SAINT POLYCARP

St. Clement was the third successor of St. Peter the Pope of Rome. He was a Roman by birth, and of Jewish descent. He was converted to Christianity by St. Peter or St. Paul. He associated directly with the apostles, and was placed as a student of their teachings. Origen called him "a disciple of the apostles." Clement was possibly the coworker St Paul mentioned to the Philippians (Phil 4:3). Living at Rome, in his youth he received a fine education. He was surrounded by luxury, and had access to the imperial court. But the comforts brought him no delight, and the pagan wisdom failed to attract him. He began to think about the meaning of life. When the news about Christ and His teaching began to reach the capital, Saint Clement left his home and estate and set out to those lands, where the Apostles were preaching. At Alexandria Saint Clement encountered the holy Disciple Barnabas, hearkening to his words with deep attention, and with all his heart perceiving the power and truth of the Word of God. Arriving in Palestine, Saint Clement became the zealous student and constant companion of Apostle Peter sharing with him his toil and sufferings. The holy Apostle shortly before his own sufferings and death ordained Saint Clement to become a bishop of the city of Rome. After Apostle Peter's death, there followed next as Bishop of Rome, Saint Linus (67-79), succeeded by Saint Anacletus (79-91), and then came Saint Clement (92-101).

The virtuous life, charitable works and prayerful activity of holy Pope Clement converted many to Christ. On the day of Pascha he once baptized 424 people. Among the baptized were people of all social classes: slaves, officials, and members of the imperial family.

The pagans, seeing the success of his apostolic preaching, made denunciations against Saint Clement to the emperor Trajan (98-117), accusing the saint of insulting the pagan gods. The emperor exiled Saint Clement from the capital, sending him off to the faraway Crimea, for work in the mines .. While in exile and amidst a scarcity of water he opened a miraculous supply of water closer, for the nearest one was far, about six miles away. Many of the disciples of the saint followed him voluntarily preferring exile rather than separation from their spiritual father. Having arrived at the place of exile, Saint Clement found there many Christian believers, sentenced to toil under harsh conditions. This miracle of water supply attracted to Saint Clement a multitude of people. Hearing the gifted preacher, hundreds of pagans were converted to Christ. Each day innumerable converts were baptized. And there, in the stone quarry, a church was instituted in which he served as priest, and more churches were needed.

The apostolic activity of the saint aroused the wrath of the emperor Trajan. He gave orders to drown Saint Clement. They threw the martyr into the sea with an anchor around his neck. This occurred in the year 101.

Through the prayers of the saint's faithful disciples, the sea receded: angels were said to have made him a tomb on the sea-bed, which once a year was revealed by a miraculous ebbing of the tide. When it was uncovered by an exceptionally low tide years later, the people found the undecayed body of St. Clement together with the anchor. That was Seven centuries later when the missionary brothers Cyril and Methodius who were apostles of Slav countries, claimed the 'miraculously recovered' relics. Then The relics were translated to Rome in 868 and buried in a fine church carried his name. Fine frescoes there were depicting the Legend and Translation of the saint. His usual emblem in art is an anchor.

Saint Clement, who belongs to the Apostolic Fathers, has left to us a great spiritual legacy -- two epistles to the Corinthians -- the first such written memorials of Christian teaching after the writings of the holy Apostles. The significance of the small group of the generation of the Apostolic Fathers, which includes Saint Clement Pope of Rome, is that they learned the teaching of Christ directly from the Holy Apostles, who in turn learned directly from the Holy mouth of our Lord. The mark of the "Apostolicity of the Church" refers not only to the unbroken chain of priestly ordination stretching back to Christ Himself, but also to our fidelity in the Holy Spirit to the Holy Tradition of the Church stretching back directly through the Apostles to our Lord Jesus Christ, -- wherein our faith truly is one with "the Church of Christ and His Holy Apostles".

From his writing we find this eloquent teaching to the Corinthians: "Let every one be subject to another according to the order in which he is placed by the gift of God. Let not the strong man neglect the care of the weak; let the weak see that he respect the strong. Let the rich man distribute to the necessity of the poor, and let the poor bless God who gives him one to supply his want. Let the wise man show forth his wisdom not in words but in works..."

Martyrdom of St.Clement, Pope of Rome

( From the Coptic Synaxarium )

This Saint was born in Rome to an honorable father whose name was Fostinus; who was a member of the Senate. His father educated him and taught him Greek literature. When St. Peter, the Apostle, came to Rome and Clement heard about his teaching, he called him to appear before him and they discussed many things together. The Apostle explained to him the falsehood of idol worship and proved to him the Divinity of the Lord Christ, in Whose Name they preached and performed miracles. He believed at his hands, was baptized by him, and followed him since that day. St. Clement wrote the biography of the Apostles and what happened to them at the hands of the kings and rulers. He preached in numerous cities and many believed at his hands. He was the one to whom the apostles gave their Canon Books. He became the Archbishop of Rome in the latter part of the first century A.D. He preached there and brought many of its people to the knowledge of the Lord Christ.
Emperor Trajan heard of him and ordered him to be seized and brought to him. The Emperor commanded him to worship the idols and deny the Lord Christ, but St. Clement refused. Because the Emperor feared torturing him before the people of the city and before his family, he exiled him to a city and wrote a message to its Governor, telling him to torture St. Clement, then to kill him. The Governor tied his neck to an anchor and cast him into the sea. In this way, the Saint delivered up his pure spirit and received the crown of martyrdom, in the year 100 A.D. One year after his departure, the sea water receded off his body, which appeared in the bottom of the sea as though he was alive. Many went in and were blessed and they decided to take the body away from its place. They brought a marble coffin and laid him in it and when they wanted to take his body out of the sea, they were unable to move it. They knew that he did not wish to be moved from his place, so they left him and departed. On the day of his feast each year, the sea would flow back and the visitors would enter and be blessed by him. Many frequently travelled to see this wonder. Among the many miracles written about him: One year the visitors went in to visit and to be blessed by him and when they left, they forgot a little child who was behind the coffin of the Saint. This was according to the Lord Christ's Will, in order to reveal the honor of His beloved ones and the grace they had received from Him. When the child's parents remembered their son, they went back to the sea, but they found the water was back and that it had covered the casket. They realized that their son must be dead and devoured by the beasts of the sea. They wept over him and commemorated him as was the custom. The next year, when the sea waters receded, the people entered, as was their custom, and were amazed to find the child alive. They asked him how he existed and what he had eaten. He replied, "The Saint fed me, gave me drink, and protected me from the beasts of the sea." They praised the Lord Christ Who is glorified in all His saints.

May His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.