Blessed Carlo Acutis

Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified today in Assisi, Italy.  He was a remarkable young man and a true example for all teens.  There is no point in my regurgitating the various articles that have already been written about Bl. Carlo.  What follows are links to some of the more useful resources I have found.  First off, for a general overview, I find "Google" to be a generally good first resource.  So, here is their article on Bl. Carlo.  Next, because we live in a video age, there are two Youtube videos which are each, in their own way, enlightening here and here.  Of course, you don't get beatified or canonized without miracles, so here is a good article from Our Sunday Visitor.  Next is an article found on Aleteia regarding Bl. Carlo being found "incorrupt".  And finally, a link to the Eucharistic Miracles web page Bl. Carlo created which is still up and running.

These many articles and resources which I am linking here are valuable and good, but I want to speak for a bit about how important Patron Saints are for our young people and how important it is for the adults in their lives to propose a life of holiness to them.

Too often adults think of the life of holiness as either impossible, or too "radical".  As a result, they bring their children to be baptized, communicated, and confirmed, but do little to nothing to activate those graces received; all the while proclaiming that "I'm may not be the best Christian in the world, but I do as well as the next person".  I have a friend, Mary-Louise Kurey, who spent her year of service as Miss Wisconsin (1999) speaking to young people about a life of chastity.  She told me more than once about how sad it was that she could get a gymnasium full of kids excited about the possibility of living a life of chastity while their teachers, coaches, and parents would stand in the back, arms crossed, shaking their head "no".

 

Sometimes parents even actively dissuade their children from growing in holiness.  I remember Jeff Cavins, a popular Catholic media figure, telling the story of how his evangelical girlfriend and her family got him excited about knowing the Bible.  His parent's response to his excitement was "Why would you want to do that?  Just go to Mass."  As a result he left the Church and eventually became a Protestant minister.  Happily, his serious study of scripture eventually brought him back to the fullness of the faith - reverting back to the practice of the Catholic faith of his youth, but now with an intentionality that has inspired many to deepen their own practice of the faith.

Parents and other adults find the wherewithal to encourage young people to such amazing feats in athletics, music, academics, and even preparing to be future business leaders; but when it come to a life of faith and virtue, we too often settle for a bar no higher than that we'd set for a second grader.

Brothers & sisters, our young people are capable of so much more!  Look through the articles about Bl. Carlo, also Bl. Chiara "Luce" Badano, Bl. Pier-Giorgio Frassati, and so many others.  These are all examples who should be presented to our young people, whose lives of holiness should be proposed as completely doable for our own young people.

Generally, we see saints coming from saints; however, Bl. Carlo is evidence that saints can come through the ordinary means of grace which flows to us through the sacraments, and through us to those around us - like Bl. Carlo's parents, friends, and the poor he sought out on the street to assist in their need.