Blessed Carlo Acutis: Living Sainthood in Modern Times
Blessed Carlo Acutis is scheduled to be canonized in 2025; he will be the first millennial canonized saint. His body rests in a glass tomb in Assisi and he is wearing jeans, an athletic top, and Nike shoes, reminding us of just how modern he is! Carlo, a saint for our time, died from leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. He lived an incredible and holy life and today, my musing surrounds what we can learn from him.
First, I think Carlo lived the virtue of temperance quite well.
“Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1809).
Carlo was a big fan of video games. Yet, to avoid overindulgence he limited himself to playing only 1 hour per week. Carlo’s mom, Antonia, says that he never wanted to be enslaved to anything.
He knew that to keep a healthy soul, to grow in relationship with the Lord, and to create more room for Christ in his heart, he needed to practice temperance. And he was open about this with his gaming friends; Carlo shared the need for devotion to God and to receive the sacraments with them.
Instead of wasting time on video games, Carlo served the poor and destitute. He volunteered after school with the homeless. At school, he defended vulnerable children from bullies. For kids who had parents going through divorce, Carlo invited them to his house to spend time with his family. In class, he defended the Church’s teaching on abortion and strongly defended the right to life.
Second, I think we can learn about integrating our faith into our daily lives to do good in the modern world.
Carlo was quite intelligent and taught himself about computers, the internet, and programming while remaining faithfully devoted to prayer. Carlo is known well for integrating faith into his work with modern technology.
He used his gifts to spread the Gospel message and to communicate the power of Jesus present in the Eucharist. He was very devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and would say, “the Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”
Carlo traveled with his parents to see Eucharistic miracles around the world. Over the course of 4 years, he created a website that catalogues every reported miracle in the world! He is known to have said, “if we get in front of the sun, we get sun tans, but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.”
Third, Carlo inspires us with courage to live as faithful witnesses to the Gospel message.
Carlo always strived to glorify God in all his undertakings. Through his commitment to God, he served as a credible Catholic witness to everyone in his life. By his charity to the poor, Carlo converted a Hindu man who was employed by the Acutis family. Read this amazing story here. Carlo taught this man about the Christ’s presence in the Eucharist and how to pray the rosary.
Antonia has said, “before Carlo’s birth, I was really caught up in the culture of our time. I was a prisoner of everything that is relative and limited. Carlo showed me how to live in my century while turning toward eternity.” Both of Carlo’s parents returned to the Catholic faith because of his witness.
Carlo serves as an incredible example for us; he did everything a saint should do. He was given extraordinary graces from the Lord and chose to do good with these graces.
When Carlo was diagnosed with cancer, he immediately offered his sufferings for Pope Benedict XVI and for the Church. Before dying he said, “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.”
"Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature,” (Mark 16:15).