Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Depending on how plugged in you are to Catholic happenings you are, you may be aware that last weekend, Pope Leo canonized two new saints in the life of the Church. This was supposed to occur earlier in the year, but with the passing of Pope Francis, things got delayed. Canonizations are wonderful, incredible celebrations which highlight the extraordinary lives of holiness displayed by the individuals being recognized. These two newest saints, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, offer a somewhat unique model of holiness from many of the other saints we’re more familiar with.
It’s not that Ss Carlo and Pier aren’t holy; they would not have been canonized if there wasn’t extraordinary holiness present in how they lived on Earth. But so often when we think of the saints, they are founders of religious orders like Mother Theresa, or outstanding members of the clergy like Padre Pio, or are part of the hierarchy of the Church, like John Paul II. Those categories of peoples are where we expect saints to come from. But in the case of Carlo and Pier, given their circumstances of life, they were, in the sight of the world and their contemporaries, seen as ordinary people, as part of the lay faithful. A cynic may look at their biographies and suggest they did not do much in life; indeed, both of them died quite young. But even in the short span of years they lived, and despite a certain lack of accomplishments on the global scale, there’s a deep, abiding holiness that radiates in the lives of both these young men. And their examples remind us that holiness is often more accessible than we give it credit for.
The one striking detail for me in knowing a bit about Ss. Carlo and Pier Giorgio, is their overall enthusiasm and devotion to the Eucharist. In the case of St. Carlo, he took his interest in Eucharistic miracles and created a website that chronicled them for all the world to access and learn from. But he was also convinced and lived his life in order to be as close as possible to the Eucharist and Jesus, who is found within. His quote, “When we face the sun we get a tan, but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints,” speaks volumes to his understanding of how important the Eucharist is to a life of holiness. Not to be outdone in devotion to the Eucharist, St. Pier Giorgio also had and encouraged others to have frequent contact with our Eucharistic Lord. In a letter he wrote to fellow young people he says, “And remembering that apostle of the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Father Pius X of venerable memory, I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible.” Power words of Eucharistic devotion from these men, the newest saints of the Church.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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