Today is September 25, Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Sing to the LORD a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king” (Ps 149:1-4).
The death of a child pierces a parent’s heart in a way words can scarcely describe. On October 11, 2006, at just fifteen years old, Carlo Acutis slipped into a coma after a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. A few hours later, his brain activity ceased, and by the next morning his heart stopped. His mother recalls the surreal shock: How could one so full of life, joy and promise be taken so suddenly?
Carlo’s parents hoped for a miracle until the very end. Instead, God asked them to walk the road of Calvary, to stand beneath the cross of their son and to surrender him into heaven’s embrace. His mother writes of the searing pain of loss — yet also of the strength that came from faith. The conviction that Carlo’s life was not ended but transformed, that he was closer than ever in Christ, sustained them in their grief.
Through Mary’s intercession
In a mysterious consolation, Carlo’s grandmother heard his voice: “Grandma, I am in heaven with the angels. I am very happy. Don’t cry.” These words echo the Christian hope that death does not have the last word.
Mary, too, knew the anguish of a mother watching her Son die. Standing beneath the cross, she teaches us how to bear suffering with trust. The recent feast of Our Lady of Sorrows reminds us that Christian grief is always mingled with hope, the hope of resurrection.
Carlo’s family believed it no coincidence that his death fell near October 13, the anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima’s final apparition, the day of “the Miracle of the Sun.” Through Mary’s intercession, his family’s suffering became a channel of hope, pointing toward eternal life.
Let us pray,
O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
*Unfortunately, we have had further technical issues with the video recordings of My Daily Visitor. Please enjoy the recovered audio for your daily prayer and reflection.
