The soul of every faithful ardently desires to know these two dates, and yet, over 2000 years after the incarnation of Christ, we do not know with certainty what the real dates are and we are so divided when it comes to the celebration of these two moments.
At the beginning of Christianity, December 25 was not considered the birthday of the Lord Jesus. In the year 264, the Saturnalia were on December 25 and on this occasion, the Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed this day as that of the invincible Sun. Later, in the year 320, Pope Julius I was the one who established for the first time that the birthday of the Lord Jesus should be celebrated on December 25.
With great sadness we note that, in addition to not knowing these two historical dates precisely, although we have the impression that at least the birthday of our Savior is known to us, we find that we do not even manage to agree on them. Catholics and Orthodox, we celebrate Easter, that is, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord, on different dates every year, with rare exceptions. And even within the same religion, we set different dates every year. The Jews do not even recognize the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, so their Easter is only a celebration that recalls the moment when God brought them out of Egyptian slavery, and in no way the moment when the Son of God was crucified so that we could all gain eternal life.
We rejoice every time we celebrate the birthdays of our sons and daughters, and these dates have great significance for us. But the Son of God does not have a birthday that is consistent with historical dates.
We grieve and yet we feel closer to those who have passed away when we celebrate their passing. Again, we know the dates and keep them in our souls. But the Son of God does not have such a date. It is different from year to year and from one religion to another.
Heaven celebrates the two moments respecting historical dates but man saw fit to stop looking for them. We make conventions and try to distinguish ourselves from each other in beliefs and dogmas, and the result is that the Son of God does not receive our gratitude and homage in the two most important chronological and historical moments of his life: birth and death. In this context, those who wish to continue their research will find solace in the books that present the revelations of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich: ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and ”The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
In order to know at least a little about the life and spiritual experiences of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, we will present a series of assessments made about her by several personalities of the Catholic Church and beyond, presented in the preface to the book ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.
Mons. Reinhard Lettmann, Bishop of Munster, declared on the occasion of receiving on May 15, 2006 the title of Doctor honoris causa granted by the University of Bucharest, at the request of the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology within the University of Bucharest, the following: ‘‘She was a saint who fulfilled the will of God, through sufferings, stigmata, sacrifices and through her revelations about the life of Jesus Christ and his Mother, whom she loved so much and sacrificing herself much for the conversion of sinners.’’
Previously, the monsignor had declared: ‘‘In this period of barbaric renewal of the new paganism, dedicated to the veneration of the god Mammon (of money, to be understood), fully directed towards ever more sophisticated scientific discoveries, where the ideal of the heart and of the ‘‘human’’ are entirely sacrificed by the Faustian ideal of power, we need to direct a profound thought towards this martyr and spiritual sister who had already decided to sacrificed herself for all the souls of the world and of purgatory, with whom she had a particularly deep relationship, and offered them daily sacrifices, prayers, severe penances and good works. Let us appeal to her and to her merciful intervention so that many creatures today, as in her time, may be reconciled with our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Virgin Mary (whom Anne Catherine Emmerich loved so much). The blessed Augustinian sister will remain the cross on the way for those who want to be saved and find in her, consolation and guidance on the path to the heavenly homeland. In the name of Jesus Christ.’’
D. Gueranger, Abbot of Solesmes declared: ‘’In her revelations there are no contradictions with the truths of the Bible or even with the oral traditions of the Church. They wonderfully complete the Holy Scriptures and ecclesiastical history; they clarify the obscure points still insufficiently explained by theologians and exegetes. What we are surprised by in Emmerich and convinced by what he says is the boundless richness that surpasses any human supposition regarding the life of Jesus and Mary. Before this wonderful and boundless work, we cannot help but exclaim: “Here is the finger of God. She is fulfilling a great mission.”
Count Leopold Stolberg, after a visit to Sister Emmerich, wrote his impressions to his wife Sophia: “Her physique is delicate. Her face is pleasant and one can feel a lively and sensitive spirit. This sister, who worked hard and grazed sheep and milked cows in her childhood, speaks with a fine and delicate voice and expresses herself on religion in such a noble language that she could never have learned in a convent. She expresses herself not only conscientiously, but with an elevated spirit. His spiritual gaze, his clearly enlightened wisdom, and his deep love are breathed into everything he says.
Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his trip to Germany on May 1-2, 1987, when he visited the city and the Diocese of Munster, declared: “If indeed many other names could be cited, I recall at this moment Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, who showed us, with her special mystical vocation, the value of sacrifice and suffering in union with the crucified Lord.”
On October 3, 2004, on the occasion of the beatification of Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, Pope John Paul II also declared: “Her example opened the hearts of both the poor and the rich, both the simple and the cultured, whom she initiated into the consecrated love of Jesus Christ.”
Going through all these words of appreciation addressed to Sister Emmerich, whom she herself, in the piety, simplicity and holiness that characterized her, would have felt rather ashamed rather than delighted, as she said many times throughout her life, we feel encouraged to begin our study regarding a possible discovery of the historical dates of the birth and death on the cross of our Savior.
From the beginning it must be said that Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich did not communicate these dates directly, in her visions. We will not find anywhere in the two books indicated, the exact dates, in the form: the date of birth is…..; the date of death on the cross is…… The reader who opens these books for the first time, does not even look for this information and as such, does not even think that he could find it. We are so convinced that the date of birth of the Lord Jesus is December 25 and that the death on the cross occurred on a date that although we can approximate within certain limits, we could not find out exactly, that we no longer doubt these relative truths and we no longer seek to find out the true historical dates. The surprise that literally takes your breath away appears gradually, as you read the almost 1000 pages that make up the two books. The partial information gathered from various passages inserted not frequently but rather rarely and disparately, makes an idea sprout in the reader’s mind: is it possible that they were offered to us by mercy and with the approval of the One above and through the visions of Sister Ana Ecaterina Emmerich, so that we, those who thirst for the truth, can put them together and thus know the true dates of the birth and death of our Savior? Whoever rejects this idea from the start will stop here, but must know that he is disregarding the very words of Jesus: ”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door, will be opened.” – The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 7:7-8
The revelation that probably no reader would have expected to receive, and as a result, the huge surprise that he must face, being troubled by a deep emotion, is given by ”The Pilgrim” Clement Brentano in a subchapter of the book ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, entitled ”The Magi set off on their way to Bethlehem”, a subchapter whose importance is in no way emphasized or even suggested by the author, leaving only the attentive reader to glimpse its meaning:
‘’Vision shared by the visionary to the pilgrim in 1821
The visionary set the day of the Event a month before the date set by the church, that is, on November 25. On the same day she saw the Magi leaving for Judea….’’
What can we understand by analyzing the lines above? We could understand that the Pilgrim and Sister Emmerich are discussing an Event important enough to be highlighted using a capital letter. This Event actually took place on November 25, although the date set by the church, that is, the date on which it is celebrated by the Church, is December 25. This Event cannot be the departure of the Magi to Judea (Bethlehem) because this departure is the one that takes place on the day of the Event. Sister Emmerich will also speak about a ‘‘holy event’’ when she says:
‘‘From the conception of Mary onwards, astronomical symbols have always referred to the holy Event that was approaching.’’
Referring also to the ‘‘great Event’’, the visionary will say regarding the Magi who had gone to Bethlehem to worship before our Lord:
‘‘Great was their expectation; they were disappointed by Herod’s reception and by the people’s ignorance about the great Event.’’
The significance of this holy and great Event thus becomes clear: it is about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, which, according to the visions received by Sister Ana Ecaterina Emmerich, took place on November 25, and not on December 25 as is celebrated by the Church.
We can also understand why both Sister Emmerich and the author Clement Brentano, or perhaps even the high church figures who encouraged the publication of these visions, did not refer directly to the Nativity but preferred to use terms such as the great and holy Event. They probably felt slightly embarrassed by the fact that they approved of Sister Emmerich’s visions as a whole, including the one regarding the birth of the Savior on the historical date of November 25, and yet celebrated it on the date of December 25 accepted by the Church.
If we have learned so far that the date of the birth of Jesus is, according to Sister Emmerich’s visions, November 25, we can add a new clarification to this information by studying the chronological data indicated in the text of the same book.
In the chapters ‘‘The Birth of Jesus Christ’’ and ‘‘The Three Wise Men’’ from the book ‘‘The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary’’, Clement Brentano groups by days the visions Sister Emmerich had, regarding the events taking place in the life of the Holy Family around the birth of the Savior. These visions were revealed during the period Sunday, November 11, 1821 – Monday, December 31, indicating the calendar date but also the day of the week when they were revealed. We deduce that on Sunday, November 11, 1821, Anna Caterina Emmerich had the following visions…….; on Monday, November 12, the following visions……; on Tuesday, November 13, the following visions, and so on. The visions received starting with November 11, 1821 describe in chronological order moments in the life of the Holy Family before, during and after the birth of the Savior.
Although at first glance we might deduce that the dates indicated starting with Sunday, November 11 are only the dates on which Sister Emmerich revealed her visions to the Pilgrim, we will find that we receive information in the text according to which these dates refer at the same time to the day and historical date on which the events surrounding the birth occurred. For example, we learn that: ‘‘on the night between November 27 and 28, as the aurora was rising, Theodek and his retinue caught up Mensor and Sair, in an old, ruined city.’’ or that: ‘‘I saw the enormous united caravan (of the 3 magi) spreading across the vast plains; on December 5 they stopped by a fountain and watered the animals, but without unloading them.’’ or that: ‘‘the days from December 6 to 8 passed generally quite peacefully. The Holy Family was alone, except for the humble servant of Anne.’’
The conclusion that emerges is that each date indicated starting with Sunday, November 11, refers both to the moment when the visionary revealed a certain event to the Pilgrim, and to the real, historical date on which that event took place.
We thus deduce from the text that the date of birth of Jesus Christ is Sunday, November 25, extremely precious information because it will help us to further find out the year of his birth, according to the visions of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich.
Since the moment of the Savior’s birth is an extremely moving one, we will reproduce it below, as it was revealed to Sister Emmerich:
‘’The Birth of Christ: The splendor that radiated from the Blessed Virgin became ever more brilliant, so that it canceled the light of the lamps lit by Joseph.
The Blessed Virgin, kneeling on the mat on which she slept, remained with her face towards the East. A large, white tunic, without any ties, fell in wide folds around her body.
At twelve o’clock she was raptured in the ecstasy of prayer, she held her hands crossed on her chest. I then saw her body rise from the ground.
Meanwhile, the grotto became brighter and brighter, until the moment when the Blessed Virgin was completely enveloped, together with all things, in a splendor of infinite grandeur.
This scene radiated so much divine grace that I am unable to describe.
I saw The Most Holy Mary raptured for some time in ecstasy, then I saw her carefully covering, with a cloth, a small figure emerging from the splendor of rays, without touching it or lifting it.
After a certain time, I saw the Infant moving and heard Him crying. Then it seemed to me that The Most Holy Mary, ever Virgin, coming back to herself, would have lifted the Child and wrapped Him in the cloth with which she had covered Him. Lifting Him from the mat, she held Him to her breast.
The Blessed Virgin wrapped the Child in the veil and with her holy milk she breastfed the Savior. I saw a dense row of angelic figures with human appearance kneeling and adoring the divine Newborn; there were six angelic choirs in a dazzling light.’’
Keeping in our souls, as something of great value, these scenes of the birth of the Savior on Sunday, November 25, according to the revelations of Saint Anna Catherine Emmerich, we go further in the study undertaken and present another vision of the Sister, written in the book ‘’The dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ’’, regarding the real historical date of the crucifixion:
‘’In 1821, a few weeks before Easter, she recounted that, while praying, she had been warned: ‘’Remember! This year you will suffer on the historical day of the Passion and not on the Good Friday indicated by the church calendar.
On Friday, March 30, at 10 am, she fainted. Blood flooded her face and chest; bruises similar to the marks left by whiplashes appeared on her body. At noon, she stretched out in the shape of a cross and her arms tensed up as if ready to be dislocated. A few minutes after 2 p.m., drops of blood gushed from her hands and feet. On the contrary, she spent Good Friday, April 20, in sweet contemplation.
On February 19, 1822, she was warned once more that she would suffer on the last Friday of March and not on Good Friday, if she were to live until then, because heavy spiritual duties in prayer had been imposed on her and it seemed that she would soon die. She often felt great stinging pains in the place of her wounds.
On Fridays the 15th and 29th, blood flowed from the cross on his chest and from the wound in his side, and all the places of the stigmata turned bright red. Before the 29th of the month, he felt several times that a torrent of fire was rushing from his heart to his side, as well as along his arms and legs, to the place of the stigmata, where redness, inflammation and drops of sweat appeared, with the sensation that his blood was flowing there. On the evening of Thursday, February 28, he fell into an ecstasy of contemplation of the Passion of the Savior that lasted until Friday evening. Blood flowed from his chest, head and side; all the veins in his hands were swollen, and the places of the stigmata were red, with a painful and moist spot in the middle, although not a single drop of blood flowed from there.’’
Putting together the information gathered from the revelations of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, we can extract the two most important possible dates of the birth and crucifixion of our Savior:
-date of birth: Sunday, November 25;
-date of death on the cross: Friday, March 30.
These dates were revealed in the year 1821 and it is extremely interesting that it was precisely in this year that the Lord chose to transmit them to us through the Sister’s visions. In this year, 1821, November 25 was on a Sunday, and March 30 was on a Friday, just as November 25 was on a Sunday in the year in which the Lord was born, and March 30 was on a Friday in the year in which the Lord died. Moreover, the vision of the birth took place on the very day of November 25, 1821, and Sister Emmerich experienced the Passion of the Lord both spiritually and physically on the very day of March 30, 1821. All these “coincidences” cannot be accidental and show us once again that the Lord has a plan for us and even if He left us alone for a while, He is always present through the visions that the Saints receive and which He thus shares with us, those who wait for Him.
Knowing these two dates, could we hope to find out other information? Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich did not specify anywhere what the years of the Savior’s birth and death on the cross could be, but the most handy tool we have at our disposal, the mobile phone, will once again help us solve this problem, with the help of the calendar function. Analyzing the years of the first decade before Christ, the decade in which researchers unanimously agree that the Lord Jesus was born, we find that November 25 was a Sunday only in the year 4 before Christ. Thus, a possible date of birth of our Savior is crystallized: Sunday, November 25, year 4 before Christ. Regarding the day of death, we know so far that it was a Friday, March 30.
With what care and wisdom we are then guided to be able to complete the date of the crucifixion. The following revelation is contained in the book ”Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and it is she who establishes the connection between the two main moments in the life of our Savior:
‘‘When Jesus Christ was incarnated, the Blessed Virgin was a little over 14 years old. Christ was 33 years and three times for six weeks each old. I say three times for six weeks each, because at this moment I can’t remember this number.’’
When she speaks of the age of 33 years and three times for six weeks each, the Sister refers to the years of Jesus’ life. Adding to the date of birth, 33 years and three times for six weeks each, that is, 18 weeks, we arrive at the year 31 after Christ, where the end of the 18th week includes Friday, March 30, exactly the day that had been revealed to the Saint in a vision presented above.
All these dates, which are supported and deduced from each other, perfectly matching each other, although at first glance they might seem like simple coincidences to a skeptic, denote the special attention and importance that is given to them in Heaven and the fact that it is desired that we know them and pay them due respect and attention.
The Son of God was born, according to the visions of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, on Sunday, November 25, in the year 4 BC, and died on the cross on Friday, March 30, in the year 31 AD.
‘‘He came down from heaven and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. And he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and he suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.’’ (fragment from the Apostles Creed)
Come, Lord Jesus!
26 aug. 2025
Fara comentariiTHE TWO MOST IMPORTANT CHRONOLOGICAL DATES IN THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY: THAT OF THE BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR AND THAT OF HIS DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION
The soul of every faithful ardently desires to know these two dates, and yet, over 2000 years after the incarnation of Christ, we do not know with certainty what the real dates are and we are so divided when it comes to the celebration of these two moments.
