Carlo acute, The Eucharist. SOMETIMES HAVING CRICKETS FOR YOUR HEAD IS STERILE AND DANGEROUS

We have heard prophetic words, who are not only addressed to information professionals, But to each of us. Because everyone, today, we communicate. We do it in the family, at work, sui social, in communities. And every word, each image, every silence... is a fragment of culture, it is a choice of peace or conflict. The Pope told us that «peace begins with how we look, let's listen, let's talk about others".

 

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The canonization of new saints it is always a moment of gift for the Church. For new figures who are models and intercessions for us who remain. Also to focus on some themes that those same saints explored and experienced in their lives.

Pope Leo, confirming the path taken so far by Pope Francis, confirmed the canonization of two saints: Carlo Acutis and Piergiorgio Frassati for the next one 7 September. If therefore in front of the new canonizations, a minimum of debate and reflection are always understandable, and indeed desirable even in a more theological speculative line, some exasperations on the theological and doctrinal assumptions of the saints themselves can be dangerous and sterile if not downright cloying.

The impression that, it seems to me, there is some recent writing behind it is not to enhance the work of a saint, which if as known, by faith, in itself we are obviously not asked to welcome it as the fourth person of the Trinity, however, we are not even asked to use it as a picklock to dismantle a classic vision of Eucharistic theology. This is the case of a recent article by Prof. Andrea Grillo on the Eucharistic theology of Carlo Acutis. An article that does not seem to fully capture the saint's potential. Let's now understand it one step at a time. First of all, let's focus on Carlo Acutis.

Carlo acute: A SAINT OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS[1]

Carlo Acutis, born in London in 1991 and moved to Milan shortly after, he is a figure venerated by the Catholic Church, known for his early and deep faith. His biography reveals a short but intense life, characterized by an extraordinary devotion and an exceptional talent for information technology, which he put at the service of his spirituality. Since I was a child, Acutis showed a notable inclination towards faith. This innate devotion led him to ardently desire to receive his First Communion, which was granted to him in advance, at the age of seven. From that moment, daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration and the rosary became pillars of his day. He attended schools with the Marcelline Sisters and subsequently the Leo XIII Institute, distinguishing himself as a bright and sociable student. Parallel to his studies, Acutis developed a notable passion for information technology, becoming self-taught and earning the nickname of “computer genius”. This skill was not a mere feat for him hobby, but an instrument of evangelization. At just fourteen years old, created a website dedicated to cataloging the Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church, a work that became an instrument of evangelization worldwide, attracting the attention of numerous faithful. His objective was to make known the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, spreading the faith through new technologies.

Despite his profound spirituality, He was acutely ill when he was young, who loved playing football, playing video games and spending time with friends. His charity was a distinctive trait: he used his savings to help the homeless and dedicated his time as a volunteer in soup kitchens. He was also a point of reference for his classmates, helping them with their studies and offering support to those facing bullying or family difficulties.

In October of 2006, Acutis' life was abruptly ended from a diagnosis of fulminant leukemia. He faced his illness with surprising serenity, offering his sufferings for the Pope and for the Church. He died on 12 October 2006, at the age of 15 year old. His reputation for sanctity spread rapidly, leading to the opening of his beatification process in 2013. Pope Francis declared him Venerable in 2018 It is in the 2020 he recognized a miracle attributed to him, paving the way for his beatification, occurred on 10 October 2020 to Assist. His body is preserved and exposed for veneration in Assisi.

Carlo Acutis is today considered a model of holiness for young people in the digital age, often called “God's influencer” or “the cyber-apostle of the Eucharist”, for its ability to combine faith and technology.

Being personally linked to the digital preaching apostolate, I believe that this propensity for spreading the faith on the internet is one of the points of light, where all young people can take model and inspiration, to become "digital cyber preachers", without becoming bigots or extremists.

AN EXCESSIVE SKIRMISH

Professor Andrea Grillo, in his article The young Carlo Acutis and Eucharistic rudeness [2], offers a critical examination of the theological interpretation of the Eucharist conveyed by the figure of Blessed Carlo Acutis, with particular attention to the insistence on the so-called "Eucharistic miracles". Ask Grillo if you ask him to come to you, a "super-communicator", may have been oriented towards such a "distorted" and "one-sided" understanding of the Eucharist, focused on "miracles" rather than on the genuine ecclesial value of the sacrament.

