From the Gospel of Luke    35 

physical part of the humanity of Christ came solely from the Virgin Mary, 

by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

    Holy Scripture lists the generations from Adam to Jesus (Luke 3:23 38). 

Seventy seven names are listed representing the seventy seven generations 

from the beginning of humanity to Jesus. Enoch is the seventh generation; 

Noah is the 10th; Abraham is the 21st; David is the 35th; and Jesus is the 

77th. 

     Then Peter came up and said to him, `Lord, how often shall my brother 

sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to 

him, `I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.'    

(Mt 18:21 22). 

    Seventy times seven is 490. But the reading  seventy times seven  can 

also be interpreted as  seventy seven times.  As is so often the case in Holy 

Scripture, both meanings are truly intended by God. 

    When read as  seventy seven,  it refers to all the generations of humanity 

that came before Jesus, all the way back to Adam. God has given all these 

generations mercy and forgiveness through His Only Son, Jesus Christ. 

Since God gave Jesus to the world despite all those generations of sin, we 

also ought to forgive one another. 

    When read as  seventy times seven,  it refers to that period of time 

spoken of by the prophet Daniel. 

      `Seventy weeks of years are decreed concerning your people and your 

holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for 

iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and 

prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.'   (Dan 9:24). 

    Seventy weeks of years is the same as seventy times seven because there 

are seven days in a week. This time of 490 years has already begun. It will 

end with the time described in the book of Revelation, the darkest days for 

the human race. Since God will forgive and heal the Church (and the world) 

even after those many years of sin, we also ought to forgive one another. 

Three Years and Six Months (Luke 4:25 26) 

      `But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of 

Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there 

came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them 

but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a 

widow.'   (Luke 4:25 26). 

    The Israelites endured 3  years of drought and famine during the time of 

Elijah (cf. James 5:17 18, 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1). Those years of suffering for 

the Israelites were a living prophecy of the 3  years of great suffering which