Blessed Cecilia, Appear In Visions!

For those involved in music, today's feast day is a great solemnity - St Cecilia's day.  In my pre-priest days, when singing, many times I invoked the holy virgin and martyr of Rome as I went to face the terror of the audience, praying my voice would hold up and that my singing teacher would be filled with divine charity should anything go wrong!  Thankfully, good old Ciss up in the heavenly choir heard the prayer!

We know something about St Cecilia.  She was a Christian of Rome who suffered for the faith around the year 250 or so.  She was married, but remained a virgin while converting her husband, St Valerian, and his brother: they would also be martyred for the faith.  Her persecutors tried a few times to dispatch her, finally trying to behead her, making a bags of the job and leaving her to die: she lingered for a few days.  She was buried in the Catacombs of St Callistus, near the chamber of the popes - so she must have been a notable figure in the Church of Rome.  Her body was translated to a church built over her home after the persecution ended.  In the 1599 her body was exhumed and found incorrupt: the sculptor Stefano Moderno preserved in a marble statue an image of the body as it was found at that time.

Cecilia is often depicted with a musical instrument - a pipe organ, violin, even a double bass!   There is little chance she played a musical instrument, she may even have been tone deaf, but she is the patron of music and musicians because we are told in one of the ancient Acts of her martyrdom, that she was singing a hymn to the Lord in her heart when she was being married to Valerian - a sign that God was the first in her life and she was determined to remain true to him.  She did, her martyrdom is proof enough of that.  So her patronage evolves from an image used to reveal her absolute fidelity to God and her love of him.  That is the lesson for us today.  Our musician friends can also see that, like Cecilia, they are invited to offer a hymn of praise to him through their lives and their work.  So today, we pray for all musicians, may their patroness watch over them, intercede for needs and bring them to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.

As you would expect there are many musical works about and dedicated to St Cecilia.  One of my favourites is Benjamin Britten's Hymn to St Cecilia, a setting of a poem by W H Auden.  I used to love Britten, particularly his sacred works, but in the last few years I have chilled towards them: technically interesting, they lack a warmth and devotion which should really distinguish sacred music from other types.  The Hymn to St Cecilia still bears up somewhat, despite being written by Auden, a man not known for faith.  The poem is quite secular and strange, but its chorus is lovely:

Blessed Cecilia appear in visions

to all musicians appear and inspire.

Translated daughter come down and startle

composing mortals with immortal fire.

In honour of our Saint, here is a video of the piece.  Interestingly today is the anniversary of Britten's birth, appropriate for one who would be a composer.

Prayer for the feast of St Cecilia

Blessed Cecilia,
beloved virgin of Christ and martyr,
listen to our prayers and assist us in our needs.
For all musicians obtain from God the grace
to come to know and love him
who has blessed them with such wonderful graces and talents
so in their hearts, their lives and their works
they may praise him, as you did.
Help them, dear Saint,
that through faith, hope and love,
they may they come into his presence,
leading others through their fidelity
and evangelical witness of their music.

Let us pray.

Lord of mercy,
be close to those who call upon you.
With St Cecilia to help us
hear and answer our prayers.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.