In the early church, catechumens were persons undergoing instruction prior to baptism.

Church Fathers:

Apostle Peter:

“To this Niceta replied: “I do not oppose, my lord Peter, your good and righteous counsel, but I wish to say something, so that by it I may learn what I do not know. What if, within this very year in which you order the delay, our father should die? Will he go down to the underworld empty of faith, and be tormented forever?” Then Peter said: “I embrace your loving intention toward your father, and I pardon you for what you do not know. For what do you suppose? That if someone is thought to have lived justly, he will immediately be saved? Do you not think he must be examined by Him who knows the secrets of men, to see in what manner he lived justly—lest it be found that he did so according to the customs of the nations, obeying their institutions and laws, or for the sake of human friendships, or by mere habit, or for some other cause or necessity, and not for the sake of justice itself nor for the sake of God? For those who live justly only for God and His righteousness—they shall come to eternal rest and receive the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Salvation is not gained by force, but by free will; not through the favor of men, but through faith in God. You must also consider that God foreknows and sees whether this man is His. And if He knows that he is not, what shall we do against those things which were ordained by Him from the beginning?  — Recognitions of Clement (Book 10 chapter 2)

But if he who comes to repentance is of more advanced age, he ought the more to give thanks to God, because, having received the knowledge of the truth, after all the violence of carnal lust has been broken, there awaits him no fight of contest, by which to repress the pleasures of the body rising against the mind. It remains, therefore, that he be exercised in the learning of the truth, and in works of mercy, that he may bring forth fruits worthy of repentance; and that he do not suppose that the proof of conversion is shown by length of time, but by strength of devotion and of purpose. For minds are manifest to God; and He does not take account of times, but of hearts. For He approves if any one, on hearing the preaching of the truth, does not delay, nor spend time in negligence, but immediately, and if I may say so, in the same moment, abhorring the past, begins to desire things to come, and burns with love of the heavenly kingdom. — Peter, Recognitions of Clement, Book 10, chapter 44

The Shepherd of Hermas:

And the other stones that you saw thrown far from the tower, and falling onto the road and rolling off the road to wastelands, are those who have believed but because of their double-mindedness abandon their true road. Thinking that they can find a better way, they go astray and wander about in misery, trudging through the wastelands. Those falling into the fire and burning are those who have completely rebelled against the living God, and the thought no longer enters their heart to repent on account of their licentious desires and the evil deeds they do. And do you want to know who are the ones that fall near the waters but are not able to roll into the water? They are the ones who heard the word and want to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then, when they remember the purity of the truth, they change their mind and return again to their evil desires. — The Shepherd of Hermas, Book 1, Vision 3.7

Ireneaus:

The Greeks, having arrested the slaves of Christian catechumens, used force against them. Ecumenius, citing Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.570.

Clement of Alexandria:

The young catechumen is imbued with perception and thought. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.510.

Further, husbandmen derived advantage from the law in such things. For it orders newly planted trees to be nourished three years in succession, and the superfluous growths to be cut off, to prevent them being loaded and pressed down; and to prevent their strength being exhausted from want, by the nutriment being frittered away, enjoins tilling and digging round them, so that [the tree] may not, by sending out suckers, hinder its growth. And it does not allow imperfect fruit to be plucked from immature trees, but after three years, in the fourth year; dedicating the first-fruits to God after the tree has attained maturity. (Luke 13:6-9) This type of husbandry may serve as a mode of instruction, teaching that we must cut the growths of sins, and the useless weeds of the mind that spring up round the vital fruit, till the shoot of faith is perfected and becomes strong. For in the fourth year, since there is need of time to him that is being solidly catechized, the four virtues are consecrated to God, the third alone being already joined to the fourth, the person of the Lord. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata 2.18

If, then, the milk is said by the apostle to belong to the babes, and meat to be the food of the full-grown, milk will be understood to be catechetical instruction —the first food, as it were, of the soul. And meat is the mystic contemplation; for this is the flesh and the blood of the Word, that is, the comprehension of the divine power and essence. Taste and see that the Lord is Christ, it is said. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata 5.10

Now also we say that it is requisite to purify the soul from corrupt and bad doctrines by right reason; and so thereafter to the recollection of the principal heads of doctrine. Since also before the communication of the mysteries they think it right to apply certain purifications to those who are to be initiated; so it is requisite for men to abandon impious opinion, and thus turn to the true tradition. – Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 7, chapter 4

Respecting the universe, he conceives truly and grandly in virtue of his reception of divine teaching. Beginning, then, with admiration of the Creation, and affording of himself a proof of his capability for receiving knowledge, he becomes a ready pupil of the Lord. Directly on hearing of God and Providence, he believed in consequence of the admiration he entertained. Through the power of impulse thence derived he devotes his energies in every way to learning, doing all those things by means of which he shall be able to acquire the knowledge of what he desires. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, book 7, chapter 11

Tertullian:

To begin with, it is doubtful [among the heretics] who is a catechumen and who is a believer. They all have access alike, they hear alike, and they pray alike. Tertullian (c. 197, W), 3.263.

Let no one, then, falter because of being assigned to the new recruit classes of hearers—as if on that account he has a license now even to sin. As soon as you know the Lord, you should fear Him. As soon as you have gazed on Him, you should reverence Him. For what difference does your knowing Him make, if you continue in the same practices as in bygone days—when you did not know Him? Furthermore, what is it that distinguishes you from a perfected servant of God? Is there one Christ for the baptized and another for the hearers? Tertullian (c. 203, W), 3.661, 662.

It is good that learners desire baptism, but do not hastily receive it. For he who desires it, honors it. He who hastily receives it, disdains it. . . . Hasty reception is the portion of irreverence. It inflates the seeker; it despises the Giver. And thus it sometimes deceives, for it promises to itself the gift before it is due. Tertullian (c. 203, W), 3.662.

