In what way was the early Church engaged with the society around it?

Although the Church does not interfere in political matters, or in civil, military, or economic government, or in social organizations; she nonetheless feels a real motherhood towards every person, every family, and indeed, all of society. She yearns to transform the world into a heaven where there is rejoicing and no one suffers need; for she cannot bear to see anyone being oppressed or in pain. The Church aspires to see every person in the world characterized by self-confidence in the Lord and playing their vital role in humanity, bearing within an earnest yet humble spirit of leadership, free of apathy or feelings of inferiority.

The social principles of the early Church stem not from dry research or purely rational arguments, but from a living appreciation of human thought and regard for human cultures, and a desire that these may be sanctified and brought into living communion with God, the lover of all humanity. Every member of the Church yearns to see the whole world become a new joyful heaven lacking in nothing, and with no place for social injustice, intellectual ignorance, selfishness, or lust for power. The principles of Christian social life include living a life in the Church according to the Gospel that engages the deepest aspects of the mind, heart, and senses, and is translated into one’s daily behavior and interactions.