Both the Old and the New Testaments speak of the last day, but in the New Testament the phrase "last days" takes on a special meaning. This special meaning is illustrated by St Peter's phrase "these last days" - Peter is obviously speaking not of some distant future at the end of history but of his own time. While the New Testament does speak of "the last days" or "the end of the age" to signify the end of the world, the special meaning that we are looking at here signifies that the time after Jesus, the time after he ascended to the Father's side and in union with the Father sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples - that time belongs to Jesus in a special way, for in him the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled, and all the deepest desires of the human heart are attained. We live in a "last time" for every age after Jesus is the age of Jesus. Through the mystery of the Church, the sacrament and God's saving grace, we live with Jesus as with a contemporary.