Whatever counsel my small ability has given about seizing repentance once for all and holding it without end, it concerns all who owe the Lord their lives—as all are beggars of salvation from God—but especially it presses on these new beginners, who are just now starting to open their ears to the divine words. Like newborn pups, still unsteady in their eyes, they crawl uncertainly. They say, indeed, that they renounce their former ways and take up repentance, but they neglect to guard it. For even the very end of desire itself tempts them to crave something from the old life, like fruit that, though already turning sour and bitter, still flatters them a little with some part of its sweetness. Besides this, every fault of delay or excuse-making against repentance comes from a presumption upon baptism. Being certain of the guaranteed forgiveness of sins, they steal away the meantime from its true purpose, turning it into a holiday for sinning rather than a training for not sinning! How foolish, how perverse it is—not to fulfill repentance, and yet to expect forgiveness for sins! This is like refusing to pay the price, and still stretching out your hand for the purchase. For the Lord has determined to give forgiveness at this price, and proposes to grant freedom from punishment only in exchange for this repayment of repentance. If, then, even sellers of goods first examine the coin they take—to see that it is not clipped, not counterfeit, not false—shall we not believe that the Lord will first put repentance to the test before granting to us so great a reward, the reward of everlasting life? “But let’s delay real repentance for a while; once we’re forgiven, then we can set things right.” No! Repentance is needed while judgment still hangs over you, while you are not yet freed—so that you may become worthy of freedom—when God is still warning you, not when He has already forgiven. What servant, after being released, still keeps crying over his thefts and escapes? What soldier, after being discharged, still worries about his old charges of misconduct? The sinner must weep before forgiveness comes, because the time for repentance is the time of danger and fear. I do not deny God’s gift—that is, the erasing of sins—for those about to enter the water, that they are truly saved. But you must strive to reach that point. Yes, you may trick men—you might slip in by lies and fool the one appointed over this matter with your claims. But you will never deceive God. He protects His treasure and will never let the unworthy steal it. Didn’t He say, “Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed”? (Luke 8:17) However deep you bury your sins in darkness, God is light, and He will expose them. But some people think God is forced to give what He has promised, even to the unworthy. They turn His free kindness into slavery, as if He were bound to them. But if He gives out His pledge under compulsion, then He gives it unwillingly. And who will keep forever what he has handed over unwillingly? Don’t many later fall away? Won’t many have that gift taken from them? These are the ones who sneak in, who grab hold of repentance without sincerity, and build their house on sand, doomed to fall. Let no one flatter himself because he is counted among the ranks of hearers, as if he may still sin on that account. The moment you know the Lord, you must fear Him; the moment you have looked on Him, you must revere Him. But what good is it to know the truth if you keep living in the same sins you did before you knew it? How are you any different from the one who is still ignorant? What separates you from a true servant of God? Is there one Christ for the baptized and another for the hearers? One hope and reward for some, and another for others? One fear of judgment, one need for repentance for each group? No! Baptism is the seal of faith. And that faith begins and is proved in the faith of repentance. We are not washed in the water so that we may stop sinning, but because we have stopped. We were already washed in our hearts: this is the first baptism of the hearer—fear, because he has now recognized the Lord; faith with a clean conscience, because he has once for all embraced repentance. But if we stop sinning only after baptism, then it is by compulsion, not by choice, that we put on innocence. Who then is truly better? The one who is forced to avoid evil, or the one who hates it willingly? The one ordered to leave sin, or the one who delights in living free of it? If this is so, then we would only keep our hands from theft when locked up, and only hold back our eyes from lust when chained down by guards—if no one stops sinning for God’s sake unless baptism has tied him up. And if a man thinks this way, I wonder if he grieves more after baptism that he cannot sin, than rejoices that he has escaped it! So, those who are still hearers ought to desire baptism, not presume upon it. The one who desires it shows honor; the one who presumes shows pride. In the first is reverence, in the second is arrogance. The one strives, the other neglects. The one longs to be found worthy, the other demands it as if it were owed. The one receives, the other seizes. Who is more worthy except the one who is better corrected? And who is better corrected except the one who is more afraid—and therefore has truly fulfilled repentance? For he feared to sin again, lest he be unworthy to receive it. But the presumptuous man, promising it to himself and feeling secure, could not fear. And so he did not complete repentance, because he lacked its instrument—fear. Presumption is part of shamelessness: it puffs up the one asking, it despises the One giving, and so it often deceives. For it promises before the gift is owed, and in this way always offends the One who alone can give it. — Tertullian. On Repentance chapter 6 

Hippolytus:

Those who are newly brought forward to hear the Word shall first be brought before the teachers at the house, before all the people enter. Then they will be questioned concerning the reason that they have come forward to the faith. Those who bring them will bear witness concerning them as to whether they are able to hear. They shall be questioned concerning their life and occupation, marriage status, and whether they are slave or free. If they are the slaves of any of the faithful, and if their masters permit them, they may hear the Word. If their masters do not bear witness that they are good, let them be rejected. If their masters are pagans, teach them to please their masters, so that there will be no blasphemy. If a man has a wife, or a woman has a husband, let them be taught to be content, the husband with his wife, and the wife with her husband. If there is a man who does not live with a woman, let him be taught not to fornicate, but to either take a wife according to the law, or to remain as is. If there is someone who has a demon, such a one shall not hear the Word of the teacher until purified. Hippolytus, Apostolic Traditions 15

A military man in authority must not execute men. If he is ordered, he must not carry it out. Nor must he take military oath. If he refuses, he shall be rejected. If someone is a military governor, or the ruler of a city who wears the purple, he shall cease or he shall be rejected. The catechumen or faithful who wants to become a soldier is to be rejected, for he has despised God. – Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition, Chapter 16

When they are chosen who are to receive baptism, let their lives be examined, whether they have lived honorably while catechumens, whether they honored the widows. whether they visited the sick, and whether they have done every good work..If those who bring them forward bear witness for them that they have done so, then let them hear the Gospel. From the time at which they are set apart, place hands upon them daily so that they are exorcised. When the day approaches on which they are to be baptized, let the bishop exorcise each one of them, so that he will be certain whether each has been purified If there are any who are not purified, they shall be set apart. They have not heard the Word in faith, for the foreign spirit remained with each of them. Let those who are to be baptized be instructed that they bathe and wash on the fifth day of the week. If a woman is in the manner of women, let her be set apart and receive baptism another day. Those who are to receive baptism shall fast on the Preparation of the Sabbath. On the Sabbath, those who are to receive baptism shall all gather together in one place chosen according to the will of the bishop. They shall be commanded to pray and kneel. Then, laying his hand on them, he will exorcise every foreign spirit, so that they flee from them and never return to them. When he has finished exorcising them, he shall breathe on their faces and seal their foreheads, ears and noses. Then he shall raise them up. They shall all keep vigil all night, reading and instructing them. Hippolytus, Apostolic Tradition 20

Commodianus:

[INSTRUCTIONS TO CATECHUMENS:] In few words, I admonish all believers in Christ, who have forsaken idols, for your salvation.  In the first times, if in any way thou fallest into error, still, when entreated, do thou leave all things for Christ; and since thou hast known God, be a recruit good and approved, and let virgin modesty dwell with thee in purity.  Let the mind be watchful for good things.  Beware that thou fall not into former sins.  In baptism the coarse dress of thy birth is washed.  For if any sinful catechumen is marked with punishment, let him live in the signs of Christianity, although not without loss. The whole of the matter for thee is this, Do thou ever shun great sins. – The Instructions of Commodianus, chapter 46 (240 AD)

Origen:

You see in the congregation of what is more commonly called the church the catechumens dispersed behind those who are at the extreme end of it. Origen (c. 245, E), 9.447.

There are certain doctrines that are not made known to the multitude. Rather, they are [revealed to the few] after the outsiders have been taught. But this is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but also of philosophic systems. Origen (c. 248, E), 4.399.

Christians test beforehand the souls of those who wish to become their hearers. First, we instruct them in private. Once they appear to have sufficiently demonstrated their desire towards a virtuous life, then we introduce them [to other Christians]—but not before. Next, we privately form one class of those who are beginners. These are the ones who are receiving admission, but who have not yet obtained the mark of complete purification. And we form another class of those who have manifested to the best of their ability their intention to desire no other things than what are approved by Christians. Among these, there are certain persons appointed to make inquiries regarding the lives and behavior of those who join them—so that they can prevent those who commit acts of infamy from coming into their public assembly. However, those of a different character, they receive with their whole heart, in order that they may daily make them better. Origen (c. 248, E), 4.484, 485.

We do everything in our power to secure that our meetings should be composed of wise men. We then venture to bring forward publicly in our discussions those things among us that are especially excellent and divine. That is, when we have an abundance of intelligent hearers. However, we conceal and pass by in silence the truths of deeper importance when we see that our audience is composed of simpler minds, who need such instruction as is figuratively called milk. Origen (c. 248, E), 4.485.

He who acts as an initiator . . . will say to those who have been purified in heart: “He whose soul has, for a long time, been conscious of no evil—particularly since he yielded himself to the healing of the word—let such a person hear the doctrines that were spoken in private by Jesus to His genuine disciples.” Origen (c. 248, E), 4.488.

