ST CARLO ACUTIS AND OUR CALL TO BE SAINTS

Fr Billy Swan

In Paris on 25th September last, Pope Leo said to thousands of young people gathered in the Stade de France: ‘You are the saints of France! The Church in France needs you! She prays for you; she awaits you. Do not be afraid of this call!’

I believe that nobody would dare describe themselves as a saint. We are acutely conscious of our imperfections. Yet, we are called to be saints by the God who has created us and called us to follow His Son. We easily dismiss the prospect of becoming a saint because it is too demanding and unsettling. It is also frightening as Pope Leo points out with his words: ‘Do not be afraid!’ Another reason we can dismiss the possibility of becoming saints is that we think God chooses other types of individuals but not me. One young man who challenges this is the first saint of the new millennium, St Carlo Acutis, whose feast day we celebrate on 12th October.

Carlo Acutis challenges the stereotypes that we have of who can be a saint and why. Here was an ordinary kid who loved computers, was committed to his friends and who had a heart of mercy for all. Although he did not come from a devoutly religious family, he was gifted with a wisdom and a faith that surpassed his years and experience. Given that so many young people today also fall into that category, it raises hope that no one is out of reach of God’s choice to live a beautiful and selfless life. If God raised up this young Italian boy to be a saint of the third millennium, is it possible that His plans for my life are much greater than I imagine?

Consider his advice using the memorable analogy of a photocopy: ‘All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies’. Here Carlo warns against the slavery of conformity but not in the modern sense of being radically individualistic.

For Carlo, the highest good of all was God and his will for his life. ‘Happiness is looking towards God’ he said. ‘Sadness is looking towards yourself”. He also shared: ‘Money is only ragged paper…what counts in life is the nobility of the soul, that is, the way that one loves God and loves one’s neighbour’. Here is a clarity of vision from the saint that encourages young people not to settle for something beneath their dignity or to pursue goods that fail to satisfy the longings of the human heart. It is a call not to stifle the hope in young hearts.

Carlo used his computer skills to update and develop the websites and communication platforms of his parish and school, opening up new ways to evangelise and share the Good News. Not being naïve about the dangers of the internet, he warned his fellow students about the evils of pornography that ‘hypnotise’ its victims and de-humanise both its producers and consumers.

From a young age, Carlo grasped the teaching of Jesus about the importance of interior disposition being the key to what we say and how we act. He knew that a deep and beautiful spirituality on the inside is the secret of a serene, consistent and joyful disposition that presents itself on the outside. Carlo often repeated: ‘Why do people worry so much about their physical beauty but don’t worry about the beauty of their souls?’ Carlo exemplified this beauty as a person of great holiness on the inside and great charity he showed in how he lived. He helped immigrants, the disabled, the elderly and was a friend to those his own age whose parents had separated.

Another distinct feature of Carlo’s young life was his love for the Eucharist. At a time when many of his contemporaries were walking away from the Mass, Carlo found something beautiful in it that attracted him, something divine that he experienced. For Carlo, the Eucharist was a threshold experience that enabled him to transcend the border of this world and touch a world beyond. He famously said: ‘The Eucharist is my motorway to heaven’ and that ‘with each Communion we come closer to the goal of sanctity’.

Carlo Acutis died after a short illness caused by acute leukaemia on 12th October 2006. He faced his death with great courage as did his suffering parents. Though they prayed for the miracle of his survival, they all came to realise that God doesn’t always save us from death but in death.

The life of Carlo Acutis is like a window through which we see the triumph of God’s grace at work in a human life. His story reminds us that God is still calling people to be saints. Is God calling you to be a saint? Don’t rule it out. In the words of Leon Bloy, the only tragedy in life is not to become one.