Soon-to-Saint Carlo Acutis Loved Christmas

Carlo Acutis loved Christmas in every way: He loved to celebrate with his family and relatives. He loved the traditional Italian meals and exchange of presents. But his greatest love was the celebration of Christmas Mass. 

One of the things that most struck Carlo about Christmas was the incredible humility of God, a God who so loved us that he sent his only Son to take on flesh and become a part of us. 

In her book My Son Carlo, Antonia Acutis shares the following journal entries that Carlo left behind when he died: 

Many say that Jesus was born poor, that he was placed in a manger … and for this reason, he was of humble birth. But this is not why Jesus was born humble. The joining of divine nature to human nature was the gesture of the most sublime humility. That is why he could say, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble at heart.” After his baptism, Jesus is driven to the desert for forty days. It comes as a surprise, taken and driven off. No reaction. No conflict. No rebellion. He lets things happen. He is extraordinarily meek and submissive. This is also because this was all part of his plan. Throughout the entire arc of his so-called public existence, during his various travels from place to place, where he was followed, chased, thrown around, suspected, envied, attacked, insulted, not believed, and abandoned, he puts what he taught into effect: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble at heart.” Meek and humble: gentle, sweet, helpful, modest, obliging, respectful, tranquil, calm, balanced, a good example. The first capital vice, pride, has no place in him. He makes humility, a virtue which is almost unknown before this point, the basis for his ascetism, the basis for his morality, the essence of his spirituality (pp.169-170). 

The groups Carlo worried about the most during Christmastime were the poor and homeless, whether in Milan, Italy, or anywhere else in the world. He often compared the poor to the Holy Family of Nazareth, who could not find a decent place to sleep on Christmas Eve except for a stable. 

Family photos of soon-to-be-saint Carlo Acutis.(Photo: Courtesy photos)

In one of Carlo’s journals, he wrote: 

When he was born, there was nothing but refusals on the part of people who did not know where to put him, and in the end, they found him a stable. If we think carefully about the stable in Bethlehem, it was surely better than many houses of today where the Lord is still refused and often even insulted because he is received in an unsuitable manner (p.124). 

While many teenagers his age looked towards accumulating expensive gifts during Christmas, Carlo believed the only real treasure was heaven. 

In his journals, he wrote: 

So, what is the proper treasure that we should accumulate, stock up, and capitalize on? That which will make us safe, which will make us feel protected. It is a treasure that can withstand any impact, repel any assault, venture into any enterprise. What is important is to accumulate the right things — those which lead us to this safe port. Secret charity, secret prayer, secret fasting, sacraments lived well, and the reciting of the holy Rosary are doors which open onto our union with God. They are the realities which will ensure this safety. Various angles, various lenses, various facets, but just one objective: existence organized and spent for co-eternity. If we mortify ourselves, if we help ourselves, if we pray, if we accumulate for what is for “Up There,” the problem of existence and the fear of living will surely resolve (p.133). 

Soon-to-be canonized Carlo Acutis, pray for us, at Christmas and always!