I do not hesitate to put the Catholic
catechumen, burning with divine love, before a baptized heretic. Even within
the Catholic Church herself we put the good catechumen ahead of the wicked
baptized person. Nor do we thereby do any injury to the Sacrament of Baptism,
which the former has not yet received, while the latter has it already. Nor do
we think that the catechumen’s Sacrament is to be preferred to the Sacrament of
Baptism, just because we recognize that a specified catechumen may be better
and more faithful than a specified baptized person. The centurion Cornelius,
not yet baptized, was better than Simon, already baptized. For Cornelius, even
before his Baptism, was filled up with the Holy Spirit, while Simon, even after
his Baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit. (Augustine, Baptism 4.21.28,
A.D. 400, The Faith of the Early Fathers, 3 vols. [trans. William A.
Jurgens; Collegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 1979], 3:67)
On
the “catechumen’s Sacrament”:
The Council of Carthage of 397 A.D.
mentions the Catechumen’s sacrament as the sacrament of salt; and it is
mentioned elsewhere also in Augustine. The rites of Baptism were then, as now
again in the restored liturgy, given in stages. The tasting of salt,
symbolizing purity and incorruption, is that was termed the Catechumen’s
sacrament. (Ibid., 69 n. 9)
Neither faith without works nor works
without faith is of any avail, except perhaps, that works may go towards the
reception of faith; just as Cornelius, before he had become one of the
faithful, merited to be heard on account of his good works. From this it can be
gathered that his performance of good works furthered his reception of faith. (Gregory
the Great, Homilies on Ezekiel 1.9.6, A.D. 593, The Faith of the Early
Fathers, 3 vols. [trans. William A. Jurgens; Collegeville, Minn.: The
Liturgical Press, 1979], 3:322)