Blessed Carlo Acutis To Become A Saint

By TOM DENNEHY

The remarkable life of Carlo Acutis continues to inspire and we can now look forward to his canonization after another miracle attributed to him has been approved by Pope Francis. The Italian computer coding teenager, who died of cancer in 2006 is known for his great devotion to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and is the first millennial to be beatified by the Catholic Church.

Blessed Carlo Acutis was born on May 3rd, 1991 in London to Italian parents. He grew up in Milan, Italy where his family relocated when he was just a child. From a young age Carlos displayed an extraordinary devotion to his Catholic faith. He attended daily mass, received the sacraments regularly, and developed a deep love of the Eucharist.

Carlos referred to the Eucharist as “His Highway to Heaven.” His mother had only been to mass three times in her life but she was captivated by her son’s devotion to the Eucharist which led to her conversion.

He prayed regularly before Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and he allowed Him transform his youthful heart. He used to say, “If we sit in front of the sun, we get suntans, but if we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints.” As a result of regular prayer before The Blessed Sacrament, Carlos was able to reach his full potential and become the person God wanted him to be.

A technological pioneer, Carlos, at the age of 14 years, created a website detailing an array of Eucharistic miracles which have taken place around the world.

He has documented 187 in all and all these Eucharistic miracles involve incidents in which the Eucharistic host has turned into human flesh and blood.

When scientifically examined by the world’s top scientists, they are astonished when told they come from a consecrated host. The tests show that the flesh comes from the left ventricle of the heart, the part which pumps the blood around the body and the blood is type AB. Even more astonishing, it is living tissue and the tests show that it is from a heart that has suffered terrible trauma. These miracles show that the words of Jesus come through when He said, “I am the living bread come down from Heaven. He who eats My flesh will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” John 6;51-59.

Carlos was concerned by people growing distant from the Church and the sacraments and he wanted to bring them back. His website – www.miracolieucaristici. org –is a call to shake consciences and many young people throughout the world have had their faith strengthened by his work.

Carlos could not understand why stadiums were full of people and churches were empty. He would say, “They have to see, they have to understand that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.” Carlos understood that we have a foretaste of Heaven on Earth when we receive the Eucharist.

In 2006, at the age of fifteen, Carlos developed a rare type of leukaemia. As he was dying, he said, “I am happy to die, because I lived my life without wasting even a minute of it on anything unpleasing to God.”

He is patron saint of the youth and a relic of his heart visited Ireland last year and an exhibition of the miracles he has documented were on display recently in The Sacred Heart Church, Waterford City.

Quotes from Carlo Acutis:

1. Reciting the rosary is the most important appointment of the day.

2. The biggest gift that God has made to us was to send His only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for all of us.

3. The sacrifice on The Cross which occurred two thousand years ago is just as present to us in all the masses celebrated today.

4. Jesus is Love and He has made Himself food and drink for us in the Eucharist.

5. Life is a gift because as long as we are on this planet, we can grow in our ability to love. The more we learn to love, the more we will enjoy eternal blessedness with God.

6. The celebration of Holy Mass is the most important prayer we can perform to help the departed souls to leave Purgatory.

7. Find God and you will find the meaning of your life.

We hope and pray that many young people today will follow the example set by blessed Carlos Acutis, soon to become a saint and follow his plan of life -- to be always united with Jesus.