At the beginning of Christianity, December 25 was not considered the birthday of the Lord Jesus. In the year 264, the Saturnalia were on December 25 and on this occasion, the Roman Emperor Aurelian proclaimed this day as that of the invincible Sun. Later, in the year 320, Pope Julius I was the one who established for the first time that the birthday of the Lord Jesus should be celebrated on December 25.
With great sadness we note that, in addition to not knowing these two historical dates precisely, although we have the impression that at least the birthday of our Savior is known to us, we find that we do not even manage to agree on them. Catholics and Orthodox, we celebrate Easter, that is, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord, on different dates every year, with rare exceptions. And even within the same religion, we set different dates every year. The Jews do not even recognize the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, so their Easter is only a celebration that recalls the moment when God brought them out of Egyptian slavery, and in no way the moment when the Son of God was crucified so that we could all gain eternal life.
We rejoice every time we celebrate the birthdays of our sons and daughters, and these dates have great significance for us. But the Son of God does not have a birthday that is consistent with historical dates.
We grieve and yet we feel closer to those who have passed away when we celebrate their passing. Again, we know the dates and keep them in our souls. But the Son of God does not have such a date. It is different from year to year and from one religion to another.
Heaven celebrates the two moments respecting historical dates but man saw fit to stop looking for them. We make conventions and try to distinguish ourselves from each other in beliefs and dogmas, and the result is that the Son of God does not receive our gratitude and homage in the two most important chronological and historical moments of his life: birth and death. In this context, those who wish to continue their research will find solace in the books that present the revelations of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich: ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and ”The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ”.
In order to know at least a little about the life and spiritual experiences of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, we will present a series of assessments made about her by several personalities of the Catholic Church and beyond, presented in the preface to the book ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary”.
Mons. Reinhard Lettmann, Bishop of Munster, declared on the occasion of receiving on May 15, 2006 the title of Doctor honoris causa granted by the University of Bucharest, at the request of the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology within the University of Bucharest, the following: ‘‘She was a saint who fulfilled the will of God, through sufferings, stigmata, sacrifices and through her revelations about the life of Jesus Christ and his Mother, whom she loved so much and sacrificing herself much for the conversion of sinners.’’
Previously, the monsignor had declared: ‘‘In this period of barbaric renewal of the new paganism, dedicated to the veneration of the god Mammon (of money, to be understood), fully directed towards ever more sophisticated scientific discoveries, where the ideal of the heart and of the ‘‘human’’ are entirely sacrificed by the Faustian ideal of power, we need to direct a profound thought towards this martyr and spiritual sister who had already decided to sacrificed herself for all the souls of the world and of purgatory, with whom she had a particularly deep relationship, and offered them daily sacrifices, prayers, severe penances and good works. Let us appeal to her and to her merciful intervention so that many creatures today, as in her time, may be reconciled with our Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Virgin Mary (whom Anne Catherine Emmerich loved so much). The blessed Augustinian sister will remain the cross on the way for those who want to be saved and find in her, consolation and guidance on the path to the heavenly homeland. In the name of Jesus Christ.’’
D. Gueranger, Abbot of Solesmes declared: ‘’In her revelations there are no contradictions with the truths of the Bible or even with the oral traditions of the Church. They wonderfully complete the Holy Scriptures and ecclesiastical history; they clarify the obscure points still insufficiently explained by theologians and exegetes. What we are surprised by in Emmerich and convinced by what he says is the boundless richness that surpasses any human supposition regarding the life of Jesus and Mary. Before this wonderful and boundless work, we cannot help but exclaim: “Here is the finger of God. She is fulfilling a great mission.”
