De sancta Caecilia
The Heavenly Lily
The chapter opens with an etymological and symbolic exploration of Saint Cecilia's name and her early life of devotion.
Cecilia is like the lily of heaven, a way for the blind, or a gift from heaven and the people. Alternatively, Cecilia is like someone who is free from blindness. Or, her name is derived from heaven and 'leos,' which means 'people.' She was indeed a heavenly lily through the purity of her virginity; or she is called a lily because she possessed the whiteness of purity, the greenness of conscience, and the fragrance of a good reputation. She was a way for the blind through the instruction of her example, a heaven through her constant contemplation, and a 'Lya' through her diligent work. Or she is called heaven because, as Isidore says, philosophers have described heaven as revolving, round, and burning. Likewise, she was revolving through her diligent activity, round through her perseverance, and burning through her inflamed love; she was free from blindness through the splendor of wisdom, and she was also the heaven of the people, because in her—as in a spiritual heaven—the people look to imitate the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars, that is, the clarity of wisdom, the greatness of faith, and the variety of virtues. Cecilia, a most illustrious virgin, was born into a noble Roman family and, from her very cradle, was nurtured in the faith of Christ; she always carried the hidden Gospel of Christ in her heart, never ceased, day or night, from divine conversation and prayer, and she prayed to the Lord that her virginity might be preserved.
The Secret of the Angel
Cecilia reveals her vow of virginity to her new husband, Valerian, and directs him to Bishop Urban to receive the faith.
When she was betrothed to a young man named Valerian and the wedding day was set, she wore a hair shirt beneath her clothes, covered by golden robes. While the music played, she sang in her heart to the Lord alone, saying: "Lord, let my heart and my body be kept pure, so that I may not be put to shame." And with two-day and three-day fasts, she prayed and entrusted to the Lord what she feared. When night came and she was alone with her husband in the quiet of their bedroom, she said to him, "My dearest and most loving young man, I have a secret to tell you, if only you'll swear to keep it with all your heart." Valerian swore that he would never reveal it for any reason. Then she said: "I have an angel of God as my lover, who watches over my body with great zeal. If he senses that you are touching me with a defiled love, he will strike you at once, and you will lose the flower of your most precious youth. But if he knows that you love me with a sincere love, he will love you just as he loves me, and he will show you his glory." Then Valerian, moved by the grace of God, said: "If you want me to believe you, show me this angel. If I truly prove that he is an angel, I will do what you ask. But if you are loving another man, I will strike both you and him with my sword." Cecilia said to him, "If you believe in the true God and promise to be baptized, you will be able to see him." "Go, then, to the third milestone from the city on the Appian Way, and say to the poor people you find there: 'Cecilia sent me to you so that you might show me the holy old man Urban, for I have secret instructions for him that I must deliver.'" "When you see him, tell him everything I've said, and after you've been purified by him and returned, you will see the angel himself." Valerian went and, following the signs he had received, found the holy bishop Urban hiding among the tombs of the martyrs. When he had told him all of Cecilia's words, Urban raised his hands to heaven and said with tears, "Lord Jesus Christ, sower of chaste counsel, accept the fruit of the seeds you have sown in Cecilia. Lord Jesus Christ, good shepherd, Cecilia your handmaid serves you like a busy bee; for the husband she received, who was like a fierce lion, she has destined for you as a most gentle lamb."
The Crowns of Paradise
Valerian encounters an angelic vision and receives the faith, subsequently bringing his brother Tiburtius to the same grace.
