St. Cyril was born in Jerusalem and at the age of thirty was ordained a priest. He was given the duty of instructing the preparing the people for baptism. Cyril taught in a very clear, simple way that everyone could understand. He often repeated the words of the Holy Bible. Because the words of the Bible are the words of God, they move peoples hearts.
When the Bishop died, Cyril was chosen to take his place. Not long after he became Bishop of Jerusalem, a bright cross appeared in the sky. It was two miles long and reached from Mt. Calvary, where Jesus died, to Mt. Olivet, where Jesus suffered the Agony in the Garden. Perhaps this was a sign of the great persecutions the Church had to suffer in this period.
In St. Cyril’s time, the Emperor Julian, who had given up his Christian faith, said that Jesus had been wrong when He declared that the temple of Jerusalem would not be rebuilt. He decided to try to prove it. So he spent much money and sent all the materials for a new temple. Many people helped by giving jewels and precious metals. Yet St. Cyril was sure that the temple could not be built, because Jesus, Who is God, said so. And sure enough, first a storm, then an earthquake and finally a fire stopped the Emperor, and those with him had given up. God had put an end to their wicked plan!
Let us make up our minds never to read or to listen to anything which is different from what Jesus and His holy Church teach us.
