Two decades ago, a book named ‘Jesus in Blue Jeans’ was famous for its practical guidance to the spiritualty of day-to-day living. Jesus is portrayed as the model for daily life. However, it would be more effective in seeing in the concrete lives of the persons than remaining in the level of ideas in books. In other words, people want to see the same Jesus in the persons in Blue Jeans. One such fine example of our era is the newly beatified Carlo Acutis. His life has been a real inspiration for so many young people especially in Italy.
Carlo
Acutis, the first son of an Italian parents who were living in England, was
born in London on 3 May 1991. Later the family moved to Milan in Italy. He had
a special love for Jesus in the eucharist right from his childhood. In fact, he
received his first holy communion at the age of seven. Just like St. Dominic
Savio he also created a friendship with Jesus and Blessed Mother Mary immediately
after receiving Jesus in his heart for the first time. This was an important
event in his saintly life.
He
was an ordinary boy with the youthful characters. He had passion for
information technology, sports and so on. He had lot of friends and at the same
time he gave first place to God. His spirituality was not very theoretical. It
was very simple but profound. For example, in spite of his expertise and
passion for technology he did no lock himself up in it. On the contrary, he
used it for productive purpose and for the greater glory of God. He had visited
the different places where the Eucharistic miracles had taken place and made a
virtual museum of these miracles by making a website www.miracolieucaristici.org which continues to help so many people even today.
Sanctity
was his ultimate goal of life. His goal made him stand in a different way
wherever he was like at school, in a restaurant with friends or in the football
field. He had a kit to become saint which consists of: a great desire for
holiness, Mass, Communion, daily Rosary, weekly confession, Bible reading and
the willingness to give up anything for the good of the other. His life of
testimony attracted not only his catholic friends but also Rajesh, a Hindu from
India, who was working at the house of Carlo. Rajesh declared that the life of
Carlo has transformed him to be Christian.
Unfortunately,
in October 2006, Carlo was diagnosed with type M3 fulminant leukaemia. Even at
the moment of suffering he was ready to endure his pain for the Pope and the
Church. On 12 October 2006, at the age of fifteen the beautiful soul departed.
Two days before his death he asked to receive the anointing of the Sick and the
Holy Eucharist. He knew few months back that this sickness would take him off
the world which he declared with the emotional words, “I am destined to die.”
Many people participated at his funeral mass especially the homeless who were
helped by him.
His
favourite place on earth was Assisi, the beautiful village of St. Francis and
so he desired to be buried there with his favourite Jeans and Sneakers. His holiness
was realised soon and on 12 October 2012, the cause for his beatification and
canonization was opened. Pope Francis declared him venerable, a stage before
beatification, on 5 July 2018. Moreover, in his Apostolic Exhortation Christus
Vivit, the Pope declared him to be an example for the youth across the
world. On 6 April 2019 his mortal remains were moved to the ‘Sanctuary of the
Renunciation’ in Assisi where many people pay homage to him. On 21 February
Pope Francis approved a miraculous healing of a Brazilian boy who suffered from
a congenital anomaly attributed to the intercession of Carlo. The holy boy was
beatified on 10 October 2020. During his beatification the cardinal said that his life was luminous just like the bread of the Holy Eucharist. His life is the model way of living that Jesus gives in the gospel.