Today is September 18, Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Beloved: Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity” (1 Tim 4:12).
For Carlo Acutis, it was natural to think of the saints as companions. On his Eucharistic miracles website, he included a section titled “Discover how many friends you have in heaven.” He wanted people to realize that the saints are not distant figures but living friends, cheering us on toward eternal life. Carlo especially admired the “young saints” — those who reached holiness quickly in what he called “record time.”
Carlo himself had a sense that he would die young. Yet this conviction did not make him fearful or passive. Instead, it filled him with urgency. He did not waste his youth but poured it out for God. His days were full — teaching catechism, serving the poor in soup kitchens, encouraging kids in his parish youth group. In between, he played soccer, saxophone and video games, watched detective shows, and even made funny films starring his cats and dogs. Holiness for Carlo did not mean withdrawing from ordinary joys. It meant infusing them with God’s presence and love.
Living fully for Christ
His life teaches us that sanctity is not a matter of age but of intensity of love. Whether long or short, a life lived for God is complete. Carlo reminds us that the saints — especially the young ones — show us what is possible when we choose holiness without delay. Youth is not an excuse to postpone sanctity; it is the very season when love can be most generous.
Like Carlo, we are called to claim the saints as our friends and companions. Their example, especially of the young, urges us not to waste time but to live fully for Christ now.
Let us pray,
Look upon us, O God, Creator and ruler of all things, and, that we may feel the working of your mercy, grant that we may serve you with all our heart. 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.