The Professor carefully examines the official website of the Carlo Acutis Association, in particular the section dedicated to Eucharistic miracles, and critically analyzes the introductory texts written by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, by Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli and the Dominican father Roberto Coggi, who was also my teacher of natural philosophy during the years of my education in Bologna. Grillo defines these texts as «old … heavy … obsessive", suggesting that they embody a "bad theology" imposed on Acutis by "bad teachers". He highlights inconsistencies and outdated theological views in their writings, like the defensive preface by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the justification of miracles as “occasions” to address other topics by Monsignor Paolo Martinelli, and Father Roberto Coggi's old-fashioned understanding of the words of consecration. The Professor argues that this emphasis on physical miracles distracts attention from the "true" and”unique" Eucharistic miracle, which resides in ecclesial communion and in the unity between the sacramental body and the ecclesial body. The "Eucharistic rudeness", concludes Grillo, it is not attributable to the young Carlo Acutis, but rather to the adults who promoted these unbalanced interpretations, finally proposing one “distorted fixation on Eucharistic miracles” as a role model for young people.

HAVING CRICKETS IN YOUR HEAD

If on the one hand I concede that excessive attention to Eucharistic miracles "carried by adults" in a devotionalistic and almost "eucharistolatric" way risks not understanding the true meaning of Adoration in Jesus Christ present in the body, blood, soul and divinity and also in the Eucharist as communion of the new people of God [3], it seems to us that the professor's focus is not on dismantling a false Eucharistic devotion, ma, as for the opposite, to minimize to the point of almost describing as obsolete the conception of the substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species. Although this is not explicitly said, the the way things are seems excessive. If you really wanted to hit only a "eucharistolatric" tendency, I personally think it is more right to also exalt the passages of goodness of Acutis himself and his desire to commune in Christ also via the internet. Skipping over the reference to the next saint, every reference seems to be designed to attack the doctrine of the real presence, without doctrinally valid reasons.

So jokingly, compared to the professor's positions, I wrote some time ago that this propensity to use Carlo Acutis as a picklock to unhinge "the closed ones left at the Tridentine Council" or as a springboard to skip all the beauty of the reflection on Eucharistic contemplation, this propensity is like having crickets in your head. Three jumps — long, exaggerated and out of focus — of a cricket which I think goes a bit’ resettled. We will now try to answer promptly, documents in hand, to the positions of the Professor.

"Old" and "out of fashion" Eucharist? The truth about the Eucharist as a real presence has no age and cannot be "out of fashion" as Coke Zero will probably become in fifteen years. The doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the heart of our faith and an immutable pillar, not a passing "fad".. The Council of Trent solemnly affirmed that Christ is «truly, truly and substantially" present in the Eucharist [4]. The Second Vatican Council, far from denying this truth, he explored it further, urging us to participate more fully and consciously in the Eucharistic Sacrifice [5] .Carlo Acutis, with his life, it simply tempted us to remind ourselves of the beauty and power of this eternal truth, demonstrating that it can inflame the hearts of every generation. He tried to make digital and virtual communion starting from real communion with the Eucharistic Christ. If the Eucharist is truly "the source and summit of all Christian life" [6] then it is not at all inessential, but the center of everything.

Eucharistic Miracles vs. the «True Miracle»? Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Church, although they are not "objects of faith" like dogmas, they can be a great help to our faith. Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, in one of the texts that presents Carlo's exhibition, explains that they can "constitute a useful and fruitful aid to our faith". They are extraordinary signs that God, in His infinite wisdom, offers us to strengthen our adherence to the Mystery. Saint Thomas Aquinas himself explained how the properties of flesh and blood are substantially expressed in the Eucharistic species, even if this property inheres in God by a miracle [7]. This reminder is truly necessary for us who could not worship those properties in the glorious body of Christ, because they were born centuries and millennia after the presence of the Incarnate Word on earth. These phenomena do not eliminate the true miracle of Transubstantiation, but they can help highlight it visibly, leading many to a deeper faith in the Real Presence. Carlo Acutis did not "neglect" the true miracle, but he used these signs to lead others to the heart of that Mystery which for him was "my highway to Heaven".

