I write these words on vacation in the beautiful Italian town of Assisi, home to Saints Francis and Clare, whose tombs are a mere ten-minute walk from where I am staying. Yet even closer to me, about five minutes on foot, is the presence of another blessed whose remains rest in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. I speak of Carlo Acutis—a young Italian boy who died at the age of fifteen from leukemia and will become the first millennial saint probably during the Jubilee year of 2025.
So, who is Carlo Acutis, and why is he a role model for young people today?
Carlo Acutis was born in London of Italian parents on May 3, 1991. Because of work reasons, the Acutis family moved back shortly afterward to Italy, settling in Milan. The young Carlo settled into his new school quite well, and rather than waiting for friends to come to him, he is remembered for being a friend to all. In 2005, he began studies at a new school, run by the Jesuits. During this time, Carlo showed himself skilled in all things to do with information technology, computers, and the internet. He was inspired by Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple. The wisdom Jobs shared struck a chord with the young Carlo: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living the life of someone else.” Another piece of wisdom from Steve Jobs resonated with Carlo: “It is only by saying ‘no’ that you can concentrate on the things that are truly important.”
It might seem odd that Jobs’ words “Your time is limited” would have a profound impact on a teenager with his whole life ahead of him. Yet those words anticipated the length of Carlo’s life. He shared with a friend a premonition he had that his life would indeed be short. Jobs’ warning not to live the life of someone else or live another’s expectations also impacted him strongly. In fact, he rephrased this wisdom in his own way 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 with the modern response of being radically individualistic. Rather, he understood that God made us unique and that each of us needs to discern the vocation the Lord has entrusted to us within the family of the Church. Such was the impact of these words that Pope Francis included them in his apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit (“Christ is alive”), addressed to young people. Speaking of Carlo, Francis said,
He saw that many young people, wanting to be different, really end up being like everyone else, running after whatever the powerful set before them with the mechanisms of consumerism and distraction. In this way they do not bring forth the gifts the Lord has given them; they do not offer the world those unique personal talents that God has given to each of them. As a result, Carlo said, ‘Everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies.’ Don’t let that happen to you! (Christus Vivit 106).
Steve Jobs’ words about the importance of saying ‘no’ were also influential. Showing wisdom beyond his years, Carlo realized that we can’t say yes to everything. There have to be boundaries and choices of what we accept and reject. He also knew that all goods don’t exist on the same level but present themselves to us in a hierarchy of greater or lesser value, and only by saying ‘no’ to a lesser good can we say ‘yes’ to something greater.
He is a role model for young people and indeed for all of us of how to use technology without being manipulated or controlled by it.
For Carlo, this highest good of all was God and his will for his life. “Happiness is looking towards God,” he said. “Sadness is looking towards yourself.” One of his best-known pieces of wisdom says it all: “God and not me.” In Italian, the phrase has an even greater effect: “Dio, non io.” 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 neighbor.” Here is a clarity of vision from the future 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.
At a time when excessive screen time is a worry for the parents of teenagers, Carlo is a great example of someone who used modern technology to good effect without wasting time or being distracted. During the autumn of 2004, he accepted the responsibility of being deputy catechist, accompanying candidates for First Communion and Confirmation. During that time, Carlo used his skills to update and develop the websites and communication platforms of his parish and school, opening up new ways to evangelize and share the Good News using new media. Not being naïve about the dangers of the internet, he warned his fellow students about the evils of pornography that “hypnotize” its victims and dehumanize both its producers and consumers. He gently but firmly counseled his fellow students about the importance of the will and the capacity to master it with God’s grace. For Carlo, information technology must be seen for what it is: a tool to share good news, to connect, and to do good. In this regard, he is a role model for young people and indeed for all of us of how to use technology without being manipulated or controlled by it.
From a young age, Carlo grasped the teaching of Jesus about the importance of interior disposition as the key to what we say or 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 with the charity he showed in how he lived. He helped immigrants, beggars, the disabled, and the elderly. He 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.”
He also loved the habitual prayer of Eucharistic Adoration as a time of intimate communion with the Lord Jesus. Carlo compared his time in Adoration of the Eucharist as being like St. John the Apostle who leaned on the Lord’s breast at the Last Supper. For Carlo, we are called to possess “Eucharistic souls in which God works those marvels in us that only He can do.”
Carlo Acutis died after a short illness caused by acute leukemia. 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 realize that while God doesn’t always save us from death, he saves us in death. Carlo was declared a blessed of the Church on October 10, 2020. Since then, there have been countless witnesses who have come forward who testify to his intercession and to the amount of good that continues to pour from this young man’s life. He is a wonderful example of how living a life of joyful faith takes nothing away from our desire to be free and happy.
Having spent the last two weeks as his close neighbor here in Assisi, I give thanks for the opportunity to learn about the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis and for spending time in the chapel where his body rests. As the first millennial saint, may his witness inspire many young people to walk the same path of holiness and greatness as he did.