Recently, I came across a story that deeply moved me and challenged my assumptions about spirituality in our modern world. It’s about a teenager who loved pizza and video games, coded websites in his spare time, and is about to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.
This is the story of Carlo Acutis, who wore jeans and Nike sneakers while creating a digital catalog of religious miracles before succumbing to leukemia at age 15. His life wasn’t extraordinary because he achieved perfection—it was extraordinary because of his authentic presence and the purity of his heart. As the first millennial saint, Carlo’s example offers powerful spiritual lessons that resonate far beyond church walls.
What strikes me most about this remarkable teen’s life isn’t perfection, but presence—his ability to fully inhabit ordinary experiences with extraordinary authenticity. Whether you’re navigating challenging relationships, seeking greater meaning in your work, or simply wanting to live more wholeheartedly, these seven spiritual lessons offer practical wisdom for our modern lives.
A Modern Saint Among Us
Born in London in 1991 and raised in Milan, Carlo could have easily been mistaken for any other teenager walking down the street. His backpack contained a PlayStation portable alongside his prayer books. His bedroom featured posters of his favorite places alongside religious images. Even his teachers described him as refreshingly normal—kind and helpful, but not outwardly extraordinary.
From the age of seven, Carlo demonstrated an unusual devotion, attending Mass daily while maintaining his normal teenage interests. He used his technological skills to create a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and lived his faith through practical acts of kindness—buying sleeping bags for the homeless and defending bullied classmates.
When leukemia claimed his life at just 15 years old in 2006, Carlo approached his suffering with remarkable grace, offering his pain “for the Lord, for the Pope, and for the Church.” His impact was so profound that the Vatican declared him “Blessed” in 2020, with canonization expected in 2025.
What makes Carlo Acutis’ story so compelling is how it challenges our assumptions about spirituality in the modern world. While we often imagine that profound spiritual living requires separation from ordinary life, Carlo reveals precisely the opposite—that genuine spirituality enhances rather than diminishes our humanity.
“Everyone is born as an original, but many die as photocopies.”
– Carlo Acutis
Lesson 1: Authenticity Is the Foundation of Spiritual Life
“Everyone is born as an original, but many die as photocopies.” This insight captures the essence of Carlo’s first spiritual lesson: authentic spirituality begins with embracing your unique path rather than imitating others.
In an age where we carefully construct our digital identities and real-world personas, Carlo’s radical authenticity stands out. He never compartmentalized his life into “spiritual Carlo” and “normal teenager Carlo.” When classmates questioned his daily Mass attendance, he didn’t downplay his devotion to fit in. When religious adults raised eyebrows at his interest in programming and video games, he didn’t pretend to be more traditionally pious.
Try This Practice: Identify one area where you’re performing rather than being authentic. Take one small step toward greater authenticity this week—perhaps expressing an unpopular opinion you truly believe or integrating an interest you’ve kept separate from your spiritual life.
Lesson 2: Sanctity Happens in Ordinary Moments
While many associate sainthood with dramatic spiritual experiences or withdrawal from ordinary life, Carlo demonstrates that the most profound spiritual transformation happens in everyday moments.
Carlo’s bedroom wasn’t a monastic cell—it contained his computer, his soccer gear, and his collection of Pokemon cards. Yet it was also where he spent hours in prayer. His sanctity wasn’t achieved by escaping the ordinary but by infusing it with extraordinary presence. Whether debugging code for his website or helping a struggling classmate with homework, Carlo brought the same quality of attention and care to each activity.
“Our goal must be infinite, not the finite,” Carlo Acutis observed. “Infinity is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.” This perspective allowed him to see the eternal significance in seemingly mundane activities, transforming everyday life into a path of spiritual awakening.
Actionable Advice: Choose one daily routine this week—making coffee, showering, commuting—and transform it into a practice of presence. Notice physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts without judgment as you engage in this ordinary activity.
Lesson 3: Suffering Can Become a Path to Compassion
Carlo’s response to his leukemia diagnosis reveals perhaps his most challenging spiritual lesson. When doctors confirmed his condition, he looked at his parents and said with stunning clarity: “I’m happy to suffer for the Lord because I want to offer my sufferings for the Pope and for the Church.” During his final days, when asked about his pain, he replied, “There are people who suffer much more than me.”
I’ve witnessed this transformative approach to suffering firsthand on the Camino de Santiago. Each year as I guide pilgrims along this ancient path, we encounter moments when the body protests—blisters form, muscles ache, and exhaustion sets in. It’s in these challenging moments that I encourage pilgrims to practice what Carlo embodied so naturally: offering discomfort as an act of devotion. When we reframe pain as purposeful rather than pointless, something remarkable happens. The suffering doesn’t disappear, but its meaning transforms entirely.
Carlo Acutis didn’t seek out suffering or glorify it, but when faced with inevitable pain, he transformed it through meaning. His example reminds us that our difficulties, when approached with awareness, can become doorways to deeper connection with others who suffer—not because suffering itself is good, but because our response can expand our capacity for love.
Deeper Reflection: When facing a challenge this week, try this perspective shift: instead of asking “Why is this happening to me?” ask “How might this difficulty be expanding my capacity for understanding others? What is the lesson I’m being asked to learn?”
