Spiritual Life of Saint Carlo Acutis

A Simple Path to Holiness

Carlo Acutis grew up in an ordinary family, went to a normal school, played football and loved computers. Yet he quietly allowed grace to transform all of this. His spiritual life can be summed up in a few simple loves: the Eucharist, Our Lady, the saints and the poor. Rather than inventing something new, he lived the basic things of the faith with remarkable depth and consistency.

On his own website, Carlo wrote a short "programme of holiness", beginning with one simple condition: you must truly want to become a saint. Everything else in his spiritual life flowed from that desire.

From the day of his First Holy Communion, Carlo decided to attend Mass every day. He would pause before or after Mass to spend time in silent adoration, simply being with Jesus present in the tabernacle. He called the Eucharist his "highway to Heaven" and encouraged others to discover the same source of strength.

Daily Mass, frequent confession and Eucharistic adoration were not burdens for him, but a joy. He knew that without this daily contact with Jesus, it would be easy to drift, to become one more "photocopy" of the world around him rather than the "original" God intended.

Carlo's love for the Eucharist later inspired his great project on Eucharistic miracles, using technology to help others rediscover the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Carlo did not have hours of free time for prayer, but he carefully guarded a few key practices: daily Mass, the Rosary, short visits to the Blessed Sacrament and little ejaculatory prayers during the day. He had a special love for Our Lady and trusted her as a tender mother who would guide him to Jesus.

He also loved to read about the lives of the saints and considered them his best friends. They were not distant heroes but real companions on the journey. Carlo often said that the saints are like "advanced scouts" who show us that holiness is possible in every age.

If you would like to pray with the same trust, you can use the official Prayer for the Canonisation of Saint Carlo or follow the Novena to Carlo over nine days.

Carlo's spiritual life was never separated from the way he treated people. His faith showed itself in small, concrete acts of love: defending classmates who were bullied, spending time with those who were lonely, helping the homeless near his parish and sharing his pocket money with those in need.

He understood that holiness is not just prayer "in church", but the way we live at home, at school, online and with friends. He once said that every minute wasted on things that do not please God is a minute lost from the adventure of becoming a saint.

Carlo's life is a reminder that charity begins with the people in front of us: family members, teachers, colleagues, strangers on the street. His legacy continues to inspire youth groups and families around the world. You can find ideas for sharing his example with young people in the Carlo for Teens / Youth Ministry Pack.

Carlo's spiritual life is surprisingly simple. If you would like to follow his example, you might begin with just a few small steps:

• Make Sunday Mass the firm centre of your week, and if possible, add one extra Mass during the week.
• Spend a few minutes in silence before the tabernacle whenever you can, simply speaking to Jesus as a friend.
• Pray one decade of the Rosary each day and entrust your life to Our Lady's care.
• Choose one concrete act of charity for someone you normally overlook or find difficult.
• Ask Carlo each morning to help you live as an "original" and not a "photocopy".

Holiness, as Carlo shows us, is not complicated. It is a daily choice to stay close to Jesus and to love others faithfully in the ordinary circumstances of life.