Day 79 -- Saint Cecilia

Oh Cecilia, you're breakin' my heart!

I have always liked Saint Cecilia...and our parish has a beautiful stained glass window in the choir loft and it was lost for many years until it was uncovered when the choir loft was remodeled. I pray to Saint Cecilia for my brother....a musician.

It was not until today did I realize how many years ago she lived. For some reason I thought she was from the Middle Ages, but she died around the year 117.

She vowed her virginity to God, but her parents married her to Valerian of Trastevere. She told her new husband that she as with an angel, but in order for him to see it, he had to be purified. So he was baptized and from coming back from the baptism, he found her in prayer accompanied by a praying angel. The angel placed a crown on each of their heads and offered Valerian a favor; he asked that his brother be baptized.

The two brothers started a ministry of giving proper burials to martyred Christians. In their ministry they were arrested and martyred for their faith. Cecilia buried them at her villa and she was arrested for doing this. She was ordered to sacrifice to false gods and she refused and she was martyred. They tried to suffocate her, but that didn't kill her, so she was beheaded. Her grave was discovered in 817 and her body was moved to the church of Saint Cecilia in Rome. The tomb was opened in 1599 and her body was found in-corrupt.

The Acta of Cecilia includes the following: “While the profane music of her wedding was heard, Cecilia was singing in her heart a hymn of love for Jesus, her true spouse.” It was this phrase that led to her association with music, singers and musicians. She is also the patron of poets and composers. As the prayer below states, she was never musician, but heard the angels sing.

PRAYER
Dear Saint Cecilia, one thing we know for certain about you is that you became a heroic martyr in fidelity to your divine Bridegroom. We do not know that you were a musician but we are told that you heard Angels sing. Inspire musicians to gladden the hearts of people by filling the air with God's gift of music and reminding them of the divine Musician who created all beauty. Amen.