Carlo Acutis, the millennial teenager whose story has impacted countless people all around the world, will soon be canonized by the Catholic Church. As the day approaches that the very first millennial will be added to the names of thousands of saints recognized within the Church, we may begin to more deeply contemplate the question: What is the particular significance of a millennial saint? There is no single answer to this question, but as a millennial myself, there are a few things that stand out to me as I consider the soon-to-be saint.
First, and perhaps one of the most obvious characteristics that makes him especially unique, Carlo was a very young when he accomplished everything that ultimately propelled him toward sainthood. He passed away at the age of 15, and yet, in his short life, he impacted so many people through his love, wisdom, and talents that he will now forever be remembered within the Church.
Carlo was not someone with power or influence within the Church, and yet his simple faith and acts of kindness pointed many that he knew to the love of Christ. In a culture where the voices, wisdom, and skills of adults are often valued above those of the youth, Carlo being canonized is essentially an official declaration from the Church that, yes, young people—even children—can do big things, and that the contribution of young people within the Church is both valid and important.
This can and should lead us to question our conventional understandings and beliefs on wisdom, children, and sainthood, as well as prompt us to consider how we, as the body of the Church, can better include and listen to the unique wisdom of the youth.
When we consider Carlo, we must reckon with the reality that someone’s age does not dictate whether or not they have the power to do great things. What does it mean to learn from the wisdom of a teenaged saint?
Along with this, Carlo also serves as a reminder that the rapid change of life and technology in this modern era is not something that Christians should necessarily try to reject or escape, but, in many cases, embrace. Like most modern teenagers, Carlo loved technology, but he did not see technology as something that had to be kept separate from his faith; rather, he used his passion and talents with technology to create something that could share about the power of the Eucharist in a way that hadn’t been done before.
We live in an ever-changing world, and through the story of a tech-savvy, teenaged saint, we can be reminded that the ways in which we serve God and live out our faith can be ever evolving as culture and technology steadily shift. We may ask ourselves: What talents do I have that can be used to care for others and share the love of Christ with them? How can we responsibly utilize advancing technology in a way that uplifts, encourages, or adds value to the world? What ordinary, everyday things can be used in extraordinary ways?
Carlo Acutis: A Beautiful Life
Finally, when I look at Carlo’s life, I see reflected in it so much of my own childhood experience—vacationing with family, going to school, playing outside with friends, playing video games, going to church, etc. His life looked, in many ways, similar to my own and many other ordinary kids. If he were still alive today, he would only be in his early thirties, only a few years older than I am.
I can’t help but wonder what his life would look like if he were still alive today. How would he have pursued his callings and passions? How would he be using his talents to serve God as an adult? Would he be as well known had he still been alive, or would he still be sharing wisdom and showing small acts of kindness to people quietly, humbly, and without notice?
My guess is that if Carlo were alive today, he would still be living a relatively ordinary life while continuing to choose to learn more and more what it means to live fully into the incredible love of Christ. He would probably still do normal, everyday things, make mistakes, explore new hobbies, try out the latest technology, and serve his community and the Church.
The beauty of Carlo’s life, to me, is the simple humanness of it. He was not someone who lived in a time and circumstances far removed from our experiences of life and the world, and I think that is precisely what is at the core of why a millennial saint feels so profound, especially to so many young people.
It is a reminder that “sainthood” is lived in the normal, everyday moments—the moments we choose kindness, generosity, and love in the mundane of our day to day lives, the moments we choose to use our talents and passions for good in the world, the moments that we allow Christ to move us as we go to work, school, or home.
May the story of the teenaged saint continue to inspire us to live fully into the present time, using the unique gifts we are each given, to be vessels of the love of Christ to those around us through the simple, ordinary moments of life.
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