A second way that we can grow in becoming “holy candles” for Christ is through Eucharistic Adoration.
Blessed Carlo Acutis loved to go to Eucharistic Adoration on a daily basis. In the presence of our Eucharistic Lord, Carlo was slowly but surely transformed by the light and warmth of God’s fiery love into a “holy candle” for Christ.
Speaking about the effects of Eucharistic Adoration, Blessed Carlo said:
“When we face the sun we get a tan, but when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”
So simple yet so profound. Just as we are confident that when we spend time in front of the sun we will get a sun tan, so too should we be confident that “when we stand before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.”
When asked what he did during his time of prayer and Eucharistic Adoration, Blessed Carlo said:
“Sadness is looking at yourself. Happiness is looking at God.”
Another brilliant insight into the spiritual life from our young saint. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Forget about yourself. Focus on our Eucharistic Lord. Gaze at Him with loving faith. All that Jesus wants is just our hearts to be open to His light and warmth. He will do all the rest. How comforting and how encouraging!
When asked about her son’s daily practice of Eucharistic Adoration, Carlo’s mother, Antonio, described it in this way: “Carlo loved to spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist. He used to say that in order to be happy we have to put God in first place, and that’s what he did by going to Adoration every day. He even made a schedule for himself, organizing his homework and other activities around his time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.”
What a beautiful witness to truly loving God with all his heart. To organize your daily schedule around your time of Eucharistic Adoration rather than fit in prayer if your daily schedule permits – that’s a holy habit that is guaranteed to set us on fire with God’s love!
As a result of organizing his schedule around Eucharistic Adoration for several years, Blessed Carlo’s heart remained soft and receptive to the transformative love of God and he rapidly spread that light and warmth as a “holy candle” for Christ to everyone he came into contact with.
Another time, when Carlo’s father, Andrea, offered his son the amazing opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Carlo replied: “I prefer to stay in Milan because there are tabernacles in the churches where I can go to find Jesus at any moment and therefore I do not feel the need to go to Jerusalem. Since Jesus remains with us always, in the consecrated Host, what need is there to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit the places where Jesus lived 2,000 years ago? Instead, tabernacles ought to be visited with the same devotion!”
What a great example of truly believing in the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. And what inspiration for us to imitate this young Saint and do likewise.
To conclude: What is 1 thing you want to remember from this reflection?
The Prodigal Catholic Blog 