that relates to the land of Israel and the bones. St Peter had said when speaking to the Jews; “the times of refreshing shall come, as in that these dry bones represented the whole house of Israel, and that as the dry bones were made to live, so the time shall come when dispersed Judah and outcast Israel shall be converted to God and live. This is the time of which St Peter speaks of; “the time of reanimation, or  the refreshing, and the Times of the Restitution of all Things, (A8s iii. 21.).” This is connected to the prophecy with the second advent of Christ where it is written; “there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”

DETAILS ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ST. PETER’S BONES

The bones of St. Peter will go on display November 24th. They will be displayed in St Peter’s Square at a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis to conclude the Year of Faith.

Last week, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization; wrote that the Catholic faithful making a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s tomb to mark the end of the Year of Faith will enjoy “the exposition … of the relics traditionally recognized as those of the apostle who gave his life for the Lord on this spot.”

According to the Guardian, Fisichella said the decision to display the relics was not to spark debate over their authenticity.

He said the bones hold “symbolic” and “underlying theological value” despite what any scientific tests may show.

“For the first time, the relics of the apostle will be displayed for the veneration of believers.(1)

RELATED HISTORY AND CURRENT WORLD WIDE EVENTS

St. Peter and PaulThese announcements fall close to the day of dedication for the churches of SS Peter and Paul at Rome which was on November 18th. It took over 100 years to build St. Peter’s Basilica and was consecrated on November 18, 1626 by Pope Urban VIII. It is the largest Catholic Church in the world, holding over 60,000 people.

The First St. Peter’s had been erected by Constantine in about 315 c.e. to honor the bones of Peter. On November 18, 326, the church was consecrated by Pope St. Sylvester in presence of the Emperor Constantine and Court on November 18, 324.(2)

The date that they will display the bones is the 24th of November, which has a connecting thread to history with the year 380 A.D. when Roman Emperor Theodosius I had made his adventus, or formal entry into Constantinople. The adventus was a military ceremony in ancient Rome, in which an emperor was formally welcomed into a city, either during a progress or after a military campaign, often (but not always) Rome. Theodosius I (Latin: Flavius Theodosius Augustus;11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. (Wikipedia)

His social transformation was a pivotal, if under-recognized, milestone in European history, it parted with the Roman slavery and inaugurated a feudal society.

In addition, these connections in time with the beginning of Roman dominion and a feudal society, we have matching dates with biblical passages that refer to the Son of man; these bones are the people of Israel coupled with the Vatican’s announcement on St. Peter. Last but not least, there is also next week’s historic summit between Pope Francis and Russian President Vladmir Putin. An event, that is marked as the most important meeting between Rome and Russia in a quarter of a century.

The Catholic New Agency Reports:

Rome, Italy, Nov 11, 2013 / 03:48 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 25 at the Vatican, according to the director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi.

On the following day, the Pontiff will meet with the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano.

The first meeting between Pope Francis and the Russian president comes after the Holy Father sent Putin a letter on Sept. 5, at the opening of the G-20 summit, calling on the group’s leaders to set aside the “useless” search for a military solution to the conflict in Syria and to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue and negotiation.

In February 2011, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a half hour meeting with Benedict XVI at the Vatican, which was two years after Russia had established full diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 2009, and just this year in May, Russia had appointed an ambassador to the Holy See.


ST PETER IN THE CHURCH St Peters Square - Storm Ahead

The English Peter is derived from the Latin “petra”, from the Greek word πέτρος (petros) meaning “stone” and also Father. Peter is the Rock, which the Catholic Church was built. This is confirmed by Jesus Christ who had said; ‘Thou art Peter (Petros), and upon this Rock (Petra) will I build my Church.’ Saint Peter would be the Father of the Catholic Church via the New Testament, and his predecessor was King David; the Father of the Old Testament. These facts are described by Saint Bede who had written;

‘Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock from which thou didst receive thy name, that is, upon Me Myself, I will build My Church. Upon this perfection of faith which thou didst confess I will build My Church, and if anyone turns aside from the society of this confession, even though it may seem to him that he does great things, he will not belong to the building which is My Church,;: [“Homily I.165, Aftr Epiphany,” Homilies on the Gospels,Bk. One. 163.]

As I mentioned above, St Peter when speaking to the Jews had said, “the times of refreshing shall come”. “The time of reanimation, or  refreshing,” which is connected in prophecy with the second advent of Christ,’ as it is written; “There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”

It is in Ezekiel 37:1-14, the prophet is shown “The Valley of Dry Bones;

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

SOURCES:

1. Pilgrim-walks in Rome: a guide to the holy places in the city and its vicinity  By Peter Joseph Chandlery

2. IB Times

3. All Open Source linked to in yellow and Wikipedia

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