So when Ed was joking about AI looking for bad publications by people consider for sainthood, and said “hey siri” my playback stopped because my phone heard him say that, and thought it should be doing something for me…
Millennial moms love Carlo Acutis because he's modern and we see him as a concrete model of who we want to encourage our sons (and daughters) to be. If the vocation of parents is to help get their children to Heaven, there is no better indicator of success than your child being canonized. This is actually the embodiment of the conversation JD and Ed. had during the Christmas season: your status at a parish is determined by the holiness of your children. Mrs. Acutis wins.
I also see a lot of millennial moms (and older) asking for Carlo Acutis’ intercession for their kids related to the internet and smartphones and social media; at my kids’ Catholic grade school, there is a parent group named for him that focuses on helping parents model good, temperate use of technology for their kids.
I think as a millennial mom the other appeal is hope. Even in my imperfect parenting, inspite of my imperfect parenting, there is hope for my children to encounter Jesus and be holy. Even in the culture we are raising families holiness is possible.
There were several things about Ed's characterization of Carlo Acutis, his mom,
and the moms that "like" him that I found disappointing.
Personally I will ask for Saint Carlo Acutis's intercession for my grandchildren because he has a special understanding of the extreme challenges modern children face, and he has the cure, "To be always united with Jesus, this is my plan of life."
Because these are uniquely difficult times for the young, I believe the Holy Spirit raised up a saint particularly for them and these times.
In EWTN's documentary on St Carlo, his mother freely admits that it is Carlo who brought her to Christ and not the other way around. She knows that it was not her influence, but the Holy Spirit that moved Carlo to have a desire for God, the Eucharist, prayer, and service and care for the poor. A Hindu servant took him to church after school not his parents, who were not practicing the faith.
You jokingly mentioned combing his online presence for negative content. I wonder how St Peter, St Paul, St Augustine, and many other declared saint would have fared if that was the standard for sanctity. Anyone can be a saint, it just requires a radical change of heart.
I also don't agree that a declared saint is just like us. It's the very fact that they are so radically different than me that makes their lives so inspiring, and worthy of stumbling imitation. If anyone reads or watches even a little bit about Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Carlo Acutis, they will see men that are very different in their radical love for God and their joy in spreading the Good News.
St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati pray for us!
My thoughts on St. Carlo’s canonization have turned mostly to his brother and sister, who did not know him personally, and to his mother. How does she navigate raising these two children in, for lack of a better term, the shadow of their saintly brother? How do the children themselves feel about it? Surely Grace abounds to cover all of this. To me, the story of the family as a whole is and will be even more instructive than Carlo’s individual life.
So when Ed was joking about AI looking for bad publications by people consider for sainthood, and said “hey siri” my playback stopped because my phone heard him say that, and thought it should be doing something for me…
Great discussion. I always enjoy it when Stephen comes on the podcast!
Millennial moms love Carlo Acutis because he's modern and we see him as a concrete model of who we want to encourage our sons (and daughters) to be. If the vocation of parents is to help get their children to Heaven, there is no better indicator of success than your child being canonized. This is actually the embodiment of the conversation JD and Ed. had during the Christmas season: your status at a parish is determined by the holiness of your children. Mrs. Acutis wins.
I also see a lot of millennial moms (and older) asking for Carlo Acutis’ intercession for their kids related to the internet and smartphones and social media; at my kids’ Catholic grade school, there is a parent group named for him that focuses on helping parents model good, temperate use of technology for their kids.
I think as a millennial mom the other appeal is hope. Even in my imperfect parenting, inspite of my imperfect parenting, there is hope for my children to encounter Jesus and be holy. Even in the culture we are raising families holiness is possible.
Sts. Francis and Clare were both canonized fairly quickly. Quick canonization is not new.
There were several things about Ed's characterization of Carlo Acutis, his mom,
and the moms that "like" him that I found disappointing.
Personally I will ask for Saint Carlo Acutis's intercession for my grandchildren because he has a special understanding of the extreme challenges modern children face, and he has the cure, "To be always united with Jesus, this is my plan of life."
Because these are uniquely difficult times for the young, I believe the Holy Spirit raised up a saint particularly for them and these times.
In EWTN's documentary on St Carlo, his mother freely admits that it is Carlo who brought her to Christ and not the other way around. She knows that it was not her influence, but the Holy Spirit that moved Carlo to have a desire for God, the Eucharist, prayer, and service and care for the poor. A Hindu servant took him to church after school not his parents, who were not practicing the faith.
You jokingly mentioned combing his online presence for negative content. I wonder how St Peter, St Paul, St Augustine, and many other declared saint would have fared if that was the standard for sanctity. Anyone can be a saint, it just requires a radical change of heart.
I also don't agree that a declared saint is just like us. It's the very fact that they are so radically different than me that makes their lives so inspiring, and worthy of stumbling imitation. If anyone reads or watches even a little bit about Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Carlo Acutis, they will see men that are very different in their radical love for God and their joy in spreading the Good News.
St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati pray for us!
My thoughts on St. Carlo’s canonization have turned mostly to his brother and sister, who did not know him personally, and to his mother. How does she navigate raising these two children in, for lack of a better term, the shadow of their saintly brother? How do the children themselves feel about it? Surely Grace abounds to cover all of this. To me, the story of the family as a whole is and will be even more instructive than Carlo’s individual life.
Why would they airbrush out the pipe??
“Praise him for his mighty deeds….
Praise him with string and pipe!”
Ps 150