Count Leopold Stolberg, after a visit to Sister Emmerich, wrote his impressions to his wife Sophia: “Her physique is delicate. Her face is pleasant and one can feel a lively and sensitive spirit. This sister, who worked hard and grazed sheep and milked cows in her childhood, speaks with a fine and delicate voice and expresses herself on religion in such a noble language that she could never have learned in a convent. She expresses herself not only conscientiously, but with an elevated spirit. His spiritual gaze, his clearly enlightened wisdom, and his deep love are breathed into everything he says.
Pope John Paul II, on the occasion of his trip to Germany on May 1-2, 1987, when he visited the city and the Diocese of Munster, declared: “If indeed many other names could be cited, I recall at this moment Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, who showed us, with her special mystical vocation, the value of sacrifice and suffering in union with the crucified Lord.”
On October 3, 2004, on the occasion of the beatification of Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich, Pope John Paul II also declared: “Her example opened the hearts of both the poor and the rich, both the simple and the cultured, whom she initiated into the consecrated love of Jesus Christ.”
Going through all these words of appreciation addressed to Sister Emmerich, whom she herself, in the piety, simplicity and holiness that characterized her, would have felt rather ashamed rather than delighted, as she said many times throughout her life, we feel encouraged to begin our study regarding a possible discovery of the historical dates of the birth and death on the cross of our Savior.
From the beginning it must be said that Sister Anna Ecaterina Emmerich did not communicate these dates directly, in her visions. We will not find anywhere in the two books indicated, the exact dates, in the form: the date of birth is…..; the date of death on the cross is…… The reader who opens these books for the first time, does not even look for this information and as such, does not even think that he could find it. We are so convinced that the date of birth of the Lord Jesus is December 25 and that the death on the cross occurred on a date that although we can approximate within certain limits, we could not find out exactly, that we no longer doubt these relative truths and we no longer seek to find out the true historical dates. The surprise that literally takes your breath away appears gradually, as you read the almost 1000 pages that make up the two books. The partial information gathered from various passages inserted not frequently but rather rarely and disparately, makes an idea sprout in the reader’s mind: is it possible that they were offered to us by mercy and with the approval of the One above and through the visions of Sister Ana Ecaterina Emmerich, so that we, those who thirst for the truth, can put them together and thus know the true dates of the birth and death of our Savior? Whoever rejects this idea from the start will stop here, but must know that he is disregarding the very words of Jesus: ”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door, will be opened.” – The Holy Gospel according to Matthew 7:7-8
The revelation that probably no reader would have expected to receive, and as a result, the huge surprise that he must face, being troubled by a deep emotion, is given by ”The Pilgrim” Clement Brentano in a subchapter of the book ”The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary”, entitled ”The Magi set off on their way to Bethlehem”, a subchapter whose importance is in no way emphasized or even suggested by the author, leaving only the attentive reader to glimpse its meaning:
‘’Vision shared by the visionary to the pilgrim in 1821
The visionary set the day of the Event a month before the date set by the church, that is, on November 25. On the same day she saw the Magi leaving for Judea….’’
What can we understand by analyzing the lines above? We could understand that the Pilgrim and Sister Emmerich are discussing an Event important enough to be highlighted using a capital letter. This Event actually took place on November 25, although the date set by the church, that is, the date on which it is celebrated by the Church, is December 25. This Event cannot be the departure of the Magi to Judea (Bethlehem) because this departure is the one that takes place on the day of the Event. Sister Emmerich will also speak about a ‘‘holy event’’ when she says:
‘‘From the conception of Mary onwards, astronomical symbols have always referred to the holy Event that was approaching.’’
Referring also to the ‘‘great Event’’, the visionary will say regarding the Magi who had gone to Bethlehem to worship before our Lord:
‘‘Great was their expectation; they were disappointed by Herod’s reception and by the people’s ignorance about the great Event.’’
The significance of this holy and great Event thus becomes clear: it is about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, which, according to the visions received by Sister Ana Ecaterina Emmerich, took place on November 25, and not on December 25 as is celebrated by the Church.
We can also understand why both Sister Emmerich and the author Clement Brentano, or perhaps even the high church figures who encouraged the publication of these visions, did not refer directly to the Nativity but preferred to use terms such as the great and holy Event. They probably felt slightly embarrassed by the fact that they approved of Sister Emmerich’s visions as a whole, including the one regarding the birth of the Savior on the historical date of November 25, and yet celebrated it on the date of December 25 accepted by the Church.
