What it means to have a ‘millennial saint’

Even a videogame-loving teenager in jeans and sneakers can become a saint.

Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, found God in the digital age. Where disconnection from reality is many times a familiar problem posed by the internet, Carlo connected with God by creating a website called Miracoli Eucaristici (miracolieucaristici.org) documenting Eucharistic miracles all over the world. He started the website when he was 11. At 15, he died of leukemia. He offered to God his pain. Up until his last breath, his love for God was intact. Last Sunday, 20 years after his death, Pope Leo XIV canonized him.

“There’s hope. You don’t have to be old to be a saint,” said Fr. Dave Concepcion, chaplain of Sto. Nino de Paz-Greenbelt Chapel in Makati City.

“St. Carlo Acutis made saint for he made an early choice for God. From the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, we are not called to do great things for God but to do ordinary things with great love,” added Fr. Dave.

St. Carlo Acutis’ brief life was devoted to doing ordinary things with great love. Where the internet — despite its many advantages — can spawn disinformation, cyberbullying and other harmful content, Carlo Acutis made use of technology to spread the word of God. Technology became his friend, an ally to make sure God could be reached. He proved that the cyberworld could be used with integrity and faith — by keeping Jesus at the front, center and back of his mission.

“He had a PlayStation, but Carlo had read an article, we think it was in the New York Times, that described how young people in America were becoming addicted to technology. He made the decision to only play his PlayStation one hour a week, if you can believe it or not. But it’s true, he made that decision on his own. And it’s a witness to his recognition of what the impact of technology could be in his life. And I think it’s a great example for the kind of moderation that each of us could introduce, especially now that we have smartphones. Carlo died before the ubiquity of smartphones even,” Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, a Dominican friar, told CNN last Sunday.

The Dominican priest also said that “Carlo himself would give money, he would save up his allowance to serve the poor at an event on the streets in Milan or in Assisi.” This act, he said, is a “great testimony of compassion” of the young saint.

According to online sources, Carlo Acutis was born in London on May 3, 1991 to Italian parents Andrea Acutis and Antonia Salzano, members of wealthy Italian families. Four months after his birth, they returned to Italy and settled in Milan. Both his parents were present at his canonization in Vatican.

Because of his predilection for computers and his miracles website, netizens, the media, and the faithful were quick to baptize him with other monikers: “God’s Influencer,” “Computer Geek Saint” and “Cyber Apostle.” His “preserved” remains are interred in a glass tomb in Assisi.

The Catholic News Agency said the miracles that led to his canonization are two healings recognized by the Vatican.The first one was the miraculous treatment of a Brazilian boy named Mattheus Vianna, who was healed from malformed pancreas. The second miracle was the “unbelievable” recovery of a lady from Costa Rica, Valeria Valverde, who suffered from a severe head injury after a bicycle accident.

Fr. Mardie Javier Maligat, parish priest of St. Polycarp Church in Cabuyao City, sees the canonization of Carlo Acutis as a sign of progress for the faith of the young generation. Fr. Mardie, loved by the Gen Zs who hear his upbeat, meaningful homilies — “Hindi corny ang Diyos. Hindi corny ang maniwala sa Diyos” — is confident the youth will find an inspiration in the life of the millennial saint.

“St. Carlo Acutis will bridge the gap between old and young. He is a sign that sanctity isn’t just for the past, that it belongs to today’s generation, too. This is a great challenge to the youth of today to walk on the path of holiness and St. Carlo Acutis will be their inspiration, most specially in the digital world. Just like what Joe Rizal said, ‘Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.’ The same is true in the Church, ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng ating Simbahan,” Fr. Mardie said.

“St. Carlo Acutis is a testament to the youth that saints are not from a bygone era, but they are present in the here and now. We can see ourselves in him, and that means we all have the inner capability to fully turn towards the Lord. It’s a scary realization but an inspiring one, too,” said Mandy Romero, 25, president of Capital1 Solar Energy.

She added: “When I learned about his life, his personality and works, I realized the powerful ripple effect of genuine devotion: it inspires, influences, and transforms those around you. Through prayer and actions, I hope I can be ‘influenced’ by St. Carlo as well.”

“(Carlo Acutis) is a ‘beacon of hope’,” said Dianne Beato, 18, a Psychology student of Saint Vincent College of Cabuyao in Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna. “His canonization symbolizes the reignition of faith that bridges the gap between tradition and modernity…Sainthood is something this generation can acquire. It’s achievable.”

St. Carlo Acutis proves that God is true and real in the age of smartphones. The life and works of the millennial saint prove that there’s holiness in the ordinariness of life. *

Words of holiness

Here are some quotes uttered by St. Carlo Acutis as gathered by the National Catholic Register:

1. “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.”

2. “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.”

3. “By standing before the Eucharistic Christ, we become holy.”

4. “There are people who suffer much more than me.”

5. “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.”

6. “Do not be afraid because with the Incarnation of Jesus, death becomes life, and there’s no need to escape: in eternal life, something extraordinary awaits us.”

7. “Jerusalem is right on our doorstep.”

8. “All people are born as originals but many die as photocopies”

9. “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”

10. “Sadness is looking at ourselves, happiness is looking towards God.”

11. “Not me, but God.”

12. “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.”

13. “Our soul is like a hot-air balloon. If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again. . . It is important to go to confession often.”

14. “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things which do not please God.”

15. “Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.”

16. “The Eucharist is the highway to heaven.”

For your new beginnings, e-mail me at [email protected]. I’m also on Twitter @bum_tenorio and Instagram @bumtenorio. Have a blessed weekend.