23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
September 7, 2025 11:00am
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Carlo Acutis
Today at the Vatican, Pope Leo canonized two saints.
This morning, I want to share a few thoughts about one of them – his name is Carlo Acutis. Carlo – and by the way, that is Italian for Charles – Carlo was born in 1991.
He lived with his parents in Milan, Italy. From a young age, Carlo showed a love for God and participated in the life of the Church.
In fact, his mother says that he showed her how to live. Carlo was known for taking up for classmates who were being bullied.
He used some of his money to buy sleeping bags for the poor. And he had a passion for computer programming.
Carlo showed how we can use technology for good and for spreading the gospel message. He once said: “My secret is to contact Jesus every day.”
He believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and felt he encountered Jesus there – here! He catalogued Eucharistic miracles in the world and created a website for them.
Carlo said: “When we face the sun we get a tan… but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.” Little did he know how this would come true for himself at such a young age.
Carlo’s Sickness
Carlo was a very normal teenager.
He dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers, and caried a backpack. I guess his laptop was in that.
Carlo died from a brief illness with a very aggressive leukemia when he was just fifteen years old – in 2006. In his short life, he visited Assisi a number of times and was drawn to Saint Francis’ simplicity, humility, and love of the Eucharist.
For that reason, his parents chose to bury his body in Assisi. Pope Francis said of Carlo: “His witness shows today’s young people that true happiness is found by putting God first and serving him in others, especially the least.”
This young man, this teen really models what Jesus calls us to in today’s gospel. He calls us to be disciples and that means making Jesus central in all that we do.
Jesus says that we are to take up our “cross” and follow him. Many times, those crosses come right in the course of life – like Carlo getting leukemia at such a young age.
Jesus calls us to “hate” family and friends. This is hyperbole and is not to be taken literally.
Jesus means that we follow him and his way even when those close to us are not doing that. We can show them Jesus’ way just by our example.
And Jesus says to “renounce” our possessions. This doesn’t mean to give everything away.
Jesus means that we don’t look for happiness in possessions or money or positions, but in him. Carlo had come to understand this at a very young age.
Saint Carlo
So, a new saint today – the first millennial saint!
We – all of us, and especially our young people – we can turn to Carlo as a wonderful example. And we can pray to him to help us to be disciples and to follow Jesus positively in our world today.