Lesson 4: Joy Is Essential to Authentic Spirituality
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Carlo’s spirituality was his joy. Friends and family consistently describe him as radiating happiness and good humor. This joy wasn’t despite his spiritual devotion but because of it—he had discovered the deep truth that authentic spirituality liberates rather than constrains.
“Sadness is looking at oneself, happiness is looking at God,” Carlo observed with striking psychological insight. When asked about what most distinguished her son, his mother Antonia didn’t mention his piety or his kindness, but his “contagious joy.” Even during his illness, nurses remarked on his persistent smile and the atmosphere of peace that surrounded him.
Daily Practice: End each day by noting three moments of joy you experienced. Pay attention to when joy emerges naturally in your life; these moments often signal where you’re living most authentically.
Lesson 5: Technology Can Serve a Higher Purpose
While many teenagers used technology primarily for entertainment or social status, Carlo saw it as a tool for something greater. His approach challenges the false dichotomy between digital advancement and spiritual depth.
Carlo Acutis’ technological contributions went far beyond basic web design. By age 14, he had taught himself multiple programming languages and developed a sophisticated database-driven website cataloging Eucharistic miracles across 17 languages. He created virtual exhibitions that were later physically displayed in hundreds of parishes worldwide. His digital photography skills allowed him to document and enhance historical records that might otherwise have been lost to time. What makes this remarkable isn’t just the technical achievement, but how he used these skills—not for self-promotion or profit, but to share what he found meaningful with others.
Carlo’s mother recalls him saying, “The internet is a gift from God, but we need to use it correctly.” His approach wasn’t to reject digital tools but to transform them into vehicles for meaning and connection. In an age where technology often fragments our attention and relationships, Carlo’s example suggests that the problem isn’t the tools themselves but how we use them.
Intentional Action: Choose one digital tool you use regularly and transform how you engage with it this week. Options include curating your social media to include more inspiration, using your camera to document moments of beauty, or creating a weekly digital sabbath.
Lesson 6: Time Is Quality, Not Quantity
What’s particularly striking about Carlo’s legacy is how much he accomplished in just 15 years. When you consider that his most significant contributions occurred in the final five years of his life, his story takes on even greater significance. He created his most impactful work—the website documenting Eucharistic miracles—between the ages of 11 and 14, never suspecting his time was limited.
The brevity of Carlo’s life offers a powerful reminder that impact isn’t measured in years but in how we use the time we have. While many of us postpone our deepest callings until we feel “ready” or “qualified,” Carlo shows us that waiting for perfect conditions is a luxury none of us can afford.
For those of us who feel we’ve missed our moment or that it’s too late to pursue our calling, Carlo’s brief but luminous life offers a powerful counter-narrative. He reminds us that impact isn’t measured in years but in authenticity and presence. Whether we’re 15 or 95, the question isn’t “Do I have enough time?” but rather “Am I fully present in the time I have?”
Courageous Step: Identify one meaningful project or dream you’ve been postponing until you feel “ready.” Choose one small action you can take this week to begin bringing it to life, even if that step seems inadequate compared to your vision. Remember: Carlo Acutis didn’t set out to create a globally influential website—he simply started documenting what moved him.
Lesson 7: Presence Is Your Greatest Gift
In our achievement-oriented culture, Carlo’s life offers a radical reorientation. When Vatican officials investigated his case for beatification, they weren’t primarily focused on his technological accomplishments or even his charitable works. What most impressed those who knew him was the quality of his presence—his kindness, attentiveness, and authentic way of being with others.
Carlo’s mother notes that he had an extraordinary capacity to notice those who were suffering or excluded. He would invite less popular classmates to join him for lunch or defend those being bullied. This quality of attention wasn’t a strategy for sainthood—it was simply who he was.
While our culture fixates on productivity and achievement, Carlo’s legacy suggests something profoundly different: the quality of attention we bring to others may be our most enduring contribution. His life challenges us to shift from asking “What did I accomplish?” to “Was I truly present with those I encountered today?”
Heart Reflection: Consider someone who has had a profound impact on your life. Was it primarily what they accomplished that influenced you, or who they were in your presence? This week, focus less on your to-do list and more on the quality of presence you bring to each interaction—whether with colleagues, loved ones, or strangers you encounter briefly.
The Heart of Carlo’s Message
When asked if his son knew he was special, Carlo’s father responded simply, “Absolutely not. He was just himself.” This captures what makes Carlo’s example so powerful—his teachings emerge not from philosophy but from lived experience. His life shows that spirituality isn’t primarily about what we believe but how fully we bring authentic presence to each moment.
As Carlo Acutis approaches canonization in 2025, his example offers a timely invitation to all of us: What would it mean to live with such spiritual authenticity that our very presence becomes a gift to those around us?
Final Thoughts
We began with Carlo’s profound observation that “everyone is born as an original, but many die as photocopies.” His life demonstrates that authentic presence—not perfection—is the true path to meaningful impact. The power of Carlo’s example isn’t in extraordinary achievements but in the radical authenticity he brought to ordinary moments.
Carlo Acutis never performed great miracles or founded religious orders. He simply lived his ordinary teenage life with extraordinary presence and authenticity. His example suggests that the path to meaningful impact doesn’t require becoming someone different—it requires becoming more fully yourself.
From my heart to yours,
