A 15 year old youth proclaimed Blessed

In the community prayer in Rome we prayed over the lives and words of three blessed Marist martyrs: a former student, a colleague and a teacher. Francisco de Paula Castelló Aleu, who studied at the Montserrat School in Lleida between 1924 and 1930; Julián Aguilar Martín, who worked in Marist communities, living with the Brothers as an employee and Ramón Emiliano Hortelano Gómez, exercising  his profession as a teacher and dying as a companion in the martyrdom of Blessed Brother Julián José (Nemesio Cabria Andrés). Our lauds that morning directed our gaze to these pioneers of Marist sanctity when the reverberations of the feast of the beatification of Carlo Acutis A 15 year old youth were proclaimed Blessed

In the community prayer in Rome we prayed over the lives and words of three blessed Marist martyrs: a former student, a colleague and a teacher. Francisco de Paula Castelló Aleu, who studied at the Montserrat School in Lleida between 1924 and 1930; Julián Aguilar Martín, who worked in Marist communities, living with the Brothers as an employee and Ramón Emiliano Hortelano Gómez, who exercised his profession as a teacher and died as a companion in the martyrdom of Blessed Brother Julián José (Nemesio Cabria Andrés). Our lauds that morning directed our gaze to these pioneers of Marist sanctity when the reverberations of the feast of the beatification of Carlo Acutis, fifteen years old, in jeans and slippers, passionate about computers, a young “blessed millennial”, and “in love with the Eucharist” as Pope Francis defined him in Sunday’s Angelus, was still echoing in Assisi.

Carlo has left a radiant trail of holiness of life given to others that has already attracted thousands of people. His parents, Antonia and Andrea, participated in the beatification celebration happy to have left their son free to follow the path Jesus was showing him.

Carlo used the social networks convinced that the web was a space for dialogue, knowledge, exchange, mutual respect, to be used responsibly, without becoming its slave and rejecting digital bullying. From his initiative the exhibition on the Eucharistic miracles was launched. On his own merit he deserves to be proclaimed patron of those using digital communication.

Asked about what his faith journey had been he suggested that the highway to reach heaven is Jesus the friend present in the Eucharist, to maintain with Jesus a personal, intimate, deep relationship and to make the Eucharist the crowning moment of the relationship with God.

In 2006 he died of terminal leukaemia. The life of this fifteen year old shows that it is also possible for young people to walk the path of holiness. A young man of our time, captured by Christ, who emerges as a powerful beacon of holiness in the midst of our world.

There is no lack of models. God continues to place before our eyes models to motivate our life journey. It is an excellent opportunity to talk about them and to spread their fame.

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Br. Antonio Martínez Estaún, Postulator General