The brazen eagle stood upon the sphere

With wings outspread in readiness for flight,

Upholding on its figure words of light,

The faithful came with solemn hearts to hear.

 

As sacred text was heedfully proclaimed,

A fiery burst obscured the avian perch

And caused a gasp inside the crowded church.

Stained glass was then by brilliant light inflamed.

 

So high it flew above the thirsty land

To rain upon the earth God’s greening Word,

Descending on the globe from strand to strand.

 

The Gospel that has many people stirred,

Saint John as witness wrote by his own hand,

Whose hallowed symbol is that very bird.

 

In most Anglican Churches the lectern includes the image of an eagle.

Michael G. Tavella, Saint Perpetua and her companions, March 7, 2023