Suddenly, an old man appeared, dressed in white robes and holding a book written in gold letters. When Valerian saw him, he fell down in overwhelming fear as if he were dead, but the old man lifted him up, and he read: One God, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all of us. Once he had read this, the old man asked him, "Do you believe this is true, or do you still doubt?" Then he cried out, "There is nothing under heaven that could be believed more truly." Immediately after the man disappeared, Valerian received baptism from Saint Urban, and upon returning, he found Cecilia in the room speaking with an angel. The angel was holding two crowns of roses and lilies in his hand; he gave one to Cecilia and the other to Valerian, saying, "Guard these crowns with an immaculate heart and a pure body, for I have brought them to you from the paradise of God. They will never wither, they will never lose their scent, and they cannot be seen by anyone except those who love chastity." "Valerian," the angel said, "because you believed with such good counsel, ask for whatever you wish, and you will receive it." Valerian replied, "Nothing in this life has been sweeter to me than the unique love I have for my brother; I ask, therefore, that he too may come to know the truth with me." The angel said, "Your request pleases the Lord, and you will both come to the Lord with the palm of martyrdom." After this, Tiburtius, Valerian's brother, entered, and upon smelling the overwhelming scent of roses, he said, "I am amazed at where this scent of roses and lilies is coming from at this time of year. Even if I were holding the roses or lilies in my own hands, they could not pour out such a sweet fragrance. I confess to you both, I am so refreshed that I feel as if I have been completely transformed all at once." Valerian replied, "We have crowns that your eyes cannot see, blooming with a floral color and a snowy whiteness; and just as you sensed the scent because I asked for it, so too, if you believe, you will be able to see them." Tiburtius asked him, "Valerian, am I dreaming this, or are you telling me the truth?" Valerian replied, "Until now we were dreaming, but now we’re living in the truth." Tiburtius asked him, "How do you know this?" Valerian answered, "The angel of the Lord taught me, and you’ll be able to see him too, if you are purified and renounce all idols." Ambrose attests to this miracle of the rose crowns in his preface, saying: "Saint Cecilia was so filled with a heavenly gift that she took up the palm of martyrdom; she renounced the world itself and its marriage beds. The confession of her husband Valerian and of Tiburtius is witness to this—men whom you, Lord, crowned with fragrant flowers by an angelic hand. The virgin led these men to glory, and the world recognized how much the devotion of chastity is worth." Ambrose wrote this. Then Cecilia clearly showed him that all idols are senseless and mute, so that Tiburtius replied, "Anyone who doesn't believe this is a brute." Then Cecilia, kissing his chest, said, "Today I acknowledge you as my kinsman; for just as the love of God made your brother my husband, so this contempt for idols will make you my kinsman." "Go, therefore, with your brother, so that you may receive purification and be able to see the faces of angels." Tiburtius said to his brother, "I beg you, brother."
The Mystery of the Trinity
Cecilia instructs Tiburtius on the nature of the Trinity and the passion of Christ, leading to the brothers' martyrdom.
Tell me, who are you taking me to? Valerian answered, "To Bishop Urban." Tiburtius replied, "Are you talking about that Urban who has been condemned so many times and is still hiding in secret places?" If he's found, he'll be burned, and we'll be caught in the same flames; while we're looking for a divinity hidden in the heavens, we'll run right into a fury that burns on earth. Cecilia answered him, "If this were the only life, we would be right to fear losing it; but there is another, better life that is never lost, which the Son of God has told us about. For the Son, born of the Father, created everything that was made, and the Spirit, proceeding from the Father, gave life to everything that was created." So, the Son of God, coming into the world, showed us through his words and miracles that there is another life. Tiburtius said to her, "You certainly claim there is one God, so how can you now testify that there are three?" Cecilia replied, "Just as in the one wisdom of a human being there are three things—namely, talent, memory, and intellect—so too can there be three persons in the one essence of the Godhead." Then he began to preach to him about the coming of the Son of God and His passion, and to show him many ways in which that passion was fitting. For he said, "The Son of God was held captive so that the human race, held captive by sin, might be set free; the Blessed One is cursed so that man, who is cursed, might obtain a blessing; He allows Himself to be mocked so that man might be delivered from the devil's illusions; He accepted a crown of thorns on His head so that He might take away our capital sentence; He takes the bitter gall so that He might heal man's sweet taste; He is stripped so that He might cover the nakedness of our first parents; He is hung on a tree so that He might take away the transgression of the tree." Then Tiburtius said to his brother, "Have mercy on me and lead me to the man of God, so that I may receive purification." Once he was led there and purified, he often saw the angels of God and immediately obtained everything he asked for. Valerianus and Tiburtius then devoted themselves to almsgiving and to burying the bodies of the saints whom the prefect Almachius had put to death. Almachius summoned them and asked why they were burying those who had been condemned for their crimes. Tiburtius replied to him, "If only we were the servants of those whom you call condemned!" They have despised what seems to be and is not, and have found what does not seem to be and is."
The Witness of the Martyrs
Valerian and Tiburtius are interrogated by the prefect Almachius and eventually martyred, followed by the conversion of their executioner, Maximus.
The prefect asked him, "What on earth is that?" Tiburtius replied, "Everything that seems to be but isn't—everything in this world that leads a person to nothingness—is what you're talking about. But what doesn't seem to be, yet truly is, is the life of the just and the punishment of the wicked." The prefect said to him, "I don't think you're speaking your own mind." Then he ordered Valerian to stand forward and said to him, "Since your brother isn't in his right mind, you at least should be able to give a sensible answer. It's clear that you're both very much mistaken, rejecting joy and clinging to everything that is its enemy." Valerian replied that he had seen, in the icy season, idle people playing and mocking the laborers in the fields; but when summer came and the glorious fruits of their labor arrived, those who had seemed 'refined' began to weep, while those who had been thought 'fools' were the ones rejoicing. "In the same way, we now endure shame and labor, but in the future we will receive glory and an eternal reward. You, however, have only temporary joy now, but in the future you will find eternal mourning." The prefect asked, "So, we, the most invincible princes, will have eternal mourning, and you, the most worthless of people, will possess eternal joy?" Valerian replied, "You are mere mortals, not princes; born in our own time, you are soon to die and will have to give an account to God more than anyone else." The prefect then said, "Why do we waste time with this roundabout talk?" Offer libations to the gods and leave unharmed. The saints replied, "We offer a sacrifice to the true God every day." The prefect asked them, "What is his name?" Valerian replied, "You won't be able to find his name, even if you had wings to fly." The prefect said, "So?" "Isn't Jupiter the name of God?" Valerian answered, "It is the name of a murderer and an adulterer." Almachius said to him, "So the whole world is wrong, and you and your brother are the only ones who know the true God?" Valerian replied, "We aren't alone; an uncountable multitude has received this holiness." The saints were then handed over to the custody of Maximus, who said to them, "O bright flower of youth, O true brotherly affection, how is it that you rush toward death as if you were heading to a feast?" Valerian told him that if he would promise to believe, he would see the glory of their souls after death; and Maximus replied, "May I be consumed by bolts of fire if I don't confess that the one you worship is the only God, should what you say come to pass." Maximus himself, along with his entire household and all the executioners, believed and received baptism from Urban, who had come there in secret. Then, as the dawn brought an end to the night, Cecilia cried out, "Come, soldiers of Christ, cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." At the fourth milestone from the city, the saints were led to the statue of Jupiter, and because they refused to offer sacrifice, they were beheaded together. Then Maximus swore an oath that at the hour of their passion he had seen shining angels, and their souls like virgins coming forth from a bridal chamber, whom the angels carried in their arms up to heaven. Almachius, however, hearing that Maximus had become a Christian, had him beaten with lead-weighted whips until he breathed his last; Saint Cecilia buried his body next to Valerian and Tiburtius. Then Almachius began to inquire into the property of both, and he had Cecilia brought before him as Valerian's wife, ordering her to offer sacrifice to the idols or face the sentence of death.
The Steadfastness of Cecilia
Cecilia faces the prefect, survives the torture of the bath, and is finally martyred, leaving her home as a church.
When the officers pressured her to do this, weeping bitterly because such a noble and beautiful young woman was throwing her life away, she told them: "Good young men, this isn't losing one's youth, but trading it—giving up clay to receive gold, giving up a cheap dwelling to receive a precious one, and giving up a narrow corner to receive a bright, open square." If someone offered you gold coins for a penny, wouldn't you hurry all the faster? But God will return a hundredfold for what He has received as a single measure. Do you believe what I'm saying? They replied: "We believe that Christ is the true God, who possesses such a servant." So, with Bishop Urban called in, four hundred or more were baptized. Then Almachius called Saint Cecilia to him and asked: "What is your social standing?" She said: "I am free-born and noble." Almachius said: "I am asking you about your religion." Cecilia replied: "Your questioning starts off foolishly, thinking it can settle two different answers with a single inquiry." Almachius asked, "Where do you get such arrogance in your replies?" She replied, "From a clear conscience and a faith that isn't fake." Almachius said, "Do you have any idea what kind of power I have?" She answered, "Your power is like a wineskin filled with wind; if a needle pricks it, all its stiffness immediately collapses, and whatever seemed rigid inside just goes limp." Almachius said, "You started with insults, and you're still insulting me." Cecilia replied, "An insult is only an insult if it's spoken with deceitful words. So, either prove I'm insulting you by showing where I've lied, or correct yourself for making false accusations. We simply cannot deny the holy name of God; it's better to die happily than to live miserably." Almachius asked, "Why do you speak with such pride?" She said, "It isn't pride; it's conviction." Almachius said, "You poor fool, don't you know that I have the power to give life or to take it away?" She replied, "I can prove you're lying right now, contrary to common truth. You can take life away from the living, but you can't give it to the dead. You are a minister of death, not of life." Almachius said to her, "Give up this madness and sacrifice to the gods." Cecilia replied, "I don't know where you lost your eyes; for we all see that the gods you speak of are just stone. Reach out your hand, then, and by touching them learn what you cannot see with your eyes." Then, in a rage, Almachius ordered her taken back to her house, where he commanded that she be burned in a boiling bath for a day and a night. She remained there as if in a cool place and didn't feel even the slightest bit of sweat. When Almachius heard this, he ordered her to be beheaded in that very bath. The executioner struck her neck three times but couldn't cut off her head; because it was decreed that no one should receive a fourth blow, the blood-stained executioner left her half-alive. Surviving for three days, she gave everything she had to the poor and entrusted everyone she had converted to the faith to Bishop Urban, saying, "I asked for a three-day reprieve so that I could entrust us to your holiness and so that you could consecrate this house of mine into a church." Saint Urban then buried her body among the bishops and, as she had requested, consecrated her house into a church.
Historical Context
The chapter concludes with brief notes on the historical dating of Saint Cecilia's martyrdom.
She suffered around the year of our Lord 223, during the time of the Emperor Alexander. Elsewhere, however, it is read that she suffered during the time of Marcus Aurelius, who reigned around the year of our Lord 220.
Read the original Latin
Caecilia quasi coeli lilia cel caecis via vel a coelo et lya. Vel Caecilia quasi caecitate carens. Vel dicitur a coelo et leos, quod est populus. Fuit enim coeleste lilium per virginitatis pudorem; vel dicitur lilium, quia habuit candorem munditiae, virorem conscientiae, odorem bonae famae. Fuit enim caecis via per exempli informationem, coelum per jugem contemplationem, lya per assiduam operationem. Vel dicitur coelum, quia, sicut dicit Ysidorus, coeIum philosophi volubile, rotundum et ardens esse dixerunt. Sic et ipsa fuit volubilis per operationem sollicitam, rotunda per perseverantiam, ardens per caritatem succensam; fuit caecitate carens per sapientiae splendorem, fuit et coelum populi, quia in ipsa tamquam in coelo spirituali populus ad imitandum intuetur coelum, solem, lunam et stellas, id est sapientiae perspicacitatem, fidei magnanimitatem et virtutum varietatem. — Caecilia virgo praeclarissima ex nobili Romanorum genere exorla et ab ipsis cunabilis in fide Christi nutrita absconditum semper evangelium Christi gerebat in pectore et non diebus neque noctibus a colloquiis divinis et oratione cessabat suamque virginitatem conservari a domino exorabat.
Cum autem cuidam juveni, nomine Valeriano, desponsata fnisset et dies nuptiarum instituta esset, illa subtus ad carnem cilicio erat induta et desuper deauratis vestibus tegebatur et cantantibus organis illa in corde soli domino 49 decantabat dicens: fiat, domine, cor meum et corpus meum immaculatum, ut non confundar, et biduanis et triduanis jejuniis orans commendabat domino, quod timebat. Venit autem nox, in qua suscepit una cum sponso suo cubiculi secreta silentia, et ita eum alloquitur: o dulcissime atque amantissime juvenis, est mysterium, quod tibi confitear, si modo tu juratus asseras, tota te illud observantia enstodire, Jurat Valerianus, se illud nulla necessitate detegere, nulla prodere ratione. Tunc illa ait: angelum Dei habeo amatorem, qui nimio zelo custodit corpus meum, Hic si vel leviter senserit, quod tu me polluto amore contingas, statim feriet te et amittes florem tuac gratissimae juventutis, si autem cognoverit, quod me sincero amore diligas, ita quoque diliget te sicnt me et ostendet tibi gloriam suam. Tunc Valerianus nutu Dei correctus ait: si vis, ut credam tibi, ipsum angelum mihi ostende, et si vere probavero, quod angelus sit, faciam, quod hortaris, si autem virum alium diligis, te et illum gladio feriam. Cui Caecilia dixit: st in Deum verum credideris et te baptizari promiseris, ipsum videre valebis. Vade igitur in tertium milliarium ab urbe via, quae Appia nuncupatur, et pauperibus, quos illic invenies, dices: Caecilia me misit ad vos, ut ostendatis mihi sanctum senem Urbanum, quoniam ad ipsum habeo secreta mandata, quae perferam. Hunc dum tu videris, indica ei omnia verba mea, et postquam ab eo purificatus fueris et redieris, angelum ipsum videbis. "Tunc Valerianus perrexit et secundum signa, quae acceperat, sanctum Urbanum episcopum intra sepulchra martirum latitantem invenit, cumque ei omnia verba Caeciliae dixisset, ille manus ad coelum expandens cum lacrymis ait: domine Jesu Christe, seminator casti consilii, suscipe seminum fructus, quos in Caecilia seminasti, domine Jesu Christe, pastor bone, Caecilia famula tua quasi apis tibi argumentosa deservit; nam sponsum, quem quasi leonem ferocem accepit, ad te quasi agnum mansuelissimum destinavit.
Et ecce subito apparuit senex quidam niveis vestibus indutus, tenens librum aureis litteris scriptum. Quem videns Valerianus prae nimio timore quasi mortuus cecidit et a sene levatus sic legit: unus Deus, una fides, unum baptisma, unus Deus et pater omnium , qui super omnes et per omnia et in omnibus nobis. Cumque haec legisset, dixit ei senior: credis ita esse an adhuc dubitas? "Tunc exclamavit dicens: non est alind, quod verius credi possit, sub coclo. Statimque illo disparente Valerianus a sancto Urbano baptisma suscepit et rediens Caeciliam cum angelo loquentem in cubiculo invenit, Angelus autem duas coronas ex rosis et liliis in manu habebat et unam Caeciliae et alteram Valeriano tradidit dicens; istas coronas immaeulato corde et mundo corpore custodite, quia de paradiso Dei eas ad vos attuli, nec unquam marcescent neo odorem amiltent nec ab aliis, nisi quibus castitas placuerit, videri poterunt. Tu autem, Valeriane, quia utili consilio credidisti, pete, quodcumque volueris, et consequeris. Cui Valerianus: nihil mihi in hac vita exstitit dulcius, quam unicus fratris mei affectus, peto igitur, ut et veritatem ipse mecum agnoscat. Cai angelus: placet domino petitio tua et ambo cum palma martirii ad dominum venietis, Post hoe ingressus Tiburtius frater Valeriani, cum nimium rosarum sensisset odorem, dixit: miror, hoc tempore roseus hic odor et liliorum unde respiret; nam si ipsas rosas vel lilia in manibus meis ienerem, nec sic poterant odoramenta tantae mihi suavitatis infundere; confiteor vobis, ita sum refectus, ut putem me totum subito immutatum, Cui Valerianus: coronas habemus, quas tui oculi videre non praevalent, floreo colore et niveo candore vernantes, et sicut me interpellante odorem sensisti, sic et, si credideris, videre valebis.
Cui Tiburtius: in somnis hoc audio an in veritate ista tu loqueris, Valeriane? Cui Valerianus: in somnis usque modo fuimns, sed jam nunc in veritate manemus. Ad quem Tiburtius: unde hoc nosti? Et Valerianus: angelus domini me docuit, quem tu videre poteris, si tu pnurificatus fueris et omnibus ydolis abrenuntiaveris, Huic miraculo de coronis rosarum Ambrosius attestatur in praefatione sic dicens: sancta Caecilia sic coelesti est dono repleta, ut martirii palmam assumeret; ipsum mundum est cum thalamis exsecrata; testis est Valeriani conjugis et Tiburlii provocata confessio, quos, domine, angelica manu odoriferis floribus coronasti, viros virgo duxit ad gloriam, mundus agnovit, quantum valeat devotio castitatis. Haec Ambrosius, Tunc Caecilia evidenter ostendit ei, omnia ydola esse insensibilia et muta, ita ut Tiburtius responderet ac diceret: qui ista non credit, pecus est. Tuno Caecilia oseulans pectus ejus dixit: hodie te fateor meum esse cognatum, sicut enim amor Dei fratrem tuum mihi conjugem fecit, ita ie mihi cognatum contemtus faciet ydolorum. Vade igitur cum fratre tuo, ut purificationem accipias et angelicos vultus videre valeas. Dixitque Tiburtius fratri suo: obsecro te, frater.
ut mihi dicas, ad quem me ducturus es. Cui Valerianus: ad Urbanum episcopum. Cui Tiburtius: de illo Urbano dicis, qui totiens damnatus est et adhuc in latebris commoratur? hio, si inventus fuerit, éremabitur et nos in illius flammis pariter involvemur, et dum quaerimus divinitatem latentem in coelis, incurremus furorem exurentem in terris. Cui Caecilia: si haec sola esset vila, juste hane perdere timeremus; est autem alia melior, quae nunquam amititur, quam nobis Dei filius enarravit, Omnia enim, quae facta sunt, filius ex patre genitus condidit, universa autem, quae condita sunt, ex patre procedens spiritus animavit. Hic igitur filius Dei in mundum veniens verbis et miraculis aliam vitam esse nobis monstravit. Cui Tiburtius: certe unum Deum esse asseris, et quomodo nunc tres esse testaris? Respondit Caecilia: sient in una hominis sapientia sunt tria, scilicet ingenium, memoria et iftellectus, sic et in una divinitatis essentia tres personae esse possunt.
Tunc coepit ei de adventu filii Dei et passione praedicare et multas congruitates ipsius passionis ostendere. Nam ideo, inquit, filius Dei est tentus, ut genus humanum dimittatur peccato detentum; benedictus maledicitur, ut homo maledictus benedictionem consequatur; illudi se patitur, ut homo ab illusione daemonum liberetur; spineam coronam accepit in capite, ut a nobis sententiam auferat capitalem; fel suscipit amarum, ut sanaret hominis dulcem gustum; exspoliatur, ut parentum nostrorum nuditatem operiat; in ligno suspenditur, ut ligni praevaricationem tollat. Tune CTiburtius fratri suo dixit: miserere mei et perduc me ad hominem Dei, ut purificationem accipiam. Dactus igitur et purificatas angelos Dei saepe videbat et omnia, quae postulabat, protinus obtinebat. Valerianus igitur et Tiburtius elemosinis insistebant et sanctorum corpora, quos Almachius praefectus occidebat, sepulturae tradebant. Quos Almachius ad se vocans, cur pro suis sceleribus damnatos sepelirent, inquisivit. Cui Tiburtius: utinam illorum servi essemus, quos tu damnatos appellas! Qui contemserunt illud, quod videtur esse et non est, et invenerunt illud, quod non videtur esse et est.
Cui praefectus: quidnam est illud? Et Tiburtins: quod videtur esse et non est, est omne, quod in hoc mundo est, quod hominem ad non esse perducit; quod vero non videtur esse et est, esl vita justorum et poena malorum. Cui praefectus: non puto, quod mente tua loquaris. Tunc jubet adstare Valerianum dicens ei: quoniam non est sani capitis frater tuus, tu saltem poteris sapienter dare responsum; constat plurimum vos errare, qui gaudia respuitis et omnia inimica gaudiis affectatis. Tunc Valerianus se vidisse ait glaciali tempore otiosos jocantes el operarios agricolas deridentes, sed aestivo tempore, dum advenissent gloriosi fructus laborum, gaudentibus illis, qui putabantur vani, coeperunt flere, qui vidcbantur urbani. Sic et nos nunc quidem sustinemus ignominiam ct laborem, in futuro antem recipiemus gloriam et aeternam mercedem, Vos autem nune transitorium habetis gaudium, in futuro autem invenietis aeternum luctum. Gui praefectus: ergo nos invictissimi principes aeternum habebimus luctum et vos personae vilissimae perpetuum possidebitis gaudium ? Cui Valerianus: homuntiones estis, non principes, tempore nostro nati, citius morituri et Deo rationem plus omnibus reddituri Dixit autem praefectus: quid verborum circuitu immoramnr?
offerte Diis libamina et illaesi abscedite. Sancti responderunt: nos Deo vero quotidie sacrificium exhibemus. Quibus praefectus: quod est nomen ejus? Cui Valerianus: nomen ejus invenire non poteris, etiamsi pennis volaveris. Praefectus dixit: ergo. Jupiter nomen Dei non est? Cui Valerianus: nomen hoimicidae et siupratoris est. Ad quem Almachius: ergo totus mundus errat et tu cum fratre tuo verum Deum nosti?
Valerianus respondit: nos Soli non sumus, sed innumerabilis multitudo hanc sanctitatem recepit. Traduntur igitur sancti in custodiam Maximi, Quibus ille ait: o juventutis flos purpureus, o germanus fraternitatis affectus, quomodo ad mortem quasi ad epulas festinatis? Cui Valerianus ait, quod , si crediturum se promitteret, gloriam animarum eorum post mortem videret, Et Maximus: fulminibus igneis consumar, si non illum solum Deum confitear, quem adoratis, si contingat, quod dicitis. Ipse igitur Maximus et omnis ejus familia et universi carnifices crediderunt et ab Urbano, qui illuc occulte venit, baptisma susceperunt, Igitur dum aurora nocti finem daret, Caecilia exclamavit dicens: eia milites Christi, abjicite opera tenebrarum et induimini arma lucis. Quarto igitur milliario ab urbe sancti ad statuam Jovis ducuntar et dum sacrificare nollent, pariter decollantur. Tunc Maximus eum jurejurando asseruit , se in hora passionis eorum angelos vidisse fulgentes et animas eorum quasi virgines de thalamo exeuntes, quas in gremio suo in coelum angeli detulerunt. Almachius vero audiens Maximum christianum effectum, eum plumbatis tamdiu caedi fecil, quousque spiritum excussit, Cujus corpus saneta Caecilia juxta Valerianum et Tiburlium sepelivit. Tunc Almachius facultates amborum coepit inquirere et Caeciliam tamquam Valeriani conjugem coram se fecit adstare jussitque, ut ydolis immolaret aut sententiam mortis incurreret.
Cum autem ad hoc ab apparitoribus urgeretur et illi vehementer flerent, eo quod puella tam decora et nobilis ultro se morti traderet, dixit ad eos: hoc, boni juvenes, non est juventutem perdere, sed mutuare, dare lutum et accipere aurum, dare vile habitaculum et accipere pretiosum, dare brevem angulum et accipere forum pellucidum. Si quis pro nummo solidos daret, nonne velocius festinaretis? Deus autem, quod accepit simplum, reddet centuplum, Creditis his, quae dico? Et illi: credimus, Christum verum esse Deum, qui talem possidet famulam, Vocato igitur Urbano episcopo CCCC et amplius baptizati sunt. Tunc Almachius sanctam Caeciliam ad se vocans ait: eujus conditionis es? Et illa: ingenua sum et nobilis. Gni Almachius: ego te de religione interrogo. Cui Caecilia: interrogatio iua stultum sumit initium, quae duas responsiones una putat inquisitione concludi.
Cni Almachius: unde tibi tanta praesumtio respondendi? At illa: de conscientia bona et fide non ficta. Cui Almachius: ignoras, cujus potestatis sim? Et illa: potestas vestra est quasi uter vento repletus, quem si acus pupugerit, omnis protinus rigor pallescit et quidquid in se rigidum habere cernitur, incurvatur, Cui Almachius: ab injuriis coopisti, et in injuriis perseveras, Caecilia respondit: injuria non dicitur nisi quod verbis fallentibas irrogatur; unde aut injuriam doce, si falsa locuta sum, aut te ipsum corripe calumniam inferentem, sed nos òeientts sanctum Dei nomen omnino negare non possumus, melius est enim feliciter mori, quam infeliciter vivere. Cui Almachius:ad quid cum tanta superbia loqueris? Etilla: non estsuperbia, sed constantia. Cui Almachius: infelix, ignoras, quia vivificandi et mortificandi mihi tradita est potestas? Et illa: contra veritatem publicam probo te nunc esse mentitum, vitam enim viventibus tollere potes, mortuis autem dare non potes; es igitur minister mortis, non vitae.
Cui Almachius: jam depone amentiam et sacrifica Diis. Cni Caecilia: nescio, ubi oculos amiseris; nam, quos tu Deos dicis, omnes nos saxa esse videmus; mitte igitur manum et tangendo disce, quod oculis non vales videre. Tunc iratus Almachius jussit eam ad domum suam reduci ibique tota nocte et die jussit eam in bulliente balneo concremari. Quae quasi in loco frigido mansit nec modicum saltem sudoris persensit. Quod cum audivisset Almachius, jussit eam in ipso balneo decollari. Quam spiculator tribus ictibus in collo percussit, sed tamen caput ejus amputare non potuit, et quia decretum erat, ne quartam percussionem decollandus acciperet, cam semivivam cruentus carnifex dereliquit. Per triduum antem supervivens omnia, quae habebat, pauperibus tradidit et omnes, quos ad fidem converterat, Urbano episcopo commendavit dicens: triduanas mihi inducias postulavi, ut nos tuae beatitudini commendarem et hanc domum meam in ecclesiam consecrares. Sanctus autem Urbanus corpus ejus inter episcopos sepelivit et domum suam in ecclesiam, ut rogaverat, consecravit.
Passa est autem circa annos domini CC et XXIII tempore Alexandri imperatoris. Alibi autem legitur, quod passa sit tempore Marci Aurelii, qui imperavit circa annos domini CCXX.
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
Continue through all 240 chapters, one saint a day
Chosen Portion serves the Golden Legend as a daily portion on iOS, free, alongside the full Sub Rosa archive
The Legenda Aurea was organized for day-by-day use across the liturgical year, and Chosen Portion restores that original one-feast-per-day reading rhythm
- A complete saint's life or feast reading most days in 5-10 minutes
- 240 chapters - enough daily readings to cover a full liturgical year and beyond
- Daily reminders so the plan survives busy weeks