On April 28, I celebrate the anniversary of the day I joined with Christ in dying and rising through the waters of baptism. Just days after my baptism, Carlo Acutis was born. Since we're so close in age, his story deeply resonates with me.
His canonization was scheduled for April 27, 2025, and then was postponed because of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. Yet it was still fitting that the documentary Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality was released in theaters, since it was right before Carlo's birthday.
From a very young age, Carlo developed a profound devotion to our Lord, going to Daily Mass before he was 10. He was eager to spread his devotion to faith, once saying it was sad that people flocked by the thousands to stadiums for concerts and sports games, yet churches were so empty. Eventually, he created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles.
I was glad to see the documentary on the eve of the anniversary of my baptism and in the spirit of the ongoing Easter Season. It was so amazing to see how devout Carlo was, to the point that I realized there are opportunities for me to grow in faith, which is all possible as the life of Jesus flows through us.
The documentary also masterfully incorporates discussion on how digital technology is affecting our human experience, almost to the point of detaching us from reality. Yet it wasn't totally disheartening to hear these insights in the film, because it was balanced by the example of Carlo and how he used technology to evangelize. And then we see a group of Catholic high school students from North Dakota on an Itality pilgrimage and how as they visit sites in Rome, the Vatican, Siena, and Assisi, especially Carlo's tomb, they are impacted and connect with faith more profoundly.
Thinking about the anniversary of my baptism, I'm reminded that the sacraments are visible signs of the invisible reality of God. I can be in relationship with the God Who I can't see because I know His effects in my life as I continue to draw upon His graces from these sacraments, which are indeed starting points when I am inspired by divine encounters in new ways of living. Certainly part of that way of life for me as involved supporting my RE students and those I accompany in the monthly Confirmation meetings, to encounter God and live out those encounters.
In fact, as I conclude my 12th year of teaching RE, I'm reminded that today, 20 years ago, I concluded my time in RE at Ascension. I appreciate the sense of community I experienced with my classmates as we considered what faith means for us. I received a Bible as a gift at the Mass concluding the RE year, and I still read it regularly. It's a way for me to see how the Word of God is living and active, continually speaking to me.
And Christ's living Presence continues to manifest itself to me in the Eucharist ever since I received my First Holy Communion on May 2, 1999. Encountering the Eucharistic Lord is definitely something I have grown to appreciate over those 26 years.
Indeed, it's a way to live in the newness of Life that Christ brought us by His Resurrection, the way we grow in holiness, growing as the saints God calls us to be. The story of Carlo is one example of how real God is in our modern world as He transforms us through visible means to be more conformed to the image of the unseen God.
No comments:
Post a Comment