Faith That Inspires: Living Like Cecilia

When I was 13, Cecilia was a pretty popular saint to choose as a patron when Confirmation came around in the spring of eighth grade. I chose St. Cecilia because she is the patron saint of music and honestly, I did not look into her life beyond that fact. Traditionally, confirmation names are meant to inspire us to emulate the good works of the saint we choose to adopt in this way. I cannot exactly remember what I felt I wanted to imitate in the life of Cecilia, but I can only assume I was seeking fame and fortune from a passion for singing in the shower and felt having Cecilia as my patron would bring me closer to this very realistic reality. As an older, wiser lover of music, diving into her life now looks quite different than it did when I was a teenager. 

St. Cecilia, honored as a virgin martyr, lived in Rome during the second century. Establishing her timeline is obviously a challenge given the era in which she existed. As the story goes, St. Cecilia was a beautiful, young woman from a wealthy family who was promised in marriage to a man named Valerian. Cecilia, faithful and pious, had already committed her virginity to God and therefore found the prospect of marriage unnecessary. She shared with her betrothed that she had taken a vow of virginity and angels and saints would assist her in protecting her purity. Valerian asked for proof of this vow in the form of a conversation with Cecilia’s guardian angel. The revelation of an actual angel led to Valerian and his brother, Tibertius, being baptized by Pope Urbanus. Cecilia’s great faith was an inspiration to her husband and brother-in-law, leading to their own faithful following of Christ.

Her lore runs deep and is mostly legend at this point in history, but I feel there are many wonderful things we can learn from St. Cecilia. Her strong faith and trust in the protection of the Lord led those close to her to seek a similar faith. In my mind, the greatest achievement of Cecilia’s life was the conversion of her loved ones and many others. The stories of Valerian and Tibertius tell of the two dedicating themselves to burying slain martyrs following their conversion. They lived into their fresh faith for the remainder of their days and were eventually martyred themselves after refusing to make sacrifices to the Roman gods. 

These two were not the only converts credited to Cecilia; her preaching led over 400 people to seek baptism from Pope Urbanus. Her lived example and words about the life of Christ were so powerful that those who heard wanted to experience the same passion and love. The song “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love” comes to mind when I think about Cecilia. When others saw and heard her, they wanted the same. Her love for God paved the way for hundreds to feel that same love. Her love of music led her to sing to and play for God in gratitude, in lament, and in celebration. Her commitment to her vow of virginity led to her being crowned by an angel with roses and lilies. 

Living a life like that of Jesus emboldened Cecilia during a challenging time for Christians and her confidence in the protection of God encourages me to be secure in my connection to the Divine. My prayer is that others will be drawn to God through the actions of authentic followers dedicated to compassion, justice, and mercy. May Cecilia’s song, sincerity, and service to God spark faith, hope, and love in all of us!