You catechumens-who gathered you into the Church?” What goad compelled you to leave your houses and come together in this assembly? We did not go to you from house to house. The Almighty Father put this zeal into your hearts by his invisible power. He knows you are worthy. He wills you to come to faith, reluctant and doubtful as you are, especially at the beginning of your religious faith. Timid and frightened, you received faith in salvation with fear. Catechumens, I entreat you. Do not shrink back. None of you should be afraid or terrified. Follow Jesus, who goes before you. He draws you to salvation. He gathers you into the Church, which in this age is on earth. – Origen, Homilies on Luke 7.7-8

Then, “Jordan” means “descending.”” But the “descending” river of God, one running with a vigorous force, is the Lord our Savior. Into him we are baptized with true water, saving water. Baptism is also preached “for the remission of sins.” Come, catechumens! Do penance, so that Baptism for the remission of sins will follow. He who stops sinning receives Baptism “for the remission of sins.” For, if anyone comes sinning to the washing, he does not receive forgiveness of sins. Therefore, I implore you, do not come to Baptism without caution and careful consideration. First show “results worthy of repentance.” Spend some time in good living. Keep yourselves clean of all stains and vices. Your sins will be forgiven when you yourselves begin to despise your own sins. Put aside your own offenses, and they will be forgiven you. – Origen, Homilies on Luke 21.4

But you should pay attention to what John says “to the people going out” to baptism. If anyone wants to be baptized, let him go out. One who remains in his original state and does not leave behind his habits and his customs does not come to baptism properly. To understand what it is to go out to baptism, accept the testimony and listen to the words by which God speaks to Abraham: “Go out of your land, ” and so forth. So John speaks the following words to the crowds that are going out to the baptismal washing-they have not gone out, but are only striving to go out. For, if they had already gone out, he would never call them “brood of vipers. ” So, whatever he says to them, he also says to you, men and women, catechumens! You are arranging to come to Baptism. Take heed, lest perhaps it can be said to you, “Brood of vipers.” For, if you have any similarity to sensual vipers and invisible serpents, “brood of vipers” will also be said to you. Unless you expel wickedness and the serpent’s venom from your hearts, the words that follow will also be said to you: “Who showed you how to flee from the wrath to come?” Origen, Homilies on Luke 22.5-6

Then there follows, “Who showed you how to flee from the wrath to come? Produce fruits worthy of repentance. ” To you, who are coming to Baptism, Scripture says, “Produce fruits worthy of repentance.” Do you want to know which fruits are worthy of repentance? “Charity is a fruit of the Spirit; joy is a fruit of the Spirit; so are peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, continence,”‘1 and the others of this sort. If we have all of these virtues, we have produced “fruits worthy of repentance.” Origen, Homilies on Luke 22.8

It is written about the manna of that time that if one receives it in the way God had commanded, he would be nourished by it; but if one wanted to receive it contrary to God’s command and contrary to the divinely established manner, he would not enjoy it as life-giving food, but “worms would spring forth” from it. And thus it came to pass that one and the same kind of manna generated for some worms and putrefaction, but for others it gave food that was health-giving and necessary for life. Now then, our manna is the Word of God, and with us the word of God is effective for salvation for some, but for others it yields punishment. And for this reason, I think, the Lord and Savior himself, who is “the living word of God,” said: “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” How much better would it have been for some people not to have heard the word of God at all, than to hear it with malice, and to hear it with hypocrisy! Now we speak of “better” in comparison with evil things; for it is truly better and truly more right and more perfect that the one who hears the word of God hears it with a good and simple heart, that he hears it with an upright and ready heart, so that he might bear fruit and grow as in the good earth, as it were. Origen, Homilies on Numbers 3.1.1

We have said these things as a preface on account of some of those who gather to hear with a mind that is neither simple nor faithful. I am talking about certain catechumens with whom perhaps some even of those who have already received baptism may be grouped. “For not all who are from Israel are Israelites,” nor are all who have been washed in the water immediately also washed by the Holy Spirit; just as, on the contrary, not all who are numbered among the catechumens are estranged from and devoid of the Holy Spirit. For in the holy Scriptures I find that some catechumens were worthy to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and others who had received baptism were unworthy of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius was a catechumen, and before he came to the waters, he merited to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon had received baptism, but because he approached this grace with hypocrisy, he is rejected from the gift of the Holy Spirit. I do not want you to doubt that even now there are some Corneliuses among the crowd of catechumens, to whom it could be said that “your acts of mercy and your prayers have ascended to God.” On the other hand, there are also some Simons in the crowd of believers, to whom it ought to be boldly said: “O you who are filled with all deceit and deception, son of the devil, enemy of all justice.” I am saying these things as a rebuke to my own self, not merely to the hearers. For I too am one of those listening to the word of God. Origen, Homilies on Numbers 3.1.2

We can admonish our own people in the Church as well. For instance we might say that the catechumens are the ones who are still uncircumcised, or even Gentiles, and those who are believers by means of the grace of baptism are the circumcised. If a catechumen, then, who has not yet been circumcised by means of the grace of the [baptismal] bath, should observe the law of Christ and keep his commands and righteous requirements, by comparison, is he not judging him who is called a believer but who does not keep the precepts and law of Christ and who despises the commandments? Commentary on Romans 2.13.2

For thus it says, “And the priest who cleanses him will establish him in the sight of the Lord at the door of the Tent of Witness.”(Lev. 14:11) See that it is for the priest “to establish” the one who is converted from sin so that he can be steadfast and not waver further nor “be moved by every wind of doctrine.” Origen, Homilies on Leviticus 8.11.12

We have said these things as a preface on account of some of those who gather to hear with a mind that is neither simple nor faithful. I am talking about certain catechumens with whom perhaps some even of those who have already received baptism may be grouped. “For not all who are from Israel are Israelites,” nor are all who have been washed in the water immediately also washed by the Holy Spirit; just as, on the contrary, not all who are numbered among the catechumens are estranged from and devoid of the Holy Spirit. For in the holy Scriptures I find that some catechumens were worthy to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and others who had received baptism were unworthy of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Cornelius was a catechumen, and before he came to the waters, he merited to receive the Holy Spirit. Simon had received baptism, but because he approached this grace with hypocrisy, he is rejected from the gift of the Holy Spirit. I do not want you to doubt that even now there are some Corneliuses among the crowd of catechumens, to whom it could be said that “your acts of mercy and your prayers have ascended to God.” On the other hand, there are also some Simons in the crowd of believers, to whom it ought to be boldly said: ” you who are filled with all deceit and deception, son of the devil, enemy of all justice.” I am saying these things as a rebuke to my own self, not merely to the hearers. For I too am one of those listening to the word of God. Origen, Homilies on Numbers 3.1.2

​​After this it is added: “And the sons of Israel,” it says, “became lords over all his land.” This entire earthly region is called the land of Sihon, but Christ and his church are lords over the whole land of Sihon. “And they became lords from the Arnon to the Jabbok.”8 Arnon and Jabbok were cities of the kingdom of Sihon. The beginning of his kingdom was Arnon and the end was Jabbok, and this is why it is said that “they became lords from Arnon to Jabbok.” Num. 21:24 Now Arnon translates as: “their curses.” Thus, curses mark the beginning of the kingdom of this puffed up and unfruitful Sihon. But the end is Jabbok, which translates as “struggle.” For it is necessary that everyone who wants to come out of the kingdom of the devil and escape from his borders will encounter a struggle, and the devil’s ministers and satellites will incite combats against him. But if one struggles and conquers, it will no longer be a Jabbok, the city of Sihon, but it will be a city of Israel.  Origen, Homilies on Numbers 13.1.2

