Today is September 28, Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tm 6:11-12).
On July 2, 2022, Valeria, a young university student from Costa Rica, suffered a devastating bicycle accident in Florence. The trauma to her head was so severe that surgeons had to remove part of her skull to relieve the pressure on her brain. Her prognosis was grim; doctors told her family the chance of survival was very low.
Her mother, Liliana, placed her hope in heaven. While a secretary at her office began praying to Blessed Carlo Acutis, Liliana herself made a pilgrimage to his tomb in Assisi on July 8, leaving a letter with her desperate plea for her daughter’s life.
‘Apostle of the Eucharist’
That same day, doctors informed her that Valeria had begun to breathe on her own. By the next day, she was moving and regaining speech. Ten days later, scans showed that the brain hemorrhage had disappeared. Within weeks she was walking the path of recovery, and by September 2 — barely two months after her accident — mother and daughter returned together to Assisi to give thanks.
The Church recognized this extraordinary healing as the second miracle attributed to Carlo’s intercession. Through it, God confirmed once more that the young “apostle of the Eucharist” is close to us from heaven, ready to help us in our trials.
Carlo once said, “Our destination must be what is infinite, not what is finite. Infinity is our homeland.” Valeria’s healing reminds us that the saints are not distant heroes of the past. They are present companions, interceding for us, urging us onward toward our true homeland.
Let us pray,
O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. 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.
