St. Cecilia, by Raphael
It's the feast of St. Cecilia!
We love her, and my eldest daughter has a particular affinity for her as well (maybe a number of my kids have her as a patron - music is so integral to their lives, not just the ipod hookup of standard teenhood, but the passionate playing of music...it's part of who they are). I also like to think of her as my Hannah's patron due to her 'shine' (meaning both Cecilia and my girl). St. Cecilia is the patron of our near and dear Dominican Sisters here too. They are filled with music and radiance and are just joyfully compelling, just like their patron must have been.
Poussin, St. Cecilia
From St. Augustine, apropos of this musical feast day:
Sing to him a new song, sing to him with joyful melody. Every one of us tries to discover how to sing to God. You must sing to him, but you must sing well. He does not want your voice to come harshly to his ears, so sing well, brothers!
Now, who is more worthy of such a cry of jubilation than God himself, whom all words fail to describe? If words will not serve, and yet you must not remain silent, what else can you do but cry out for joy? Your heart must rejoice beyond words, soaring into an immensity of gladness, unrestrained by syllabic bonds. Sing to him with jubilation.
Carlo Saraceni, St. Cecilia and the Angel
And I think that means that even us musically challenged folks can sing out on this day celebrating the life of St. Cecilia, flat notes and all! That's my story and I'm sticking to it at any rate!
So, sing out!
St. Cecilia, pray for us!
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