In an old Jewish parable, a young man is troubled by the delay of the Messiah. He goes to his rabbi and asks: "Why does the Messiah not come? It may have been that in former times the Jews were not ready. But we have now endured the Holocaust and have never been so ready."

The wise rabbi drops his voice to a low whisper: "I will tell you a great secret," he says. "It is not we who are waiting for the Messiah. It is the Messiah who is waiting for us. He has been here all the time. We just haven't found ourselves to be ready for him."