“You were not washed with water unto salvation” [Ezek 16:4]. Let us see what happens to Jerusalem lest the same fate befall us. It may be said, for example: A woman has now been washed, but one asks whether this leads to salvation, in order that we too may have fear. This is why the words are added: “Unto salvation.” Not all are washed “unto salvation.” We who have received the grace of baptism in the name of Christ have been washed; but I do not know who has been “washed unto salvation.” Simon was washed, and “after being baptized he continued in the company of Philip” [cf. Acts 8:13]. But because he was not washed “unto salvation,” he was condemned by him who said to him in the Holy Spirit: “Your money perish with you!” [Acts 8:20]. It is immensely difficult for someone who is washed to be washed unto salvation. Pay attention and listen to what is being said here, you catechumens; prepare yourselves, while you are catechumens, while you are not yet baptized, and you may come to the washing and be washed “unto salvation.” May you not be washed like some who are washed but not “unto salvation.” Such a one receives the water but does not receive the Holy Spirit [cf. John 3:5]. The one who is washed unto salvation receives water and the Holy Spirit. Since Simon was not washed “unto salvation,” he received water, but he did not receive the Holy Spirit, “thinking that the gift of the Spirit could be acquired with money” [Acts 8:20]. He was not washed with water unto salvation [Ezek 16:4]. To every sinful soul which seems to believe, these things are said which we now read as being said to Jerusalem, so that I do not climb to higher levels to search out meanings that are beyond my power and ability. – Origen, Homilies on Ezekiel 5.5

Therefore, “your eye was not sparing toward you,” he says, “that I should do for you one of all these things, that I should suffer anything over you.” And since you became like this, “You were cast out on the face of the field” [Ezek 16:5]. God, do not suffer us to be like this, that we too be cast out by you from your church on the face of the field, but instead let us go out to the field from the narrow places of meanings! “And you were cast out on the face of the field.” Why? “For the depravity of your soul on the day on which you were born” [Ezek 16:5]. Can anyone have depravity of soul on the very day of birth? So then, he is describing our passions and human vices and customary depravities. For through our depravity, if our heart is not right, we are cast out onto the field on the day on which we are born. If, after the rebirth of the bath, after [receiving] the word of God, we sin again, on that day on which we are born, we are cast out. All too often we find people like this who have been washed in the “washing of the second regeneration” [cf. Titus 3:5] and do not “bear fruits that are worthy of repentance” [Luke 3:8]. They do not rejoice in the mystery of baptism with a greater fear of him whom they held in regard when they were catechumens, nor do we find them having a deeper love than they practiced when they were only hearers of the word, nor do they have holier deeds than they did before. For men of this sort there follows what is spoken of here: “You were cast out on the face of the field because of the depravity of your soul on the day on which you were born” [Ezek 16:5]. – Origen, Homilies on Ezekiel 6.7.1

It follows: “And you set before their face my oil and my incense” [Ezek 16:18]. When Scripture teaches, we learn that incense stands for the prayer of the saints. For it says: “Now the incense is the prayers of the saints” [Rev 5:8]. If, then, we who have been appointed for prayer, though we ought to offer it to God—that is, to the God of the law and the prophets, “to the God of Abraham, to the God of Isaac, to the God of Jacob” [cf. Matt 22:32], and to the Father of Jesus Christ—we offer to those things that we ourselves have fabricated, to the point that we set God’s incense before idols, we are doing what is said in the present passage: “And you set before their face my oil and my incense.” Now let this be the interpretation of the incense. What account shall we give of the oil? Oil is that by which a holy man is anointed, the oil of Christ, the oil of holy doctrine. So then, when someone receives this oil that the saint makes use of, that is, the Scripture that lays down how he ought to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [cf. Matt 28:19], and by making a few changes he anoints someone and says some such thing as: You are no longer a catechumen, you have attained to “the washing of the second birth” [Titus 3:5], such a man takes the oil and incense of God and puts it before the face of idols. – Origen, Homilies on Ezekiel 7.3.4

“Cursed is the one who turns aside the judgment of the proselyte, the orphan, and the widow.”  Deuteronomy 27:19 He places under the same curse those who turn aside the judgment of the proselyte, the orphan, and the widow, saying the same thing in another way. For if the written law has the beneficial power, so too the theory is of greater importance. For proselytes are those from the nations who come to the holy Church of God. And the orphans are chiefly those who have renounced their father Satan, and have not yet put on Jesus, but are still being catechized, numbered among the rest. Similarly, these are widows, who have turned away from the one who sowed among them the seeds of perdition; yet they have not been joined to Christ, as a pure virgin, according to the divine Apostle. Therefore, those who turn aside the judgment of these, and do not deliver to them the uncorrupted mystery of godliness, are under a curse. And all the others, whoever diligently advances, will be able to spiritually perceive, as the interpretation is preserved. — Origen, Selections on Deuteronomy (Patrologia Graeca vol. 17.33)

If you have considered this illustration from physical realities sufficiently, let us now move on from these things to the understanding of spiritual things. Every rational nature needs to be nourished by foods that are proper to it and that correspond to it. Now the true food of a rational nature is the Word of God. But just as in the nourishment of the body we have just granted many differences, this also applies to the rational nature, which feeds, as we have said, on reason and the Word of God. Not every nature is nourished by one and the same Word. That is why, as in the physical illustration, the food some have in the Word of God is milk—that is, the clearer and simpler doctrine. This normally consists in moral instruction, which is customarily given to those who are starting out in divine studies and who are receiving the first elements of a rational education. And so, when some such reading from the divine books is recited, in which there seems to be nothing obscure, they gladly receive it—for example, the brief books of Esther, Judith, or even Tobit, or the precepts of the book of Wisdom. But if the book of Leviticus is read to him, his mind immediately stumbles and he flees from it as from something that is not his own food. For the one who had come to learn how to worship God and how to receive his commandments concerning justice and piety hears precepts given about sacrifices and the rites taught that concern immolation. Why should one not immediately turn away from what is heard and, so to speak, refuse the food as not suitable for him? — Origen, Homilies on Numbers 27.1.2-3

Moreover, when the Gospels or the apostle or the Psalms are read, another person joyfully receives them, gladly embraces them, and rejoices in gathering from them, as it were, certain remedies for his weakness. But if the book of Numbers is read to him, and especially those passages which we now have in hand, he will judge that there is nothing advantageous, nothing as a remedy for his weakness or that will benefit the salvation of his soul. Instead, he will immediately reject it and spit it out, as heavy and burdensome foods and as those that are not suitable to a sick and weak soul. But if I may return to the illustration from the physical world, if understanding were given to a lion, for example, he will not immediately blame the abundance of grasses that has been created, because he himself feeds on raw meat, nor will he say that they were made by the Creator needlessly, because he does not use them as food. Neither should a human being, because he uses bread and other nourishment suitable to him, blame God for making snakes, which apparently supply food for deer. Nor should the sheep or the ox, for example, find fault with the fact that it has been given to other animals to feed on meat, though for them grasses alone suffice for them to eat. — Origen, Homilies on Numbers 27.1.4

 For the philosophers who converse in public do not pick and choose their hearers, but he who likes stands and listens. The Christians, however, having previously, so far as possible, tested the souls of those who wish to become their hearers, and having previously instructed them in private, when they appear (before entering the community) to have sufficiently evinced their desire towards a virtuous life, introduce them then, and not before, privately forming one class of those who are beginners, and are receiving admission, but who have not yet obtained the mark of complete purification; and another of those who have manifested to the best of their ability their intention to desire no other things than are approved by Christians; and among these there are certain persons appointed to make inquiries regarding the lives and behaviour of those who join them, in order that they may prevent those who commit acts of infamy from coming into their public assembly, while those of a different character they receive with their whole heart, in order that they may daily make them better. And this is their method of procedure, both with those who are sinners, and especially with those who lead dissolute lives, whom they exclude from their community, although, according to Celsus, they resemble those who in the market-places perform the most shameful tricks. – Origen, Against Celsus, Book 3, chapter 51

