Today is September 22, Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light” (Lk 8:16-18).
Holiness is never abstract. It’s not an idea we think about — it’s a light that changes lives. St. Carlo Acutis shows us this truth in a powerful way. His faith was radiant: joyful, pure and deeply rooted in the Eucharist. That light didn’t remain hidden. It touched everyone around him.
One of the most moving witnesses to Carlo’s sanctity is Rajesh, an Indian man who worked for the Acutis family. Rajesh was a Hindu priest from the Brahmin caste before he came to Milan as a house servant. Through daily life with Carlo — sharing meals, seeing his purity of heart and being embraced as a true friend — Rajesh encountered something utterly new.
A light that still shines
Rajesh accompanied Carlo on his way to and from school. This meant he often joined Carlo in his stops in church for prayer, moments that opened Rajesh’s heart to the presence of Christ. These simple pauses before the tabernacle became turning points of grace. Carlo’s love and faith became the lampstand by which Rajesh saw Christ. In time, he left behind Hinduism and asked to be baptized a Catholic.
At Carlo’s canonization, Rajesh was there in Rome, a living testimony that the saint’s light still shines. His story reminds us that holiness isn’t about doing great things for show. It’s about allowing Christ’s love to radiate in such a way that others are drawn to him.
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.
