The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-06-25
GLIMPSE OF EARLY DAYS

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CATHOLIC TEACHING IN EARLY
DAYS OF THE CHURCH -
TEXTS OF FIRST AND SECOND
CENTURY WRITER'S SHOW
SIMILARITY OF ANCIENT HAB.
ITS TO MODERN PRACTICES
CHURCH ALWAYS HAD TO DE.
PLoRE ExcEssEs.
By DR.. Roderick A. MacEachen.
written for the N. c. w. C. News
Service.)
A reading Of early religious texts
impresses us with the fact that the
Christian teachers of the first CEN
turtles were confronted by practical
ly the same problems as those of to-
day. Human nature is always the
same; the same human inclinations
exist in all ages. In those far-off days
there was the same love of pleasure,
the same worldly spirit. In the midst
OF the luxury and pomp that prevail.
ed in pagan civilization, the Chris.
tians had adopted new form of life
fashioned after the life and teachings
OF Christ. It was the mission of the
Christian teacher to develop this new
life" amongst his people by warning
them against the practices and vices
of pagan life and by training them to
live in the light Of divine truth.
First Century Teaching.
The 'Didache ton Apostolon" (The
Teaching of the Apostles), written
by an unknown author toward the
end of the first century, is text used
for religious teaching. In the first
part the author describes the 1.-TWO
ways" the way of life and the way of
death. Beautifully he portrays the
virtues Of the Christian life. The sec
ond part Of this work treats of the
Mass, showing clearly that Mass was
celebrated in that far-off day as it is
today. Gather together" it says, ION
the Lords day to breal bread and
give thanks. But first confess your
sins SO that your sacrifice may be
pure" The Didache admonishes the
faithful to prepare well for the re-
ception of the Holy Eucharist. eff
any one is holy, let him approach;
but if any one is not holy, let him re-
pent."
Love was then the distinguishing
mark of Christians, according to the
mandate of Christ: 'eBy this shall all
men know that you are my disciples
if you have love one for another" (St.
John IL, 35). It was this quality in
the lives Of the Christians that i'm
pressed the pagans and made them
exclaim: Behold those Christians,
how they live, how they love one an
other!" Yet then, just as today,
sometimes dissensions arose among
the faithful.
Unifying Power Of Love.
We have a copy Of letter written
to the Corinthians by Pope Clement
about the end of the first century.
There was some trouble in the con-
gregation Of ,Corinth and the Saint
was writing to remind them of their
duty. It is love that is to restore
peace and harmony among them:
tWho can describe the bonds of God 8
love! What man can tell in fitting
manner, the excellence Of its beauty.
The height to which love elevates us
is unspeakable. Love unites us to
God; love covers multitude of sins;
love beareth all things, is always long
suffering. There is nothing base,
nothing arrogant in love. Love ad-
mits no schisms, gives rise to no Sc
ditions. Love does all things in har-
mony. Through love all the elect of
God have been made perfect; without
love nothing is pleasing to God. BY
love the Lord has taken us to Himself.
Out of love for us Jesus Christ, sub
to the will of the Father, shed
His blood for us, gave His flesh for
our flesh, His life for our souls" This
remarkable passage shows that the
third successor of st. Peter realized
the unifying power of love.
Perhaps the most important cate
chetical text of antiquity which we
possess is "The Shepherd" written
about the middle of the second CEN
fury by Hermas, of Rome. In a Sc
ries of visions, precepts, and simili-
tudes, he teaches the Christian life.
The Church he symbolically describes
as a tower in course of construction.
The faithful are the stones already
placed in the wall Other stones are
lying round about. Some Of these the
builders reject because they will not
fit into the structure (the impenitent).
Others that are round and uneven
must be hewn and made smooth so
as to fit into the wall. These are
those who are too much attached to
worldly goods and pleasures.
St. PoIycarp's Advice.
The early Christian teachers en-
phasized the position Of brotherly love
in the Christian life. We have a let
ter written by st. Polycarp (martyred
in 1867, to the Philippians in which
he says in part: "Be you lovers .of the
brotherhood, loving one another, be
united in the truth, treating one an
other with the meekness Of Christ"
In the same letter, he speaks of a