I wish I could say the same but am afraid to say there has been a lot of wasted time and energy in my 69 years.īut as the great philosopher Yogi Berra once said ‘’it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” So God in his gracious mercy gives us a new season to begin again to walk more by the light of faith, to be more caring about those around us and the world we live in and see each day as a new day and blessing from God.Īnd please remember too that despite the groundhogs predictions the other day of 6 more weeks of winter, Lent does mean springtime. Ash Wednesday reminds us of the brevity of life with the rather sobering words as the ashes are sprinkled on us “remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” It’s a time for us to look within our lives and if need be to have a change of heart and be more intentional about prayer, and self-discipline and works of mercy towards those in need.Ĭarlo didn’t waste any time but packed a lot of goodness and love and care and prayer into his 15 years of life. For you were made from dust, and to dust you. The very brief 15 years of Carlo’s life got me thinking about this coming Wednesday - which is of course Ash Wednesday. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. We must admit that they keep us honest and to be about practicing what we preach about. We need to be learning from them as much as they learn from us. Creator-'Remember' that thou art not thine own, but Gods property for He has created thee ( Psalms 100:3). However we must also be careful not to extinguish the youthful idealism and energy that our young people naturally possess and exhibit. As Ecclesiastes 11:9 Ecclesiastes 11:10 showed what youths are to shun, so this verse shows what they are to follow. All of us old timers want to impart our wisdom and knowledge to the young people of our families and parishes. It has been said that when people are young they want to change the world and when we are old we want to change the young. Agnes who were known for their virtue and piety, and were an inspiration for the church of their time. Should that happen, he will join a youthful group of saints like Maria Goretti and St. His cause for being declared a saint officially by the Roman Catholic Church is underway. He used his computer savvy skills to spread devotion to our Lord Jesus in eucharistic adoration. He was a holy person and rather exceptionally pious young man who attended masses, made confessions, went to eucharistic adoration and prayed the rosary. He has also been called the patron saint of the internet because he loved to communicate with his friends via the internet and social media. All of the time spent on the internet these days with the parish meetings and religious ed classes via the zooms got me thinking of a young man from Italy by the name of Carlo Acutis who unfortunately died from leukemia in 2006.Ĭarlo has been called the saint in sneakers because he loved God and was a person of prayer, but he also loved sports like soccer.