If we have learned so far that the date of the birth of Jesus is, according to Sister Emmerich’s visions, November 25, we can add a new clarification to this information by studying the chronological data indicated in the text of the same book.
In the chapters ‘‘The Birth of Jesus Christ’’ and ‘‘The Three Wise Men’’ from the book ‘‘The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary’’, Clement Brentano groups by days the visions Sister Emmerich had, regarding the events taking place in the life of the Holy Family around the birth of the Savior. These visions were revealed during the period Sunday, November 11, 1821 – Monday, December 31, indicating the calendar date but also the day of the week when they were revealed. We deduce that on Sunday, November 11, 1821, Anna Caterina Emmerich had the following visions…….; on Monday, November 12, the following visions……; on Tuesday, November 13, the following visions, and so on. The visions received starting with November 11, 1821 describe in chronological order moments in the life of the Holy Family before, during and after the birth of the Savior.
Although at first glance we might deduce that the dates indicated starting with Sunday, November 11 are only the dates on which Sister Emmerich revealed her visions to the Pilgrim, we will find that we receive information in the text according to which these dates refer at the same time to the day and historical date on which the events surrounding the birth occurred. For example, we learn that: ‘‘on the night between November 27 and 28, as the aurora was rising, Theodek and his retinue caught up Mensor and Sair, in an old, ruined city.’’ or that: ‘‘I saw the enormous united caravan (of the 3 magi) spreading across the vast plains; on December 5 they stopped by a fountain and watered the animals, but without unloading them.’’ or that: ‘‘the days from December 6 to 8 passed generally quite peacefully. The Holy Family was alone, except for the humble servant of Anne.’’
The conclusion that emerges is that each date indicated starting with Sunday, November 11, refers both to the moment when the visionary revealed a certain event to the Pilgrim, and to the real, historical date on which that event took place.
We thus deduce from the text that the date of birth of Jesus Christ is Sunday, November 25, extremely precious information because it will help us to further find out the year of his birth, according to the visions of Saint Anna Ecaterina Emmerich.
Since the moment of the Savior’s birth is an extremely moving one, we will reproduce it below, as it was revealed to Sister Emmerich:
‘’The Birth of Christ: The splendor that radiated from the Blessed Virgin became ever more brilliant, so that it canceled the light of the lamps lit by Joseph.
The Blessed Virgin, kneeling on the mat on which she slept, remained with her face towards the East. A large, white tunic, without any ties, fell in wide folds around her body.
At twelve o’clock she was raptured in the ecstasy of prayer, she held her hands crossed on her chest. I then saw her body rise from the ground.
Meanwhile, the grotto became brighter and brighter, until the moment when the Blessed Virgin was completely enveloped, together with all things, in a splendor of infinite grandeur.
This scene radiated so much divine grace that I am unable to describe.
I saw The Most Holy Mary raptured for some time in ecstasy, then I saw her carefully covering, with a cloth, a small figure emerging from the splendor of rays, without touching it or lifting it.
After a certain time, I saw the Infant moving and heard Him crying. Then it seemed to me that The Most Holy Mary, ever Virgin, coming back to herself, would have lifted the Child and wrapped Him in the cloth with which she had covered Him. Lifting Him from the mat, she held Him to her breast.
The Blessed Virgin wrapped the Child in the veil and with her holy milk she breastfed the Savior. I saw a dense row of angelic figures with human appearance kneeling and adoring the divine Newborn; there were six angelic choirs in a dazzling light.’’
Keeping in our souls, as something of great value, these scenes of the birth of the Savior on Sunday, November 25, according to the revelations of Saint Anna Catherine Emmerich, we go further in the study undertaken and present another vision of the Sister, written in the book ‘’The dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ’’, regarding the real historical date of the crucifixion:
‘’In 1821, a few weeks before Easter, she recounted that, while praying, she had been warned: ‘’Remember! This year you will suffer on the historical day of the Passion and not on the Good Friday indicated by the church calendar.
