© 2016 Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The early Christians cherished the liturgy in their communal experiences. They were well aware of their relationship to Christ and to one another. They were conspicuous among the pagans as they practiced the virtue of charity towards all. The Mass is the heart of the Christian.
There is no better example of the importance of the Mass to the early Christians than can be found in the Acts of the Martyrs of Abitene, a small village near Carthage, in the Roman province known as Africa.
Early in the persecutions of Diocletion (c. 236 – 316), a group of 49 Christians were found guilty, in 304, of having illegally celebrated Sunday worship.
Although their bishop Fundanus, was unable to function as such, the persevering members of his flock met regularly for Mass, until one night they were discovered and arrested.
This first inquisition took place in the village street, after which they were marched off to Carthage for trial before Anulius, the proconsul. Each of them were questioned, and tortured, in order to get them to admit their guilt, and their sentencing was carried out in the presence of all those still awaiting their turns, and occupied at least two days, while stenographers recorded every word that was said. The crucial questions were the same for each of them: Were you at this assembly? And, why? Most of the martyrs-to-be replied to both questions with the same bold reply:
Saturninus (a priest): “we celebrated Mass despite you, for Mass cannot be omitted.”
Emeritus (a lector); ‘it was at my house we held the assembly, for Mass cannot be omitted, a law so orders.”
Emeritus (under torture): “Without the Mass we cannot live.”
Felix: “I am a Christian.”
Proconsul: “I asked if you had been at the assembly. Reply to that.”
Felix: “As if a Christian could be without the Mass, or as if Mass could be celebrated without the Christians there! Do you not know, Satan, that the Christians make the Mass and the Mass makes the Christians, so that neither can be had without the other?”
Victoria (a nun of noble rank, whose pagan brother had dramatically interposed to claim that she had been kidnapped by the Christians): “Not at all. Of my own free will and choice I went. I attended the assembly and I celebrated the Mass because I am a Christian.”
Another Felix: “I joyously celebrated Mass in the assembly with my brethren, because I am a Christian.”
Hilarian (a little boy): “Because I am a Christian, that is reason enough. No one made me go. I went freely with my father and brothers, and I took my part as a Christian” (PL 8, 705-715).
These men, women, and children died at Carthage to crown the sacrifice they began at Abitene; fulfilling their respective liturgies.
The early Mass was, at its simplest ceremonial structure, a rite lasting in an emergency, perhaps not much more that fifteen minutes. The once-a week Mass was at first the custom. By the end of the second century, it had developed into Mass three times a week, and by mid-third century, in Africa and Egypt, it had grown into daily Mass. Most localities had their Mass assemblies once per week on Sunday.
It was what might be called a plenary assembly of all Christians in a particular area: “all who live in cities or in the country gather together into one assembly.” (Justin Martyr, Apol., 67.)
Mass was usually held in combination with a service of prayer and scripture reading, the forerunner of today’s Mass of the Catechumens, but the actual Sacrifice was in its barest and simplest form. Even in its briefest form it was a solemn Mass in our modern sense of engaging clergy and laity alike.
Mass would be called to order by a greeting such as, “The Lord be with you,” or “Peace be with you.” Then there was given the “sign of peace” (Didache, 14). One of the earliest Christian writings, the Didache [Teaching of the Twelve Apostles] directs a deacon to cry out, as each embraced his neighbor; “Is there any man that keeps aught against his brother?
The kiss of peace has, in our Mass been transferred to bring it into closer connection with Holy Communion.
These Christians knew that it was the Lord’s death and resurrection that they were heralding. St. Cyprian said: “We make mention of His passion in all our sacrifices, for the passion of the Lord is the sacrifice we offer” (Epistle 63, 17). That was why their very word for the rite was thanksgiving. They were grateful that they could always and everywhere give thanks to God, who had called them from darkness into His light, freely pardoning them of their offenses, ennobling them with the spirit of adoption and the fellowship of the saints, all through the merits of that sublime sacrifice of the Cross, being re-presented before God and recalled before men.
Mockery, scourging, chains, imprisonment, martyrdom; what are these compared to the Mass?