The Fulfillment of the Prophecies of Daniel

This week we dove into our classes, which were so richly filled with content that we could write dozens of different reflections on all of that content. But one of the bigger themes for many of us was revisiting parts of the Old Testament, and seeing God’s work of salvation history at play long before Jesus’ Incarnation.

Too often do we dismiss the Old Testament, believing that it is no longer relevant, and I’m guilty of that mentality too. We ought to always remember that the New Testament does not replace the Old, but rather, that the New is the fulfillment of the Old.

We found this to ring true when we studied the eerily accurate prophecies of Daniel, which was my favorite part of our classes so far. Daniel prophesied a lot of events that would come to pass, and we saw how these prophecies lined up with history as it progressed. But more important than any prophecy about historical events, Daniel prophesied about the coming of the Christ, the Anointed one. And he did so with such precision and accuracy, it’s impossible not to be awed by it.

Yet when this Christ does come as prophesied, almost five hundred years after these prophecies were made, so many people do not recognize him for who he is. When Jesus asked his apostles, “Who do men say that I am?” they answered “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” But then he asks them, “Who do you say that I am?” And it was Simon Peter who answered rightly, saying “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

This defining, critical moment is what sets Peter apart from the others, and why he was chosen to be our first pope. Let us pray to St. Peter, with the hope that we might one day have that same simple, profound faith.

Ben Johnson
The Rome Experience Class of 2016
Diocese of Green Bay