Today is September 2, Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness” (1 Thes 5:4-6).
Carlo Acutis was baptized only a few weeks after his birth. The grace of that sacrament quietly began to shape his life. As he grew older, Carlo revealed an unusual closeness to God. Even as a child, he prayed with simple confidence, often without anyone instructing him. He would ask questions about God and show a natural desire to draw near to him.
His example became a light to his parents. His mother, who had been away from the faith, began to rediscover God through Carlo’s innocence and devotion. The family’s journey back to Catholic life began not with a lecture or program, but with the simple faith of a child.
Planting seeds of grace
Antonia, Carlo’s mother, would later write, “The grieving Mary has been a kind of connecting thread in my life. Her presence in my youth, then in London on the day of Carlo’s baptism, was later like a premonition of something that I would also have to go through.”
This is how God works. The sacraments plant seeds of grace that may seem small and hidden but can grow into great holiness. In Carlo’s case, the seed of baptism bore fruit in a life full of prayer, friendship with Jesus and a thirst for the Eucharist. He reminds us that holiness does not wait until adulthood — it begins with the openness of a child’s heart.
When you look back on your own life, perhaps you can recall someone who first showed you faith — maybe a parent, grandparent, godparent, or teacher. Like Carlo, they were planting seeds of holiness. These early lessons in prayer and trust in God are not forgotten by him.
Today, we can thank God for the gift of baptism, which first made us his children. We can also ask for the grace to let the seeds planted long ago continue to grow.
Let us pray,
God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. 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.
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