I have been waiting for this day to come.
Well, technically it’s still not here yet. At the time of writing, it has been just over a week since Blessed Carlo Acutis was beatified on October 10th, and of course has not yet been canonized a saint. However, I have great confidence that he soon will, and on the day that happens you bet we will make him our patron. And as hinted in the title, Carlo did, in fact, play video games.
Hearing this for the first time had a big impact on me. Technology has moved so fast in recent years that many of the saints that lived even just 50 years ago seemed to have existed in a completely different society than us. Fortunately the date of Carlo’s death (2006) was recent enough to bypass this effect for the most part.
Born in 1991, video games were already mainstream by the time Carlo came around. Like many other millennials, he had at least one game console, and likely others. From what I have been able to gather, it’s been reported he had a PlayStation, played Halo and loved Pokémon and Mario. Because of the Pokémon and Mario comment, it would be reasonable to assume he may have also had an N64, GameCube or Gameboy. I have heard murmurings that a lot of his tech is now being looked through, so more information will hopefully surface as time goes on.
I truly believe that part of God’s mission for Carlo was to be a role model for the technology-lovers. He used the internet, but only for good and to spread word about Eucharistic miracles. He loved his console(s) but made sure not to spend too much time gaming. And most importantly, he had a profound love for Christ and made His will the centerpiece of his life.
The fact that this soon-to-be-canonized had such a life really helps communicate to the latest generation that they are most definitely eligible to be saints. Times have changed but God’s call to holiness has not. If you are a Millennial or Gen-Z who loves YouTube and plays video games every day, you are called to sainthood just as much as your grandfather who doesn’t know what a “Facebook” is.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for us!
