St. Cecilia (Feast Day November 22)

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St. Cecilia was a young woman in Rome who, from a young age, wanted to consecrate herself to God. She spent her days preaching the word of God in the streets of Rome and brought many people to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and risen from the dead. Living during a time of great persecution, she was arrested, and many attempts were made to execute her, but miraculously, she survived them all. Finally, her head was chopped off, becoming one of the Church’s first virgin martyrs. She has been a powerful intercessor for Christians since the early days of the Catholic Church, and many churches are named after her worldwide. Her body was exhumed in 1599, and she was the first saint to be discovered as incorrupt, meaning that her body did not decay as bodies normally do after death. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. Many musical compositions are dedicated to her, and her feast day has become the occasion for concerts and musical festivals.

·      Do you think the master in today’s Gospel story was fair to his servants? Why or why not?

·      The Lord has entrusted many things to us: money, natural talents, spiritual gifts, etc. He expects us to grow them. What things has the Lord entrusted to you, and how does he want you to grow them?

·      Why do you think Jesus tells us this story?

·      St. Cecilia shared the Word of God with people in the streets or Rome. Share a time when you used your talents to share your faith.

Put on a Family Talent Show

Put your talents on display for your family by putting on a family talent show. Whether you lip-sync, juggle, sing, play an instrument, or have some other talent, take time to appreciate the gifts and talents of your family members. Invite extended family and serve refreshments!  Who knows, this could become an annual event! 

St. Cecilia Biscuits and Jam Session

Use this recipe below for some homemade biscuits. Once they are made, add your favorite jam (like strawberry) to them. You have to sing a song as you spread the jam or else it doesn’t count!

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

½ tsp salt

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cream of tartar

¾ cup COLD butter

1 egg

1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 450 F. The secret to excellent biscuits is COLD BUTTER. Really cold. Many times, the biscuit dough gets worked so much that the butter softens before the biscuits even go in the oven. Try cutting the butter into small pieces and put it back in the fridge, pulling out only when ready to incorporate into the dough. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut cold butter into flour mixture. Don't go too crazy here—you want to see small, pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the dough. Add in the milk and egg and mix just until the ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky but don't keep working it. You should be able to see the butter pieces in the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top of the dough so it won't stick to your fingers and knead 10 to 15 times. If the dough is super sticky, just sprinkle on some additional flour. Pat the dough out to ¾ – 1-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or glass, about 9 to 12 biscuits. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. For extra yumminess, brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter.

Family Talent Gratitude Prayer

Starting with the youngest member, each member of the family lists the talents they see in that person. After all their talents have been named, the father (or mother) leads a prayer thanking God for this member and the gifts he or she brings to the family.

Each week, many people use their talents to serve at Mass. How many people (besides the priest and deacon) served as liturgical ministers at the Mass you attended this week?

In honor of St. Cecilia, play some Christian music each night as you clean up after dinner.

St. Cecilia is the patron saint of singers. Her heart sang to God when she was young, desiring to consecrate herself to Jesus. She is almost always shown with a musical instrument in paintings, statues, or stained-glass windows.