And as we teach, moreover, “that wisdom will not enter into the soul of a base man, nor dwell in a body that is involved in sin,” Wisdom 1:4 we say, Whoever has clean hands, and therefore lifts up holy hands to God, and by reason of being occupied with elevated and heavenly things, can say, “The lifting up of my hands is as the evening sacrifice,” let him come to us; and whoever has a wise tongue through meditating on the law of the Lord day and night, and by “reason of habit has his senses exercised to discern between good and evil,” let him have no reluctance in coming to the strong and rational sustenance which is adapted to those who are athletes in piety and every virtue. And since the grace of God is with all those who love with a pure affection the teacher of the doctrines of immortality, whoever is pure not only from all defilement, but from what are regarded as lesser transgressions, let him be boldly initiated in the mysteries of Jesus, which properly are made known only to the holy and the pure. – Origen, Against Celsus, Book 3, chapter 60

Because he wants to show in these matters what it means to be dead to sin, he says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? For we have been buried with him through baptism into death,” (Romans 6:3–4) teaching through these things that if someone has first died to sin, he has necessarily been buried with Christ in baptism. But if the person does not die to sin beforehand, he cannot be buried with Christ. For no one who is still alive is ever buried. But if one is not buried with Christ, he is not validly baptized. …. First you must die to sin so that you can be buried with Christ; for a burial is required for a dead person. For if you are still living to sin, you cannot be buried with Christ or be placed in his new tomb, since your old man is still alive and cannot walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). This is why it was important to the Holy Spirit to hand down in the Scriptures even the fact that it was a new tomb in which Jesus was buried, and that he was wrapped in clean linen so that everyone who wants to be buried with Christ through baptism might know that nothing of the old should be laid in the new tomb and nothing unclean should be brought to a clean linen. — Origen, Commentary on Romans 5.8.2, 4

Just as no living man can be buried with a dead man, so no one who is still living to sin can be buried together in baptism with Christ, who has died to sin (Romans 6:10). Therefore those who are hastening to baptism ought to take care as a matter of first importance that they should first die to sin. And in this way they can be buried with Christ through baptism (Romans 6:4) so they might say, “Always carrying around the death of Jesus Christ in our body so that the life of Jesus Christ might be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:10–11). — Origen, Commentary on Romans 5.8.10

Indeed you who long to draw near to the hearing of the divine law have recently forsaken the darkness of idolatry and are now for the first time forsaking Egypt. When you are reckoned among the number of catechumens and have undertaken to submit to the precepts of the Church, you have parted the Red Sea and, placed in the stations of the desert, you daily devote yourself to hearing the Law of God and to looking upon the face of Moses, through which the glory of the Lord is revealed. But if you also have entered the mystic font of baptism and in the presence of the priestly and Levitical order have been instructed by those venerable and magnificent sacraments, which are known to those who are permitted to know those things, then, with the Jordan parted, you will enter the land of promise by the services of the priests. In this land, Jesus receives you after Moses, and becomes for you the leader of a new way. — Origen, Homilies on Joshua 4.1.

Nevertheless, you “proselytes,” that is, catechumens, should not remain catechumens indefinitely after Jesus has recited the Law to you and revealed spiritual understanding to your hearts. But make haste to lay hold of the grace of God so that you too may be numbered with the church of the sons of Israel. — Origen, Homilies on Joshua 9.9.

Cyprian:

The catechumen should now sin no longer. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.554.

Firmilian:

If they have departed this life, they are considered to be in the number of those who have been catechumens among us, but who died before they were baptized. Of course, they had attained no small advantage of truth and faith by forsaking error. However, they were prevented by death from gaining the consummation of grace. Firmilian (c. 256, E), 5.395.

Disputation of Archelaus and Manes:

The church now declares these mysteries to you who are transferred from the roles of the catechumens. However, it is not her custom to declare them to the Gentiles. For we do not declare the mysteries concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to a Gentile. Neither do we speak of the mysteries plainly in the presence of the catechumens. Disputation of Archelaus and Manes (c. 320, E), 6.235.

Council of Neocaesarea:

If catechumen coming into the Church have taken his place in the order of catechumens, and fall into sin, let him, if a kneeler, become a hearer and sin no more. But should he again sin while a hearer, let him be cast out. — Canon 5 of the Council of Neocaesarea (315 AD)

Apostolic Constitutions:

Instruct the catechumens in the elements of religion and then baptize them. Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390, E), 7.457.

Let him . . . be instructed before his baptism in the knowledge of the unbegotten God, in the understanding of His Only Begotten Son, and in the assured acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit. Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390, E), 7.475.

Let him who is to be a catechumen be a catechumen for three years. However, if anyone is diligent and has a good-will to his earnestness, let him be admitted [to baptism]. For it is not the length of time that is to be judged, but the course of life. Apostolic Constitutions (compiled c. 390, E), 7.495; extended discussion of subjects to be taught to the catechumen: 7.475, 476.

Let him, therefore, who is to be taught the truth in regard to piety be instructed before his baptism in the knowledge of the unbegotten God, in the understanding of His only begotten Son, in the assured acknowledgment of the Holy Ghost. Let him learn the order of the several parts of the creation, the series of providence, the different dispensations of Your laws. Let him be instructed why the world was made, and why man was appointed to be a citizen therein; let him also know his own nature, of what sort it is; let him be taught how God punished the wicked with water and fire, and did glorify the saints in every generation — I mean Seth, and Enos, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham and his posterity, and Melchizedek, and Job, and Moses, and Joshua, and Caleb, and Phineas the priest, and those that were holy in every generation; and how God still took care of and did not reject mankind, but called them from their error and vanity to the acknowledgment of the truth at various seasons, reducing them from bondage and impiety unto liberty and piety, from injustice to righteousness, from death eternal to everlasting life. Let him that offers himself to baptism learn these and the like things during the time that he is a catechumen; and let him who lays his hands upon him adore God, the Lord of the whole world, and thank Him for His creation, for His sending Christ His only begotten Son, that He might save man by blotting out his transgressions, and that He might remit ungodliness and sins, and might purify him from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, 2 Corinthians 7:1 and sanctify man according to the good pleasure of His kindness, that He might inspire him with the knowledge of His will, and enlighten the eyes of his heart to consider of His wonderful works, and make known to him the judgments of righteousness, that so he might hate every way of iniquity, and walk in the way of truth, that he might be thought worthy of the laver of regeneration, to the adoption of sons, which is in Christ, that being planted together in the likeness of the death of Christ, Romans 6:5 in hopes of a glorious communication, he may be mortified to sin, and may live to God, as to his mind, and word, and deed, and may be numbered together in the book of the living. And after this thanksgiving, let him instruct him in the doctrines concerning our Lord’s incarnation, and in those concerning His passion, and resurrection from the dead, and assumption. Apostolic Constitutions, Book 7, chapter 39

Cyril of Jerusalem:

For God seeks nothing else from us, save a good purpose. Say not, How are my sins blotted out? I tell you, By willing, by believing. What can be shorter than this? But if, while your lips declare you willing, your heart be silent, He knows the heart, who judges you. Cease from this day from every evil deed. Let not your tongue speak unseemly words, let your eye abstain from sin, and from roving after things unprofitable. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, Prologue 8

Prepare your own heart for reception of doctrine, for fellowship in holy mysteries. Pray more frequently, that God may make you worthy of the heavenly and immortal mysteries. Cease not day nor night: but when sleep is banished from your eyes, then let your mind be free for prayer. And if you find any shameful thought rise up in your mind, turn to meditation upon Judgment to remind you of Salvation. Give your mind wholly to study, that it may forget base things. If you find any one saying to you, Are you then going in, to descend into the water? Has the city just now no baths? Take notice that it is the dragon of the sea who is laying these plots against you. Attend not to the lips of the talker, but to God who works in you. Guard your own soul, that thou be not ensnared, to the end that abiding in hope you may become an heir of everlasting salvation. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, Prologue 16

