The young man pictured in this photo is a teenager whose name is Carlo Acutis. He was 15 years old when his early life ended from leukemia in 2006. During his short time here on earth, he lived a remarkable life, in many ways like that of any other teenager, but in other ways like that of the saints. Proof of this are the two miracles (medical healings of others) that have been attributed to his prayerful intercession in heaven. Like the other saints, God wants us to know about how he lived his life on earth so that we imitate those saintly qualities in our lives.
Carlo was born on May 3, 1991 and lived most of his life in Italy. Although his parents were Catholic, they rarely prayed or went to Mass. They were too busy for such things because of their careers and other worldly pursuits. Carlo was surprisingly different even from a very young age. After his family’s Catholic housekeeper took him to church, Carlo quickly developed a special love for God. After he made his first Holy Communion, he began going to Mass each day by himself. Eventually others would join him but only after persistent encouragement from Carlo.
His love for the Eucharist and his daily prayers eventually inspired a deep conversion in his parents and his relatives. Carlo’s authentic living of Christianity caused a family friend to convert from Hinduism to Catholicism. He taught her to pray, see Jesus in the Eucharist, and to care for all people, especially the poor. He was known for standing up for kids at school who got bullied, especially kids with disabilities. He spoke about the importance of going to Confession, human dignity, and chastity.
Although Carlo liked playing video games, he limited his playing time to no more than two hours per week. This is just one example of his remarkable focus and self-discipline. Carlo doesn’t make this weekly sacrifice for other worldly pursuits, such as to become a great basketball player, but instead to help others know and love God. This helps us to understand the expansiveness of his maturity, which was truly saintly. When with his friends, he spoke of the importance of going to Mass and Confession, and living a chaste, holy life.
Carlo used his self-taught computer skills and internet savvy to put together an exhibition on Eucharistic miracles that has been displayed throughout the world. He was convinced that the scientific evidence from Eucharistic miracles would help people to realize that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and come back to Mass.
Pope Francis announced that Carlo will be beatified a saint very soon. The two miracles God has provided through his intercession is the final proof the Church needed. The quickness at which this has occurred is very rare and therefore deserves our attention. What is God saying to us through him?
Gratefully,
Fr. Miller