Another saint who gave us the legacy of a "title church" in Rome, Clement was the fourth bishop of Rome, after Peter (fourth counting Peter). According to the traditional list of Popes, he held the office from 88 to 97 AD. In 97, he was arrested, and exiled to hard labor in the mines, where he was martyred.
Clement is famous for continuing the tradition of the apostles, in which they wrote letters to Christians in other cities. The one surviving letter of Clement of Rome, known as "I Clement" is one of our earliest Christian documents that didn't make it into the Bible. The only earlier one is the Didache, but that's anonymous as to its authorship, so Clement is really the earliest of the Church fathers after the apostles (and actually the apostle John, at least, was still alive when Clement was of Bishop of Rome).
When I begin our series, "Meet the Parents," he will be the first "parent" we meet - that's coming soon, with the new liturgical year and the start of our second year in the Original Church Community.
Here are some photos from San Clemente in Rome, a church built on top of a church, which was built on top of a church, which was built on top of a warehouse (or house) where Clement himself presided over Mass when he was bishop. A place where Christians have been worshiping, singing, and praying, for almost the whole live of the Christian Church.
Dear friends - Please take 10 minutes to watch this personal update from me:
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
I hope to have another installment of THE JOURNEY up this Saturday - here's the text for the rest of the chapter - I didn't bother with the colored text since this is all from the Gospel of John.
