On Sunday, September 7, Saint Peter’s Square overflowed with over 80,000 faithful as Pope Leo XIV presided over the canonization of Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis. It was a moment of joy for the entire Church, and a call to action.
Pope Leo XIV reminded the faithful that these young saints show us how to direct our lives toward God and live them fully. “They encourage us with their words: ‘Not I, but God,’ as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: ‘If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end,’” Pope Leo said, according to Vatican News.
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Wisdom and Courage at a Young Age
Reflecting on the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, the Holy Father noted that like King Solomon, these young saints “sought the gift of wisdom to better understand God’s plans for our lives and world, and follow them faithfully” (Vatican News). He reminded young people that they, too, face moments of decision, crossroads where they must choose whether to follow God’s call.
Citing the example of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo said that Francis “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’” (Vatican News).
Saints for Our Time
The Pope described St. Pier Giorgio Frassati as “a beacon for lay spirituality” whose faith was not just a private matter but something to be lived in community, through Catholic associations and service to the poor. St. Carlo Acutis, a teenager of our own time, was praised as a “witness of holiness in simplicity” who naturally wove together “prayer, sport, study and charity” in his daily life.
Both saints shared a devotion to daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration and continued to witness to hope even in illness. Pope Leo recalled Pier Giorgio’s words: “The day of my death will be the most beautiful day of my life,” and Carlo’s conviction that “heaven has always been waiting for us, and that to love tomorrow is to give the best of our fruit today” (Vatican News).
A Call to Holiness
In his concluding remarks, Pope Leo called all Catholics, especially young people, to rise to the challenge set by these two saints: “not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces” (Vatican News).
Their lives remind us that holiness is not beyond our reach. By putting God at the center, living generously, and offering ourselves fully, we too can create masterpieces of faith, hope, and love.
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