AS YOUNG people face more pressure to imitate the lives and standards presented by society, a Dominican priest reminded Catholics not to lose their sense of authenticity and emulate the lives of saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P., prior of the Santo Domingo Convent, said people risk becoming disconnected from the lives they were created to live if they allow imitation and conformity to take precedence over their God-given purpose.
“There is no one like us in this world or in any other. And yet, how many of us are seduced by the mediocre world, content to be simply a photocopy by imitating the life of someone other than what the Creator wanted us to be,” the priest said on Monday, Sept. 7, at the National Shrine of the Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila.
Cabading discussed how Acutis and Frassati are examples of Christians whose holiness can take different forms according to the gifts, circumstances and paths entrusted to each person.
“Indeed, we are all born into this world with a special soul, a divine fingerprint, a mission that no one else in the world can ever fulfill,” the priest said.
Cabading explained that Acutis, who loved computers, football and video games, chose to use his knowledge of technology to evangelize and lead others closer to Christ.
“He (Acutis) became known as God’s influencer, not in the quest of fame or followers, not for the purpose of monetization, but to turn every click, every keystroke to the glory of God and the salvation of souls,” he said.
Meanwhile, Frassati’s path toward holiness was expressed through his service to the poor, sick and marginalized, the priest noted.
“Pier Giorgio’s charity did not consist in giving things away but in giving himself totally… His charity [was] nurtured by his devotion to Christ in the Eucharist. He said if you have God in the midst of all your doings then you will reach the end,” he said.
Cabading warned that people could lose their sense of authenticity when they become consumed by the desire to imitate lives and identities that were never meant for them.
“No one can replace our place in the kingdom of God. It was intended for us, but if we do not go to heaven, no one will replace that place,” he said.
The priest then urged the faithful to emulate Acutis and Frassati’s preservation of their personality, describing them as examples of holiness that does not erase one’s individuality, but allows people to become more fully the persons they were created to be.
“It is a holiness that is not found in extraordinary acts but in the ordinary in daily life lived with an extraordinary love,” Cabading said.
The eucharistic celebration marked the first anniversary of the canonization of saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati.
Acutis, known as the “cyber apostle,” used his computer programming skills to spread devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Frassati, the patron saint of UST Senior High School, was described by Pope Saint John Paul II as “the man of the eight beatitudes” because of his love for the poor. F – Francia Migyel Violeta
