“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” Proverbs 31:25.

When I hear this proverb, St. Cecilia of Rome immediately comes to mind. She was a young Christian in the late 200s, during a time of fierce persecution. As a teenager, she was given to a pagan Roman noble in marriage against her will. Cecilia secretly vowed herself to Christ as a bride, and was determined to remain a virgin.

We don’t know much about her life for certain, but we know she converted her husband, Valerian. Someway, somehow, on their wedding night, she disclosed her Christianity and vow to him. Valerian refrained from sex with her, and eventually was baptized and martyred for his wife’s Faith.

A worthy wife.

What kind of a woman can do that? Cecilia was hardly an adult (by those standards) when she was married off by her parents. She was given to a man who worshiped false gods and praised brutal violence for sport. Somehow, she convinced him to refrain from sex with her and honor her vow of virginity. Especially in Roman times, she was his property in every way. Valerian expected to do what he wanted with her. Yet he not only respected her wishes in their marriage, but converted and died for her religion.

The full Proverb 31 talks about a worthy wife. In this passage, a good wife is described as a woman who makes a home. She is a woman who is a companion. A worthy wife is a mother. She is clothed with strength and dignity. Young Cecilia was not a traditional wife by any standards, but she was a worthy wife. She brought her husband to truth, to goodness, to Heaven. Cecilia neither abandoned her Faith nor ran away from her situation. She met God where she was and confronted the devil beside her Heavenly spouse. Because of her heroic defense of her virginity and Faith, she brought her husband to the Lord.

Hopefully, none of us women today will be called to such intense situations. But each of us in confronted daily with the task of being a worthy wife. Do our actions and words bring our husbands closer to God? Are we living as companions, or competitors? Do we cloth ourselves with malice and contempt? Or are we clothed with the Lord, in strength and dignity?