The Scriptures were written, not to make us astronomers, but to make us saints.
The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their heart the invitation of Christ.
All Christians are called to be saints. Saints are persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.
Saints and soon to be Saints you might want to get to know better
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Saint Joan of Arc
Age ~19 – (c. 1412-1431)
On January 6, 1412, Joan of Arc was born to pious parents of the French peasant class in the obscure village of Domremy, near the province of Lorraine. At a very early age, she was said to have heard the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret.
At first the messages were personal and general, but when she was 13-years-old, she was in her father’s garden and had visions of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, each of whom told her to drive the English from French territory. They also asked that she bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation.
After their messages were delivered and the saints departed, Joan cried, as “they were so beautiful.”
When she was sixteen-years-old, she asked her relative, Durand Lassois, to take her to Vaucouleurs, where she petitioned Robert de Baudricourt, the garrison commander, for permission to visit the French Royal Court in Chinon.
Despite Baudricourt’s sarcastic response to her request, Joan returned the following January and left with the support of two of Baudricourt’s soldiers: Jean de Metz and Bertrand de Poulengy.
Jean de Metz admitted Joan had confided in him, saying, “I must be at the King’s side … there will be no help if not from me. Although I would rather have remained spinning [wool] at my mother’s side … yet must I go and must I do this thing, for my Lord wills that I do so.”
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Blessed Carlo Acutis
Age 15 – (1991-2006)
Bl. Carlo Acutis lived a life of heroic holiness, despite only living to age 15. He loved to code and even built a website tracking Eucharistic miracles. Bl. Carlo is an example of how to live out holiness in the modern world.
Early Life
Bl. Carlo Acutis was born in London in 1991, before his family soon settled in Milan, Italy. He received his First Communion at the age of 7 and became a frequent communicant.
He made it a priority to visit Jesus in the tabernacle along with going to confession every week. His mother said:
“As a little boy, especially after his First Communion, he never missed his daily appointment with the Holy Mass and the Rosary, followed by a moment of Eucharistic adoration.”
In his own family, he was the one who helped convince his family to go to Mass more often.
At school, he defended other kids against bullies. When one of his friend’s parents were getting divorced, he made a special effort to include him in his own family life.
Along with his holiness, Bl. Carlo was a normal kid. He loved to hang out with friends, play video games (only one hour per week as a penance), and play soccer.
Leukemia Diagnosis
At the age of 15, he contracted leukemia. He chose to offer his suffering for Pope Benedict XVI and the Church.
When a doctor asked him about the pain, he responded: “There are people who suffer much more than me!”
In his last months, he chose to make a website to categorize every Eucharistic miracle in the Church, all 136 of them.
Bl. Carlo Acutis shows a path toward holiness in the modern world: a love for the Eucharist and a life for God: “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”
St. Maria Goretti
Age 11 – (1890-1902)
Born on October 16 1890 in Corinaldo, in the Ancona Province in Italy, her farmworker father moved his family to Ferrier di Conca, near Anzio. When he died of malaria, Maria’s mother had to struggle to feed her children.
Maria’s mother, brothers, and sisters worked in the fields while she cooked, sewed, kept the house clean, and watched her youngest sister Teresa. Though the family’s circumstances were extremely difficult, they were very close and loved God.
On July 5, 1902, Maria was sitting outside the steps of her home sewing her 18-year-old brother or neighbor -it is unclear which – Alessandro’s shirt while he threshed beans in the barnyard. As she concentrated on her sewing, Alessandro surprised her and grabbed her from her steps. When he tried to rape her, Maria cried that it was a mortal sin and warned he would go to hell.
When Alessandro persisted, she fought him and screamed, “No! It is a sin! God does not want it!” At her words, Alessandro began to choke her and she said she would rather die than submit. Upon hearing her words, Alexander pulled out a knife and stabbed her eleven times. When she attempted to reach the door, he stabbed her three more times then fled.
Blessed Chiara Badano
Age 18 – (1971-1990)
Blessed Chiara Luce Badano was a young Italian teenager who was beatified in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. She was chosen by the bishops as one of the patrons for the 2018 Synod on Youth.
Chiara was born on October 29, 1971 in a small town in northern Italy, to Ruggero and Maria Teresa Badano, who had longed to have a child for many, many years.
Chiara was a loving and exuberant child, and, despite her headstrong and sometimes defiant temperament, had a close relationship with them.
When she was nine, Chiara attended her first meeting of the Focolare Movement. Focolare is a lay ecclesial movement established in Italy by Chiara Lubich, intended to promote ecumenical and global unity on a local level and to build peace through developing
relationships.
Chiara enjoyed not only strong friendships and community through Focolare, but was particularly attracted to the image of Christ that the group promoted.
She began to foster a strong love for Jesus throughout her involvement with Focolare. Chiara developed a profound spirituality through Focolare that caused her high school classmates to teasingly call her “Sister.”
Chiara was a supremely ordinary teenager: she loved sports, such as tennis and swimming. She loved hiking, and she loved listening to pop music and dancing with friends.
When she was sixteen, Chiara went to Rome on a summer trip with the Focolare community. On that trip, she met the founder of Focolare, Chiara Lubich, and they began a correspondence. Chiara was full of fire for her faith and her love for Christ burned radiantly in her heart. Chiara Lubich gave Chiara a new nickname, “Chiara Luce,” meaning “clear light.”
