Blessed Carlo Acutis — born on May 3, 1991, in London, England, and raised in Milan, Italy — passed away at the young age of 15 on Oct. 12, 2006. Carlo’s brief but impactful life was marked by the unique combination of his devotion to the Catholic faith and his extraordinary computer skills. He was an inspiration to many through his kindness, remarkable maturity and his use of presentations and websites to spread the Gospel.
Carlo’s most notable achievement was creating a comprehensive online catalog of Eucharistic miracles from around the world. This project was a testament to his dedication to the Eucharist and his desire to share the miracles that reinforced the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Carlo’s beatification (which was held Oct. 10, 2020 — two days before his feast day, Oct. 12) made him a role model for young Catholics and a symbol of holiness for the modern world. Blessed Carlo’s insistence that “to always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan” can encourage every Catholic to seek holiness with the same zeal that he did.
Here are 22 quotes from Blessed Carlo Acutis to inspire you today!
The Eucharist
1. “The more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we become like Jesus and the more we get a foretaste of heaven.”
2. “Jesus, make yourself at home! Live within me as if it were your own dwelling!”
3. “Jesus is very creative because he hides in a little piece of bread, and only God could do something so incredible!”
4. “Throngs of people stand in interminable lines to buy tickets to rock concerts or soccer matches, but I don’t see crowds of people lined up outside church waiting to see Jesus in the Eucharist. This should make us pause and reflect.”
5. “If we truly reflect, we are much, much luckier than those who lived more than 2,000 years ago with Jesus in Palestine.”
6. “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven!”
Christian life
7. “Life is a gift, because as long as we are on this planet, we can grow in our ability to love. The more we learn to love, the more we will enjoy eternal blessedness with God.”
8. “Everything fades, anyway. … What will make us truly beautiful in the eyes of God is only the way in which we loved him and how we loved our neighbors.”
9. “I let God observe me, to dig deep inside me, to form my soul, to mold it. He is truly present, not an invention. He’s there. And if everyone could realize that, how they would run to it! If everyone believed in this truth, how their lives would change for the better!”
10. “Why do people worry so much about the beauty of their body but never worry about the beauty of their soul?”
11. “Not self-love, but God’s glory.”
12. “Everyday life should be understood in the atmosphere of baptism. This atmosphere is a different air, a different climate, a different land, a different region. If we enter into this order of ideas and ideals, evangelization becomes a new and renewing fact.”
13. “Sadness is looking toward oneself, happiness is looking toward God.”
14. “Our frenetic pace of life has made us forget that each of us must climb Golgotha sooner or later. Our journey on this earth is marked from the beginning: We are all invited to take up our cross and climb Golgotha.”
15. “Everyone is born as an original, but many people end up dying as photocopies.”
16. “Every minute that passes in vain is a missed opportunity to become more holy.”
17. “Our ultimate goal must be the Infinite and not the finite.”
Prayer
18. After the holy Eucharist, the holy Rosary is the most powerful weapon for fighting the devil and the shortest ladder for climbing into heaven.”
19. “Each time that we address the Mother of God, we place ourselves in direct and immediate contact with heaven.”
20. “Conversion is nothing other than lifting one’s gaze upward. All you need is a simple movement of the eyes.”
21. “Prayer is the language of heaven.”
22. “If God possesses our hearts, then we will possess the Infinite.”
Editor’s note: These quotes are taken from two books about Bl. Carlo available at the OSV Catholic Bookstore, “Carlo Acutis: The First Millennial Saint” (OSV, $14.95) and “My Son Carlo: Carlo Acutis Through the Eyes of His Mother” (OSV, $27.95).