On Friday, March 30, at 10 am, she fainted. Blood flooded her face and chest; bruises similar to the marks left by whiplashes appeared on her body. At noon, she stretched out in the shape of a cross and her arms tensed up as if ready to be dislocated. A few minutes after 2 p.m., drops of blood gushed from her hands and feet. On the contrary, she spent Good Friday, April 20, in sweet contemplation.
On February 19, 1822, she was warned once more that she would suffer on the last Friday of March and not on Good Friday, if she were to live until then, because heavy spiritual duties in prayer had been imposed on her and it seemed that she would soon die. She often felt great stinging pains in the place of her wounds.
On Fridays the 15th and 29th, blood flowed from the cross on his chest and from the wound in his side, and all the places of the stigmata turned bright red. Before the 29th of the month, he felt several times that a torrent of fire was rushing from his heart to his side, as well as along his arms and legs, to the place of the stigmata, where redness, inflammation and drops of sweat appeared, with the sensation that his blood was flowing there. On the evening of Thursday, February 28, he fell into an ecstasy of contemplation of the Passion of the Savior that lasted until Friday evening. Blood flowed from his chest, head and side; all the veins in his hands were swollen, and the places of the stigmata were red, with a painful and moist spot in the middle, although not a single drop of blood flowed from there.’’
Putting together the information gathered from the revelations of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, we can extract the two most important possible dates of the birth and crucifixion of our Savior:
-date of birth: Sunday, November 25;
-date of death on the cross: Friday, March 30.
These dates were revealed in the year 1821 and it is extremely interesting that it was precisely in this year that the Lord chose to transmit them to us through the Sister’s visions. In this year, 1821, November 25 was on a Sunday, and March 30 was on a Friday, just as November 25 was on a Sunday in the year in which the Lord was born, and March 30 was on a Friday in the year in which the Lord died. Moreover, the vision of the birth took place on the very day of November 25, 1821, and Sister Emmerich experienced the Passion of the Lord both spiritually and physically on the very day of March 30, 1821. All these “coincidences” cannot be accidental and show us once again that the Lord has a plan for us and even if He left us alone for a while, He is always present through the visions that the Saints receive and which He thus shares with us, those who wait for Him.
Knowing these two dates, could we hope to find out other information? Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich did not specify anywhere what the years of the Savior’s birth and death on the cross could be, but the most handy tool we have at our disposal, the mobile phone, will once again help us solve this problem, with the help of the calendar function. Analyzing the years of the first decade before Christ, the decade in which researchers unanimously agree that the Lord Jesus was born, we find that November 25 was a Sunday only in the year 4 before Christ. Thus, a possible date of birth of our Savior is crystallized: Sunday, November 25, year 4 before Christ. Regarding the day of death, we know so far that it was a Friday, March 30.
With what care and wisdom we are then guided to be able to complete the date of the crucifixion. The following revelation is contained in the book ”Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary” and it is she who establishes the connection between the two main moments in the life of our Savior:
‘‘When Jesus Christ was incarnated, the Blessed Virgin was a little over 14 years old. Christ was 33 years and three times for six weeks each old. I say three times for six weeks each, because at this moment I can’t remember this number.’’
When she speaks of the age of 33 years and three times for six weeks each, the Sister refers to the years of Jesus’ life. Adding to the date of birth, 33 years and three times for six weeks each, that is, 18 weeks, we arrive at the year 31 after Christ, where the end of the 18th week includes Friday, March 30, exactly the day that had been revealed to the Saint in a vision presented above.
All these dates, which are supported and deduced from each other, perfectly matching each other, although at first glance they might seem like simple coincidences to a skeptic, denote the special attention and importance that is given to them in Heaven and the fact that it is desired that we know them and pay them due respect and attention.
The Son of God was born, according to the visions of Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, on Sunday, November 25, in the year 4 BC, and died on the cross on Friday, March 30, in the year 31 AD.
‘‘He came down from heaven and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. And he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and he suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.’’ (fragment from the Apostles Creed)
Come, Lord Jesus!