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The Life of St. Cecilia

Celebrated November 22

The Holy Virgin Martyr Cecilia and the Holy Martyrs Valerian,
Tiburtius and Maximus: St. Cecilia was born in Rome of wealthy and
illustrious parents. From her youth she was raised in the Christian
Faith. She prayed fervently, she helped those in need, and beneath
her fine clothing she wore a hairshirt.

Though she had vowed to preserve her virginity for Christ, her
parents decided to give her in marriage to the noble pagan
Valerian. The saint did not dare oppose the will of her parents,
but with tears she prayed to God that her betrothed would believe
in Christ, and that He would send an angel to preserve her
virginity.

On the night of their marriage, Cecilia told her husband that an
angel stood by to guard her. She warned him that he would be slain
if he dared to touch her. Valerian asked to see this angel, but his
bride told him that he could not see the angel until he had been
cleansed of the impurity of unbelief.

"How may I be cleansed?" he asked. She said that if he asked Bishop
Urban for Baptism, he would be able to see the angel. The saint
persuaded her fiance to go with her to Bishop Urban, who was hiding
from the persecution in a cave along the Appian Way. The
instructions of the wise bishop permeated the soul of Valerian, and
both he and his brother Tiburtius believed in Christ and were
converted to Christianity. The brothers distributed part of their
inheritance to the poor, cared for the sick, and buried Christians
tortured to death by the persecutors.

The governor Almachius, having learned of this, gave orders to
arrest the brothers and bring them to trial. He demanded that the
saints renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, and
the brothers refused. Then they mercilessly began to scourge the
brothers. St. Valerian under torture urged Christians not to be
afraid of torments, but to stand firm for Christ.

The governor, wanting to prevent the holy preacher from influencing
the people, ordered that the martyrs be taken outside the city
limits and executed there. The detachment of soldiers accompanying
the martyrs to execution was commanded by Maximus. He was amazed at
the courage of the saints, and asked them why they did not fear
death. The holy brothers answered that they were relinquishing this
temporal life for life eternal. Maximus wanted to learn the
teaching of Christians in detail. He took Sts. Valerian and
Tiburtius to his own house and conversed with them all night. When
she heard of this, St. Cecilia went with a priest to Maximus, and
he with all his family accepted holy Baptism.

On the following day when they beheaded the Martyrs Valerian and
Tiburtius, St. Maximus confessed before everyone that he saw how
their holy souls had gone up to Heaven. For this confession the
holy Martyr Maximus was scourged to death with whips.

The governor wanted to confiscate the property of the executed, but
when he was told that St. Cecilia had already distributed all her
remaining wealth to the poor and by her preaching had converted 400
men, he ordered her execution. For three days they tormented her
with fire and smoke in a red-hot bath-house, but the grace of God
helped her. Then they decided to behead her. The executioner struck
the saint three times with a sword, but only wounded her. The holy
Martyr lived three more days in full consciousness, encouraging
those around her, and died with prayer on her lips.