If any here is a slave of sin, let him promptly prepare himself through faith for the new birth into freedom and adoption; and having put off the miserable bondage of his sins, and taken on him the most blessed bondage of the Lord, so may he be counted worthy to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Put off, by confession , the old man, which waxes corrupt after the lusts of deceit, that you may put on the new man, which is renewed according to knowledge of Him that created him. Get you the earnest of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 1:22 through faith, that you may be able to be received into the everlasting habitations. Luke 16:9 Come for the mystical Seal, that you may be easily recognised by the Master; be numbered among the holy and spiritual flock of Christ, to be set apart on His right hand, and inherit the life prepared for you. – Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 1, chapter 2

The present is the season of confession: confess what you have done in word or in deed, by night or by day; confess in an acceptable time, and in the day of salvation 2 Corinthians 6:2 receive the heavenly treasure…Blot out from your mind all earthly care: for you are running for your soul. You are utterly forsaking the things of the world: little are the things which you are forsaking, great what the Lord is giving. Forsake things present, and put your trust in things to come. Have you run so many circles of the years busied in vain about the world, and have you not forty days to be free (for prayer ), for your own soul’s sake? Be still , and know that I am God, says the Scripture. Excuse yourself from talking many idle words: neither backbite, nor lend a willing ear to backbiters; but rather be prompt to prayer. Show in ascetic exercise that your heart is nerved. Cleanse your vessel, that you may receive grace more abundantly. For though remission of sins is given equally to all, the communion of the Holy Ghost is bestowed in proportion to each man’s faith. If you have laboured little, you receive little; but if you have wrought much, the reward is great. You are running for yourself, see to your own interest. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, Lecture 1, chapter 5

Ambrose of Milan:

Now the Spirit rightly shewed Himself in the form of a dove, for He is not seen in His divine substance. Let us consider the mystery why like a dove? Because the grace of baptism requires innocence, that we should be innocent as doves. The grace of baptism requires peace, which under the emblem of an olive branch the dove once brought to that ark which alone escaped the deluge. — Ambrose of Milan (Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea on Luke 3)

Basil of Caesarea:

Moreover, the Only-begotten Son of the living God, sent by the Father not to judge the world but to save the world, true to Himself and faithful to the will of the good God, His Father, associates with the decree of His severity a doctrine whereby we might be made worthy of becoming His disciples. He says: “If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother, and his wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” That sort of hatred is meant, of course, which inculcates the virtue of piety by withdrawing us from distractions, not the kind which leads us to contrive hurtful schemes against another. “And whosoever,” says the Lord, “doth not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” This, indeed, is the very agreement we make when, in receiving the Baptism of water, we promise to be crucified, to die, to be buried with Him, and so on, as it is written. — Basil of Caesarea (Concerning Baptism Book 1, chapter 1 – Fathers of the Church volume 9)

John Chrysostom:

How desirable and beloved to us is the gathering of our new brothers! For I already call you [catechumens] brothers even before the pangs of birth, and I embrace our kinship even before your delivery.. — John Chrysostom, Instructions to Catechumens 1.1

Let all of you [catechumens] who have here been esteemed worthy of being admitted to citizenship show an abundance of good will and come forward! Put away from you all you have done up to now, and prove with your whole heart that you are through with the past. — John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions 1.18

Do you see the goodness of the Master? It was not without reason or by chance that at the beginning I called what is taking place a spiritual marriage. For even in a physical marriage, it is impossible for a woman who has never been joined to a man to be united with one unless she forgets those who gave her birth and raised her, and turns her whole mind toward the bridegroom who is to be joined to her. For this reason the blessed Paul, when he touched on this subject, called it a mystery. For after saying, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31), and perceiving the depth of what was taking place, he was struck with wonder and cried out, “This is a great mystery!” (Ephesians 5:32). And truly it is great — for what human mind could ever grasp the nature of what takes place? Consider this: the young maiden who was nursed with milk, raised in the inner chambers, and cared for and brought up with such devotion by those who bore her — when the time of marriage comes, in a single moment she forgets the pains of her mother’s labor, all the care and attention she received, the long familiarity, the bond of love — she lets go of it all completely and turns her whole mind toward the one she had never even seen before that very evening. And such is the change that takes place, that she now sees him as everything — father, mother, bridegroom, and all else one could name — and not even a trace of memory remains of those who raised her through so many years. So complete is their union that they are no longer two, but one. And this very thing the first-formed man foresaw with prophetic eyes when he said, “She shall be called woman, because she was taken from her man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:23–24). One could say the same of the man, that he too forgets those who gave him birth and the house of his father, and unites and clings to the one joined to him that very evening. And to show us the depth of this bond, divine Scripture does not say merely that he “shall be united” to his wife, but that he “shall cling” to her. And even that was not enough — it adds, “And the two shall become one flesh.” For this reason Christ, bringing forward this very testimony, said, “So they are no longer two but one flesh” (Matthew 19:6). Such, He says, is the closeness and the union, that the two become one flesh. Tell me, what human reasoning could discover this, what mind could comprehend what is taking place? Was the blessed teacher of the world not right to say it is a mystery? And he did not simply call it a mystery, but, “This is a great mystery!” (Ephesians 5:32). If, then, even in physical matters this is called a mystery — and a great mystery — what words could possibly be worthy of the spiritual marriage? But now look carefully and see how, since everything here is spiritual, what happens takes place in the very opposite way of the physical. For in a physical marriage, no man would ever accept a woman without first examining her beauty and the charm of her body — and not only that, but even before those things, he would look into her wealth and possessions. But in the spiritual marriage there is nothing like that. Why? Because what takes place is spiritual, and our Bridegroom, driven by His love for mankind, hastens to save our souls. Even if someone is deformed, even if they appear shameful, even if they are in the deepest poverty, of low birth, a slave, despised and cast out, disfigured in body, or burdened with the weight of many sins — He does not scrutinize, He does not pry, He does not demand an account. For this is a gift, an act of royal generosity, pure grace. And He seeks only one thing from us: that we forget the things behind us and show gratitude for what follows. Do you see the overflowing abundance of grace? Do you see to what kind of Bridegroom those who obey the call are joined? But let us also look, if you will, at what follows in this spiritual marriage. Just as in physical marriages there are contracts drawn up and dowries given — some things brought by the man, others by the woman who is to be joined to him — so it is only fitting that something similar should happen here as well. We must lift our minds from the physical to the higher and spiritual things. What, then, are the marriage contracts here? What else but obedience and the covenants that are about to be made with the Bridegroom? And what are the gifts that the Bridegroom brings before the wedding? Listen to the blessed Paul showing us this when he says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word, to present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:25–27). Do you see the greatness of His gifts? Do you see the indescribable depth of His love? “Just as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). No one else would ever have accepted to do such a thing — to pour out his blood for the one who was to be joined to him. But the Master, full of love for mankind and showing the goodness that is His very nature, accepted to do this great and astonishing thing out of deep care for her: that through His own blood He might make her holy, that by cleansing her in the washing of baptism He might present the Church to Himself in splendor. This is why He shed His blood and endured the cross — so that through it He might grant us sanctification, cleanse us through the bath of regeneration, and present to Himself those who were once despised and unable to speak with any boldness, now glorious, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Do you see how by saying, “He will cleanse her and present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:26–27), he shows us the uncleanness in which she once was? With all this in mind, you new soldiers of Christ, do not look at the greatness of your own sins, nor dwell on the weight of your former crimes. Rather, after carefully considering them, do not let even that make you hesitate. Instead, knowing the noble generosity of the Master, the surpassing abundance of His grace, and the greatness of His gift, you who have been counted worthy to be enrolled here as citizens — approach with deep gratitude, turn away completely from everything you once did, and prove with your whole heart that you are through with the past. — John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions, Instruction 1.11-18

We want you to hold to the Church’s dogmas with unwavering precision, fixing them firmly in your minds. Yet it is also right that those who profess such faith should make it shine through the way they live. So it is necessary to teach those who are about to receive the royal gift that no sin is so monstrous that it can overpower the generosity of the Master. Even if a man is a fornicator, an adulterer, soft and corrupted, a sodomite, a debauchee, a thief, a greedy oppressor, a drunkard, or an idolater — the power of this gift and the compassion of the Lord are so great that they can utterly erase them all and make the one who shows only a sincere and willing heart shine brighter than the rays of the sun. Therefore, as you reflect on the surpassing gift of the God who loves mankind, begin even now to prepare yourselves — by turning away from evil and devoting yourselves to the practice of good works. For the prophet urges this when he says, “Turn away from evil and do good” (Psalm 34:14). And Christ Himself, addressing all of humanity, declared, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29). Do you see the overflowing wealth of His goodness? Do you see the noble generosity of His invitation? “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened.” The summons is overflowing with mercy, the goodness beyond all telling. “Come to me, all,” He says — not just rulers but those under rule, not only the rich but the poor, not only the free but the slaves, not only men but women, not only the young but the old, not only the strong and healthy but even the crippled and those whose limbs are shattered — all of you, come. Such are the gifts of the Master: He recognizes no division between slave and free, no distinction between rich and poor — all these worldly inequalities are thrown aside. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened.” Look at whom He calls — those who have squandered their lives in lawlessness, those crushed beneath the weight of their sins, those who can no longer even lift their heads, those drowning in shame, those who have lost all confidence. And why does He call them? Not to demand an account, not to set up a courtroom and press charges. No — He calls them to give them rest from their toil, to strip away the crushing weight they carry. For what burden could ever be heavier than sin? Even if we grow utterly numb to it and wish to keep it hidden from others, our conscience awakens an impartial judge within us — and that judge, always rising against us, inflicts constant torment, like an executioner tearing and choking the mind, showing us the full weight of our guilt. “Those, then,” He says, “who are weighed down by this and bent beneath it like a load, them I will give rest, granting the forgiveness of their sins — only come to Me.” Who could be so hard-hearted, who so unyielding, as not to respond to such a merciful call? Then, to show us the way to find this rest, He added, “Take my yoke upon you.” Submit yourselves, He says, to my yoke. But do not shrink back at the word yoke — it does not crush the neck or force you to bow low. Instead, it lifts your mind upward and trains you in true wisdom. “Take my yoke upon you and learn.” Only accept the yoke, and you will be taught. To “learn” means to open your ears, to receive instruction from me. For I do not demand anything heavy from you. You who are servants — imitate me, your Master. You who are dust and ashes — set your hearts on imitating your Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. “Learn from me,” He says, “for I am gentle and humble in heart.” — John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions, Instruction 1.25-29

Since then the former bond has been torn apart, let us make every effort that no new bond be written again — for there is no second cross, nor a second remission through the bath of regeneration. There is indeed forgiveness, but there is no second forgiveness through the laver. Therefore, I urge you, do not become more careless. You have come out of Egypt, O man — do not again desire Egypt and the evils of Egypt. Do not long for the clay and the brick-making, for the affairs of this present life are nothing but clay and bricks. Even gold itself, before it becomes gold, is nothing else but earth. The Jews saw wonders — but you now behold far greater and far more glorious ones than those of old when they came out of Egypt. You did not see Pharaoh drowning with his armies, but you have seen the devil himself overwhelmed and sunk with all his forces. They passed through the sea, but you have passed through death. They were delivered from the Egyptians, but you have been set free from the demons. The Jews laid aside a barbaric slavery, but you have cast off a far more grievous one — the slavery of sin. — John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions, Instruction 3.23-24

For this reason I said before, and I say again now, and I will not cease saying it: if anyone has not corrected the flaws of their character and has not prepared themselves to make virtue easy, let them not be baptized. The font is indeed able to forgive past sins — but there is great fear and not a small danger lest we return again to them, and the medicine become for us a wound. For the greater the grace has been, the greater will be the punishment for those who sin after receiving it. Therefore, in order that we may not return again to our former vomit, let us begin even now to discipline ourselves. For that we must first repent and turn away from our former evils before approaching grace — listen to what John says, and what the chief of the apostles says to those who are about to be baptized. The former says, “Produce fruit worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’” (Luke 3:8). And the latter, when they asked him, would say, “Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 2:38). But the one who truly repents no longer clings to the same deeds over which he repented; for this reason, we are also commanded to say, “I renounce you, Satan,” so that we may never again return to him. — John Chrysostom, Baptismal Instructions 12.21-22

For he who is about to approach these holy and dread mysteries must be awake and alert, must be clean from all cares of this life, full of much self-restraint, much readiness; he must banish from his mind every thought foreign to the mysteries, and on all sides cleanse and prepare his home, as if about to receive the king himself. Such is the preparation of your mind: such are your thoughts; such the purpose of your soul. Await therefore a return worthy of this most excellent decision from God, who overpowers with His recompense those who show forth obedience to Him. But since it is necessary for his fellow servants to contribute of their own, then we will contribute of our own; yea rather not even are these things our own, but these too are our Master’s. For what have you, says He, that thou did not receive? But if you received it, why do you glory, as if you had not received it? 1 Corinthians 4:7 — John Chrysostom, Instructions to Catechumens 1.2

In order, therefore, that we return not to our former vomit, let us henceforward discipline ourselves. For that we must repent beforehand, and desist from our former evil, and so come forward for grace, hear what John says, and what the leader of the apostles says to those who are about to be baptized. For the one says, Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, we have Abraham to our Father; Luke 3:8 and the other says again to those who question him, Repent ye and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38 Now he who repents, no longer touches the same matters of which he repented. On this account, also, we are bidden to say, I renounce you, Satan, in order that we may never more return to him. As therefore happens in the case of painters from life, so let it happen in your case. For they, arranging their boards, and tracing white lines upon them, and sketching the royal likeness in outline, before they apply the actual colors, rub out some lines, and change some for others, rectifying mistakes, and altering what is amiss with all freedom. But when they put on the coloring for good, it is no longer in their power to rub out again, and to change one thing for another, since they injure the beauty of the portrait, and the result becomes an eyesore. Consider that your soul is the portrait; before therefore the true coloring of the spirit comes, wipe out habits which have wrongly been implanted in you, whether swearing, or falsehood, or insolence, or base talking, or jesting, or whatever else you have a habit of doing of things unlawful. Away with the habit, in order that you may not return to it, after baptism. The laver causes the sins to disappear. Correct your habits, so that when the colors are applied, and the royal likeness is brought out, you may no more wipe them out in the future; and add damage and scars to the beauty which has been given you by God. Restrain therefore anger, extinguish passion. Be not thou vexed, be sympathizing, be not exasperated, nor say, I have been injured in regard to my soul. — John Chrysostom, Instructions to Catechumens 2.3

Didymus the Blind:

And since we have also heard this said by them to those born from Abraham and from the other holy men—“You brood of vipers”—they should understand that he means vipers around Abraham, and they should stop saying things that contradict the flow of the passage. For he rebukes them as not being of Abraham, but as offspring of vipers, pretending and vainly boasting to be of Abraham. For the Savior says to them in another passage, “Abraham did not do this (whom you call your father falsely). If you were children of Abraham, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But you are from your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. For he was a murderer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth.” It is also well said, “He has not stood [in the truth],” indicating that he once stood in the truth before. He calls the devil their father because of the likeness of their behavior and disposition. Therefore, He did not call Abraham and the saints with him “vipers.” They acquired this title of “children of vipers” through a change, because they attached themselves to wicked teachers, as has been said, by their own choice. Therefore, John says to them, “Since by a change you have wished to become serpents from virtue (for you were not such by nature), cease being offspring of vipers, whose character you have chosen to adopt. For you have eagerly become evil from the evil and unjust from the unjust. But since you are coming for baptism and claim to bring a sign of repentance, yet do so deceitfully, I say to you: Who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath? For the one who repents does so in order to flee the wrath that is to come against those who sin.” He asks, “Who has warned you?” in order to say that the one who truly points the way to flee from wickedness does not do so in pretense. But you are doing this with hypocrisy as you come to be baptized. Therefore, you will not be cleansed. For the one who truly wants to be cleansed departs from sins and brings forth the fruit of such repentance by doing works opposed to the habit of sin. But you have not done this; you condemn yourselves while claiming that Abraham is your father. Yet this will not benefit you—to think you are children of Abraham—but to actually be his children, in both faith and turning away from idols. And even if you once were Abraham’s children, this will not save you. For God is able to make those who are not now his children to become his children. Therefore, the one who is a child of Abraham by virtue is saved, not the one who is merely his child by flesh—and even if he is, he should not boast greatly, for such a thing is changeable. Indeed, even those who do not have it now may be able to acquire it. For Paul says of those whom he did not beget in the flesh, “For in Christ, through the gospel, I have begotten you.” – Didymus the Blind, Against the Manichaeans (PG 39.1105, 1108)

Anonymous Commentary on Matthew:

Therefore, the Lord, after being baptized in word, was made subject to the law; by John, he was baptized in water; by the Father, in the Spirit. Now he is led by the Spirit into the desert, to be baptized in the fire of temptation, and afterward he is to be baptized in death. Come now, let us see who are those baptized in fire, and when they are baptized in fire. But to know this, we must observe what is said: “Then he was led.” When? When the Father cried out from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” You see then that no one is baptized in the fire of temptation unless he has first been made a son of God. For as long as a man is a catechumen, he has not yet fully renounced the devil and all his works. But once baptized, he hands himself over to Christ, saying: “I renounce Satan and all his works.” So, while he is still a catechumen, as if still belonging to [Satan], the devil still spares him somewhat; but once he has become alien to him through baptism, Satan persecutes him with all his might. Baptism is the seal of faith. Is a soldier marked after serving in the army so that he may now rest? Rather, he is marked before military service so that afterward he may fight and labor. Just as an athlete is anointed with oil before the contest so he may wrestle, so also a man is anointed with the oil of chrism spiritually, so that he may wrestle like a spiritual athlete against the devil. – Homily 5 on Matthew, Anonymous. PG 56.661-62 (Opus imperfectum)

…But many, even though they have been baptized in water, are not baptized in the Spirit. For unless a man has first cast aside from himself every intention of sinning before the baptism of water, so that he may be worthy to receive the Holy Spirit into the temple of his heart, he is not baptized in the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit flees the hypocrite and does not dwell in a body subject to sins; and thus he is not made a son of God (Wisdom 1:4–5). And these are the ones who, when they are tempted, are overcome and perish: they seem, indeed, to have been made sons of God through the water of baptism; but in truth, they are not sons of God, because they have not been baptized in the Spirit. For although they have been baptized in body, in mind they are still catechumens: for water baptizes the body, but the Spirit baptizes the soul. – Homily 5 on Matthew, Anonymous. PG 56.663-64 (Opus imperfectum)

They who entered the water as carnal people, children of sinful Adam, at once ascend from the water, having been made spiritual children of God. And so that you should not say to me that many remain after their baptism the same sort of people they were before their baptism, namely, those who are not baptized in repentance or do not repent wholeheartedly that they were the sort of people they had been but are baptized while fully intending to hold on to sin, these people do not progress “immediately from the water.” Matthew 3:16 — Incomplete Commentary on Matthew (Opus Imperfectum) Homily 4.

Ammonius of Alexandria:

Acts 10:32. “And they spoke the word of the Lord to him, together with all who were in his house.” Behold, here again catechesis precedes baptism; therefore, no one ought to baptize a Gentile, however upright he may be, if he has not been able to hear the catechesis— especially if he has not yet been initiated by the divine words. Yet see how, because of necessity, baptism immediately followed catechesis; for it was to be feared that, if the one who could baptize were pursued, he might remain without life—desiring to be baptized, but not having anyone to baptize him. — Ammonius of Alexandria (Fragments on Acts, PG 85.1562)

Caesarius of Arles:

And so I beg and admonish all of you catechumens, and at the same time I declare and say to you that with God’s help during these days and even until Easter you should carefully examine your consciences, so that not even one of you keeps hatred in your heart against anyone. If a man who is to be baptized preserves anger or hatred in his heart, I do not know whether divine grace will profit him. Indeed he is about to say: “Forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us” (Matthew 6:12). Now if what he prays is going to take place in him, what remains except for divine justice to forgive him in the same way in which he himself has forgiven others, according to what the Lord Himself said: “Give, and it shall be given to you; pardon, and you shall be pardoned” (Luke 6:38). Thus the man who has not forgiven, himself closes the door of divine mercy against himself by saying “Forgive us as we forgive.” First of all, then, catechumens should especially pay attention to this, not to retain hatred for any man. Secondly they should question their own consciences, and if, as often happens, they have injured anyone they should quickly ask pardon. Thirdly, if they have taken anything from another through theft or false testimony or some craftiness of false weights or deceitful measures, granted that they cannot follow the example of Zachaeus and restore it fourfold, they should at least pay back the equivalent. I do not know with what boldness a man thinks he can receive the grace of divine mercy, if he fails to restore the goods of another which he took away wrongfully. — Caesarius of Arles, Homily 200, A Homily to the Catechumens, chapter 3

It is further necessary for catechumens to pay attention to this if they know that through the devil’s persuasion they have committed theft or murder or adultery, or if a woman catechumen has ever taken diabolical potions for purposes of abortion and has killed her children when they were either still in the womb or already born, for this is a very grave sin. For all of these actions they should ask God’s mercy with groaning and sorrow, and then come to the sacrament of baptism when they have been cleansed through repentance. Above all, catechumens who are known to be married should listen to this: before baptism they should observe chastity, and for a considerable time after baptism they should refrain from carnal pleasure. — Caesarius of Arles, Homily 200, A Homily to the Catechumens, chapter 4

Since the time is approaching when we should teach the Creed to the catechumens, do you who will receive them as sons and daughters in Baptism know that we will be responsible for them before God. Therefore, teach them now to learn the Creed in such a way that those who are older may answer it by themselves, and have it answered through yourselves or others for the little children who will receive it. If anyone does otherwise, he should know that he will suffer greater shame. After those whom you receive are baptized, always correct them so that they may live chastely and soberly, love justice, avoid stealing, not bear false witness, shun deceitful weights and false measures as poison of the devil, disregard omens, refrain from swearing as well as perjury, observe chastity until marriage, and flee from lying and drunkenness as the pit of hell. All these truths and similar ones, brethren, you should very frequently teach the children who are born of you or whom you receive in Baptism. However, if you want to teach them well, then, with God’s help, observe this yourself, for a man truly teaches well if he shows what he teaches not only in word but by his example. Above all teach your entire household as well as your children to memorize the Creed, because if a man does not arrange for his family to learn the Creed, he shows himself to be a tepid and careless Christian. Let no one excuse himself by saying he has no memory to learn. Since many men and women (so much the worse!) remember dissolute songs to their own destruction and that of others, with what boldness do they not blush to say that they are unable to learn the few words of the Creed? However, we trust in the mercy of God that you deign to observe what you are taught by us and to provoke your children by example as well as by words to what is commanded, so that you may not incur guilt through neglect, but attain to eternal happiness by a holy and just life. — Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 130

With all our strength let us flee from the hindrances of this world and seek some hours when we can devote ourselves to prayer or reading for the salvation of our souls. Thus may be fulfilled in us what is written: “They that are learned shall shine as stars for all eternity” (Daniel 12:3). — Caesarius of Arles, Sermon 7