Commemoration of the Appearance of the Sign of the Precious Cross over Jerusalem at the Third Hour of the Day during the Reign of Constantine (351); the Holy Martyr Acacius (286-305)
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Acts 17:1-15; John 11:47-57
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Each of the four evangelists have a particular sign associated with them. The Apostle and Evangelist John is associated with the eagle and this is because John’s Gospel is theological and eschatological, focused so much more on the Kingdom of Heaven than on our earthly existence.
We see today how the Pharisees and the chief priests are so focused on the earthly, temporal kingdom that they have created and which they feel Jesus is threatening that they miss the whole essence of Jesus’ preaching and teaching which is the establishment of a new, eternal, and heavenly Kingdom. By missing the message, the chief priests and Pharisees are tempted and encouraged to kill Jesus.
We, too, when we focus far too much on our earthly life and the acquisition of temporal things can neglect the more important eternal life that Jesus desires us to have. By over-focusing on the earthly life we can cause spiritual death on and within ourselves.