"Ours is the crowning era foretold in prophecy: born of time, a great new cycle of centuries begins. Justice returns to earth, the Golden Age returns, and its first-born comes down from heaven above..."

And just who might this heavenly "first-born" child be? From what royal eminence does he descend? From what divine seed is he made? To whom shall he return, when his hour on this earthy stage is through?

We leave it to Virgil, the pagan saint of Dante's dream, to answer these great questions. I could think of no better passage than the Mantuan's "Fourth Eclogue" to bring in the holiday season. Enjoy!