Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss how the Church Fathers presented marriage and family life as sacred gifts in sharp contrast to pagan Rome, where women were often treated as property, children could be discarded, and marriage was frequently marked by exploitation, instability, and distrust. This shows Christianity as bringing a radically different vision: husband and wife bound in lifelong fidelity, open to life, marked by mutual self-giving, and rooted in the love of Christ for the Church.

Early Christian teaching elevated the dignity of women, protected children, and transformed the meaning of sexuality by locating it within marriage and procreation rather than domination or pleasure alone. Drawing on figures like Tertullian and St. John Chrysostom, he portrays Christian marriage as joyful, holy, and even mystical, a living image of the Trinity and of Christ’s union with the Church.

1. How does the contrast between pagan Roman culture and early Christian teaching deepen my understanding of the dignity of marriage and family life?
2. In what ways do I recognize the influence of Christian teaching on the value of women and children in today’s world?
3. How can I better live out self-giving love in my relationships, reflecting Christ’s love for the Church?
4. What attitudes toward sexuality have I absorbed from culture that may conflict with the Christian vision?
5. How does viewing marriage as a sacred, lifelong covenant challenge or strengthen my perspective on commitment?
6. In what ways can I contribute to building a home marked by trust, fidelity, and joy?
7. How does the idea of the family as a “domestic church” shape my responsibilities within my household?
8. What can I learn from the courage of early Christians who lived their faith in a hostile culture?
9. How might I witness to the beauty of Christian marriage through my words or actions?
10. What steps can I take to grow in appreciation for the gift of life and openness to God’s plan within family life?

This highly readable introduction to the roots of many Catholic beliefs and practices provides a sense of connection to our brothers and sisters who have gone before us and who helped shape the faith. Mike Aquilina makes it clear that as far as the essentials are concerned, a time-travel trip back to the beginning of the Church would reveal a Church familiar to Catholics today. Just as an acorn grows into a tree and yet remains the same plant, so the Catholic Church is a living organism that has grown from the faith of the earliest Christians into the Body of Christ we know today.

Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics, the study of the early Church Fathers.[1] He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church (2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (2007); Living the Mysteries (2003); and What Catholics Believe(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio.