Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 22, 2024
Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written,
My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.
Today’s gospel calls us to look inward and reflect: Am I truly living according to my calling? With Jesus choosing to dwell and live within each one of us, we become temples of God. And as such, we are called to embody worship, praise, and peace. In today’s passage, Jesus specifically reminds us that we are called to be a “house of prayer,” cultivating harmony between our identity as God’s temple and how we live out our lives.
When have I ignored this call to be a house of prayer? Have I, at times, allowed myself to be a den of thieves through sin?
This gospel passage reminds me of a beautiful piece we sing in the Magnificat Choir called “The Choristers’ Prayer,” which reads:
“Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants, who minister in Thy temple.
Grant that what we sing with our lips, we may believe in our hearts,
And what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives.”
Our choir prays with these words at the beginning of every rehearsal, imploring God to align our actions with our faith. With this, we pray that we may minister in the way God has intended. It is a profound reminder that our faith — as temples of God — should direct every action we take.
On the path to living more fully as God’s temple, we can look to Saint Cecilia, whose feast day we celebrate today. This beautiful martyr devoted her life to God. Her vow to uphold her virginity and her commitment to converting lives demonstrate how she used her life to be a true “house of prayer.” May we follow her lead and allow our lives to become the holy dwelling places God has called them to be.
Prayer
Lord, you made us temples of the Holy Spirit, and yet so often, we make of our temples a den of thieves. Turn our hearts back to you. Inspire us by the gift of your Holy Spirit that we may be instruments of your justice and lasting peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Cecilia is one of the most venerated martyrs from early Christianity, one of the few who is invoked in a Eucharistic prayer during the celebration of the Mass. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians and some of her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
There are few historically verifiable details from Cecilia's biography, but legends that pass on the story of her life have endured through the ages. A famous church in Cecilia's honor was built in Rome, Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, traditionally believed to be built over the site of her home, and Cecilia's body rests there.
While Cecilia was still young, her parents arranged a marriage for her with a wealthy Roman named Valerian, who was not a Christian. It is said that when she heard the music play around her during her raucous Roman wedding celebration, Cecilia barely noticed, as she was singing a hymn of love in her heart for Jesus the entire time. Cecilia had committed herself as a spouse to Christ before her marriage to Valerian. This is one of the legends that caused her to be invoked as a patron saint of musicians.
On their wedding night, Cecilia told Valerian of her commitment to God and taught him the Christian faith. Valerian converted that very night, requesting to be baptized along with his brother.
Valerian and his brother were both wealthy Roman citizens, thus, after their conversion, they dedicated their fortune to support Christian families who had suffered the death of a loved one in martyrdom. Eventually, the two brothers were captured and sentenced to death. The soldier charged with killing them was converted by their great faith, however, and, instead of killing them, took them into his house, begging that they would baptize him and his whole family.
The next day, Valerian, his brother, and the soldier were all beheaded. Cecilia made sure they were buried properly and distributed the goods of their households among the poor.
Eventually, Cecilia herself was captured for her bold proclamation of the faith and she was condemned to die by suffocation in steam baths. Despite remaining in the baths for a day and a half, Cecilia remained unharmed and able to breathe freely.
Legend has it that a soldier was sent to behead Cecilia, but after the three blows of the sword allowed by law, her head was not severed. She appeared incapacitated but peaceful, joyfully awaiting her death and union with Christ. Faithful friends gathered around her and waited with her until she died three days later. She was buried by the pope himself.
In 1599, when Cecilia's body was exhumed from under the church in Rome, it was reportedly found incorrupt, as though she had just been laid in the ground.
Some of St. Cecilia’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica and she is also depicted there in the stained glass windows seen in this biography. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd.
St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians—pray for us!