“Eucharistic rudeness” and "bad teachers"? These propositions of the Professor seem imprudent to us. No theological article authorizes us to process the intentions of other theologians. Father Roberto Coggi, Monsignor Paolo Martinelli and Cardinal Angelo Comastri seem almost described as bad teachers, bearers of an obsolete and stale theology, that, as described, it seems almost distant from Catholic doctrine. We don't think this is the case. Let's read together what the Church tells us. The words of consecration, as the Catechism teaches us (n. 1353), they have their fulcrum in the words of Christ: «This is my Body… This is my Blood…». The Missal reformed in 1970 he took up this formula by translating it from Latin: and in fact he thus proved the essential words that operate the Sacrament remain those instituted by the Lord. How all this can fall into the category of "rudeness" or "fantasy", or bad workmanship, It completely escapes me. None of the authors mentioned above, Furthermore, has never denied the importance of the Eucharist as the Communion of the New People of God, and in particular Father Coggi, in his beautiful book The church, fruit of his meditations on Radio Maria, writes;

«The Church is not presented by the Council only as the mystical Body of Christ, but also as the new People of God. On the contrary, it can be said that the Council particularly emphasized this aspect of the Church, that is, the Church is the People of God. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Council dedicates an entire chapter to this topic among the eight that comprise it The light. In fact the second chapter of the dogmatic constitution The light on the Church is titled: The People of God. Seeing the Church as the People of God opens many perspectives. First of all, it underlines the continuity of the New Testament with the Old Testament: as Israel was the People of God of the Ancient Covenant, thus the Church is the People of God of the New Covenant. It also underlines the historical aspect of the Church. The denominations we have examined in past broadcasts, when we said that the Church is the Kingdom of God, the Temple of God, the mystical Body of Christ, focus our attention on the Church's connection with God, with the Holy Trinity, with the risen and glorious Jesus, that is, they underline the eternal dimension of the Church. But the Church does not only have this aspect, which in a certain sense takes her away from the world and history. The Church is also inserted into human history, the Church walks through time. Saying that the Church is the People of God, the People of God pilgrimage through history towards the goal of eternity – like the ancient People of Israel wandered in the desert towards the promised land -, to say this is to grasp an essential aspect of the Church" [8].

It is truly a splendid passage to also understand the Church as the people of God. In short, attention to the Real Presence is not inattention towards the faithful: but of attention to the core of the Mystery that reaches the faithful. Accusing those who try to communicate the centrality of the Real Presence of "bad theology"., also through popular devotion and miracles, it means not understanding the plurality and richness of the ways through which the faith is transmitted and lived.

Conclusions

The future saint Carlo Acutis is a model of holiness precisely because of his ardent Eucharistic faith, a shining example for all of us and for young people. A non-devotional faith anchored in semi-pagan or Protestant heritage. Acutis' faith is a Eucharistic faith that helps us repeat the action of the little apostle John at the Last Supper. That is, in front of Jesus he rested his head on the chest of Jesus on his Sacred Heart. And in that "huddle" he abandoned all of himself to God. So do we during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we can rest our heads on His Sacred Heart. Abandon all our anxieties, all our fears, and also offering everything we have to Him. A beautiful moment of prayer that, from the heart, I also wish Professor Andrea Grillo.

Santa Maria Novella in Florence, 23 July 2025

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For further information

– Council of Trent, Session XIII, Decree on the Eucharist, Canon 1. See. Denzinger-Hünermann, Enchiridion, definitions and declarations on matters of faith and morals, n. 1651.

– Vatican Council II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Holy Council, n. 14.

– Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church The light, n. 11.

– San Tommaso Aquino, QUESTION, III, q. 77, a. 1.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1353.

– R.Coggi, The church, ESD, Bologna, 2002, 81.

NOTE

[1] I'll summarize from here https://biografieonline.it/biografia-carlo-acutis

[2] If ban

https://www.cittadellaeditrice.com/munera/il-giovane-carlo-acutis-e-la-maleducazione-eucaristica/

[3] The communion of the faithful in Christ does not exist without the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, although this too, by the way, seems to be hired by the professor.

[4] Denzinger-Hünermann, n. 1651

[5] Holy Council, n. 14.

[6] The light, n. 11

[7] QUESTION, III, q. 77, a. 1, Summa Theologica III, q.76,a.8.

[8] R.Coggi, The church, ESD, Bologna, 2002, 81.

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