CATECHESIS & DAILY INSPIRATION |
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The Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (101) |
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The NATIVITY FAST
A time for preparation!
May our spiritual efforts bring us renewal in Christ!
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Reflections and Daily Inspiration |
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– Geronda, what should one think about on his birthday? – He should be thinking about the day of his death and be preparing for the great journey.
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CONFESSION:
The Path to Renewal of the Heart
25,793 views
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Is our monastic tradition relevant to our own lives?
Archbishop Nikitas, during his ‘Bad Religion’ talk last night for the Archdiocesan ‘Orthodoxy 101 course,’ mentioned that ‘we do not become better Christians simply for having visited certain pilgrimage sites or particular monasteries…’ or solely concentrating on external factors, statuses or rituals.
When we stand before our confessor and open up to God about our particular sins and troubles, the list of ‘spiritual quotes,’ we may know of, pilgrimage sites we have visited, or external acts of piety, probably have no or very little relevance whatsoever. We, as young Orthodox Christians, tend to fall into this trap of ‘ triumphalism,’ trying to gain higher ground, claiming or proving that we are somehow better than our neighbour regarding our faith and Christian Life.
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The Symbol of Faith: SIN
The word sin means literally “missing the mark.” It means the failure to be what one should be and to do what one should do.
Originally man was made to be the created image of God, to live in union with God’s divine life, and to rule over all creation. Man’s failure in this task is his sin which has also been called his fall.
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Bishop Jovan: Freedom is in responsibility, we must not do what we want!
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The ordination of Bishop Isichios of Markiani in Mexico (OCA)
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SAINT OF THE DAY
DECEMBER 8, / NOVEMBER 25
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The Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome (101)
Clement was born in Rome of royal lineage and was a contemporary of the holy apostles. His mother and two brothers, traveling on the sea, were carried by a storm to different places. His father then went to find his wife and two sons and he, too, became lost. Clement, being twenty-four years old, then set out for the east to seek his parents and brothers. In Alexandria, he made the acquaintance of the Apostle Barnabas and, afterward, joined the Apostle Peter whom his two brothers, Faustinus and Faustinian, were already following. By God’s providence, the Apostle Peter came upon Clement’s mother as an aged beggar woman, and then found his father as well. Thus, the whole family was united, and all returned to Rome as Christians. Clement did not separate himself from the great apostle, who appointed him as bishop before his death. After Peter’s martyrdom, Linus was Bishop of Rome, then Cletus—both of them for a short time— and then Clement. Clement governed the Church of God with flaming zeal, and from day to day brought a great number of un- believers to the Christian Faith. In addition, he ordered seven scribes to write the lives of the Christian martyrs who were suffering at that time for their Lord. The Emperor Trajan banished him to Cherson, where Clement found about two thousand exiled Christians. All were occupied with the difficult job of hewing stones in a waterless land. The Christians received Clement with great joy and he was a living source of comfort to them. By his prayer, he brought forth water from the ground and converted so many of the unbelieving natives to Christianity that, in one year, seventy-five churches were built there. To prevent his spreading the Christian Faith even more, the authorities condemned Clement to death, and drowned him in the sea with a stone around his neck in the year 101. His miracle-working relics were removed from the sea only in the time of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
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