Saints are heroes of the Catholic faith. They lived in holiness dedicated to serving God and spreading the message of salvation. Indeed, many Catholic saints courageously met their deaths simply because of their faith. Each saint’s story is a fascinating one. They lived at different times in different places through history but they all shared the love of God that has been meticulously documented through the teachings of the Catholic Church (ewtn.com/catholicism/saints). The world around us is changing faster than ever before. The use of social media has skyrocketed that greatly influenced the movement and lifestyle of the people particularly to the youth. “For example, it is true that the digital world can expose you to the risk of self-absorption, isolation and empty pleasure. But don’t forget that there are young people even then who show creativity and even genius” (Christus Vivit, n.104). That was the case of Blessed Carlo Acutis, an Italian teenager who used the internet to spread his faith and the first Catholic Church’s millennial saint and dubbed as the patron saint of the internet.
Born in London, in 1991, Carlo and his family soon moved back to Italy, where he grew up as an ordinary only child. He loved football, Pokémon, action films, and all animals (he had four dogs, two cats and many goldfish as pets). From early childhood, his first love was Our Lord in the Eucharist. Neither of his parents were religious, yet from an early age Carlo never wanted to pass a church without going in to “say hello to Jesus.” As a result, his mother came back to faith, then his father. Carlo received his First Holy Communion early, at his own request, in a local convent, entering under a doorway that said “God is enough” (catholicherald.co.uk/carlo-acutis-his-life-and-legacy).
Carlo’s love, appreciation and reverence for the Eucharist were exceptional. “The Eucharist is my highway to Heaven!”, he would say. And, “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.” He never missed daily Mass, even when (from the age of eleven) he began visiting Eucharistic miracles all over the world with his parents, documenting them. A “computer genius” and possible future patron saint of the internet, by age fourteen he had created a Eucharistic Miracle display that would tour the world, along with a website. He believed that if people knew that Jesus was truly in the Eucharist, they would turn to God (ibid.).
Carlo knew he would die young, even predicting the cause of his death and his weight at the time. His mother said, “Carlo always had a sense that he couldn’t waste time.” He hated to be enslaved by anything, so although he loved computer games, he allowed himself to play for only one hour a week, and gave the rest of his time to good works helping children, the elderly, and the poor. As soon as he was confirmed, age eleven, he became a catechist. He met and chatted with many migrants, standing sponsor for one when he got baptized. He was popular at school, but also befriended children who were unhappy at home, defended the disabled, and treated girls with an old-fashioned purity that challenged everyone. He would defend his Catholic faith — including his pro-life views fearlessly in class (ibid.).
Then, in early October 2006, Carlo became ill with flu — so it was thought, until his condition deteriorated. He was admitted to hospital, receiving a terrible diagnosis: “It is a devastating leukemia.” The fifteen-year-old boy who loved to laugh had days to live. Carlo took the news calmly, immediately offering all his sufferings for the Pope, the Church, and his own direct entry into heaven (he had a horror of purgatory). “I am happy to die,” he said, “because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.” “I would like to leave this hospital,” he told his mother, “but I know I will not do so alive. I will give you signs, though, that I am with God.” He died on October 12. Some of his last words were to a nurse who offered to wake his mother, since he was suffering. He refused: “She is very tired as well and she will only worry even more” (ibid.).
Exactly four years later, on the anniversary of Carlo’s death, at the age of forty-four, his mother gave birth to the promised ‘signs’ Carlo’s twin brother and sister. Carlo’s mother has said that God chose Carlo to be “an example for the young people of this period in history” (ibid.).
The life of Blessed Carlo Acutis is for me an example that sanctity is not limited to adults who lived in the distant past. Amidst the fast-changing world of technologies he proves that, there is an ordinary teenager in the 21st century too who can be worthy of veneration. He showed how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate its values and beauty. He showed great self-control and did not became be a slave to what the social media are alluring humans particularly the youth. I really like his motto that says, "everyone is born original, but many people end up dying photocopies,” because many were already greatly influenced by the social media platforms. He showed that we all have unique character and talents given by God, and that we can all live the fullness of life according to what God has given us not because of who and what we are trying to copy that leads us to forget who we really are as children of God. Blessed Carlo is a proof that holiness knows no bounds and that in the Church it is far from dead; indeed, it continues to be vitally up to date. The world is changing, yet the saints, while changing with the changing world, always represent the same living face of Christ. That despite all the changes happening around us the face of Christ is still the same as well as His love, mercy and grace to us.
