Imagine a sailing ship, several miles offshore, being battered by stormy, raging seas and buffeted by high winds. The captain, prevented by the storm from getting into the safe harbor, lowers the anchor to the sea floor to prevent the wind and waves from sweeping the ship away. The anchor holds “sure and firm”; and though the ship is caught in a storm, the anchor keeps the ship from being lost or destroyed.
Today’s saint, St. Clement, is often depicted with the anchor. For it was the instrument of his martyrdom around the year 100. For opposing the emperor Trajan, Clement, the fourth Pope of the Roman Church, was condemned to death by drowning—he was tied to a marble anchor and thrown into the sea.
Clement is often depicted in art with the marble anchor by his side. Much like the cross, the terrible instrument of Our Savior’s agonizing death, has been transformed into a symbol of hope—so too, Clement’s anchor. The anchor is found in many of the catacombs and is still utilized in Church art and architecture as a symbol of hope. We HOPE that what we suffer for Christ—great trials and persecutions, and even offering up our minor inconveniences—we hope that these things will bear fruit in eternal life.
The letter to the Hebrews calls to mind this symbol. In speaking about the need to hold fast to the promises of God amidst the threat of persecution, Hebrews says, “This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil.”
When our lives become hectic, chaotic, stormy, we need to hold fast to Our Lord, who is our anchor. When we are firm in hope, we become safe from being swept away by the turmoil of the world.
Again, imagine, you are hiding in the catacombs, three of your best friends have just been thrown to the lions or burned at the stake, or crucified and set ablaze during the emperor’s persecution. The anchor reminds you, that Jesus’ peace can be yours in this life and the joy of heaven can be yours in the next, if you but hold fast to Him.
The relics of St. Ignatius our patron, are buried in the Church of St. Clement in Rome. And like Ignatius, Clement wrote to several of the churches before his martyrdom. Clement, writing to the Corinthians, calls to mind this virtue: “Having then this hope, let our souls be bound to Him who is faithful in His promises, and just in His judgments.”
The anchor, or the cross are not magic symbols that will banish our earthly storms; but if Christ is your anchor, your soul will survive the storm. Christ is the only hope for a future existence in heaven. If we remain true to Christ, if we die with him, then we shall be raised with him, forever and ever. May Christ be our anchor of hope today and all days for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
That the holy Father and all bishops and priests will help the Church will remain true to their mission of helping the Church grow in faith, hope, and love. Let us pray to the Lord.
For those who do not put their hope in the promises of Christ, for those who have left the Church or despair of God’s forgiveness, that the holy Spirit will bring the hopeless to safe harbor. Let us pray to the Lord.
For those undergoing the storms of life: for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the aged, the lonely, the grieving, those who are out of work, those who are facing financial difficulties or struggling with addiction, and those most vulnerable, that God will draw close to them, raise them up, and answer their needs. Let us pray to the Lord.
We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for…N for whom this mass is offered.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.
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