CATHOLICS MUST refrain from chasing wealth and power, but should turn their lives into “masterpieces” by using their time and talents in ways that follow the saints’ “simple but winning formula” for holiness, Pope Leo XIV said.
In his homily during the canonization mass in honor of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis, the Pope urged the faithful, especially the youth, to direct their lives “upwards” and embody holiness by surrendering themselves to God and living simple lives.
“Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces,” the Pope told about 60,000 attendees of the canonization mass at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Sept. 7
According to Pope Leo XIV, life is wasted when it is not directed toward God or used to pursue holiness, prayer and service. He cited King Solomon who, after inheriting wealth, power and youth, asked God for wisdom to ensure nothing in his life was wasted.
The Pope explained that both Frassati and Acutis showed that holiness can be lived through simple, everyday acts such as attending mass daily, prayer, Eucharistic adoration, frequent confession and charity.
He said that even as young people, the saints left nothing for themselves and surrendered fully to God, redirecting their lives toward holiness.
“Sometimes we portray them as great figures, forgetting that for them it all began when, while still young, they said ‘yes’ to God and gave themselves to Him completely, keeping nothing for themselves,” he said.
Such selflessness, the Pontiff said, reflects the “formula” of their holiness and serves as a model for the faithful to follow in living a full life.
“This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven,” he said.
According to the Pope, Jesus is calling on believers to fully commit to His plan and put Him above all attachments and worldly concerns, a dedication that is not limited by age or circumstance.
“He (Jesus) calls us to abandon ourselves without hesitation to the adventure that he offers us, with the intelligence and strength that comes from his Spirit, that we can receive to the extent that we empty ourselves of the things and ideas to which we are attached in order to listen to His word,” he said.
It was the first canonization mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV since his election to the papacy in May. The two saints were supposed to be canonized separately by Pope Francis, but the Vatican decided to hold a joint ceremony following the pontiff’s death in April.
Frassati, who was called the “Man of the Beatitudes” by Pope John Paul II, dedicated his life to prayer and works of charity in Turin.
The Italian mountaineer, activist and Third Order Dominican died of polio at the age of 24 in 1925. He is the patron of UST Senior High School.
Acutis, known as the “Cyber Apostle of the Eucharist,” created an online catalog of Eucharistic miracles before dying of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 15. The young saint was the first millennial to be canonized. F
