Vatican News
Presiding over the Mass and canonization of Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to their extraordinary witnesses to faith, hope, and trust in God, and to the Lord’s great plan for eternal joy and happiness. The Pope declared the two young Italians Saints at the start of the celebration on a stunningly beautiful late summer day, Sunday Sep 7.
In his homily, the Pope reflected on the extraordinary witness of both new Saints. Recalling words from the first Sunday reading from the Book of Wisdom, the Pope observed that, like King Solomon, these young men sought the gift of wisdom to better understand God’s plans for our lives and world, and follow them faithfully. And in doing so, they used their gifts to bring others to God through their example, words, and actions.
Giving ourselves to the Lord
In the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to us of God’s plan, to which we must commit wholeheartedly, abandoning ourselves “without hesitation to the adventure that he offers us, with the intelligence and strength that comes from his Spirit,” the Pope recalled. Young people often face crossroads in their lives and have to make difficult choices, the Pope observed; and, recalling the example of Francis of Assisi, he pointed out that the Saint opted for “the wonderful story of holiness that we all know, stripping himself of everything to follow the Lord, living in poverty and preferring the love of his brothers and sisters, especially the weakest and smallest, to his father’s gold, silver, and precious fabrics.”
Saying “yes” to God
So many saints down through history have made similar courageous choices, looking up to God, and, while they were very young, the Pope recalled, offering their “yes” to God, giving themselves complete to Him, “keeping nothing for themselves.” The Pope recalled how Saint Augustine felt a voice deep within him that said: “I want you”, and “God gave him a new direction, a new path, a new reason, in which nothing of his life was lost.”
Pier Giorgo Frassati, beacon for lay spirituality
Describing the life of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young Italian man of the early 20th century, his participation in Catholic associations and service to the poor, the Pope said that also today “Pier Giorgio’s life is a beacon for lay spirituality,” since faith was not a private matter and could be lived in community in with membership in ecclesial associations and through generous commitment to political life and service to the poor.
Carlo Acutis, witness of holiness in simplicity
Speaking about the witness of young Italian Saint Carlo Acutis, a teenager of our own day, the Pope spoke about how he encountered Jesus in his family, thanks to his parents, Andrea and Antonia, recalling their presence at this celebration along with his two siblings, Francesca and Michele. Saint Carlo also found and lived his faith through school, but especially the sacraments celebrated in the parish community, the Pope went on to say, noting how “he grew up naturally integrating prayer, sport, study and charity into his days as a child and young man.”
Cultivating love for God and neighbour
Daily Mass, prayer, and especially Eucharistic Adoration, marked the lives of Saints Pier Giorgio and Carlo in cultivating their love for God and neighbor through simple acts of charity, the Pope said. And even as illness struck both of them, cutting their lives short, they continued to bear witness to hope and offer themselves to God, the Pope added, recalling how Pier Giorgio once said: “The day of my death will be the most beautiful day of my life”; and how young Carlo often remarked that “heaven has always been waiting for us, and that to love tomorrow is to give the best of our fruit today.”
Making “masterpieces” of our lives
In conclusion, Pope Leo underscored how both Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis invite everyone, “especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces.”
