Book Review; “My Son Carlo”

“Inspiring, humbling and enlightening:” These are the words that best describe my experience with reading “My Son Carlo.”

This book is the story of Carlo Acutis, a young Italian-Catholic, who is the first millennial to be beatified by the Catholic Church. Carlo was born on May 3, 1991, and he died from leukemia at the young age of 15 on Oct. 12, 2006. The story is told by Carlo’s mother, Antonia Acutis, with assistance from Paola Rodari, and it is a story all Catholics should read.

Antonia paints a clear and beautiful picture of Carlo and his growth in faith, as she shares an abundance of detailed memories, many of Carlo’s writings and prayers and a scattering of interesting stories of his innermost thoughts, dreams, and experiences.

According to Antonia, “Carlo developed a personal relationship with God starting at a young age and, since he was little, he was constantly attached to Jesus and wanted everyone he encountered to develop their own intimate relationship with Jesus.”

The book illustrates how he strengthened his relationship with God by attending daily Mass, constant prayer, regularly going to confession, making pilgrimages and reading scripture.

Carlo was “ordinary like most millennials,” in that he carried a backpack, loved pets, enjoyed music, and was skilled using the computer. He was full of energy, playful, open to everyone, and easy-going. However, he was extraordinaire with regards to his strong devotion to God and to spreading the Good News to others. He had a gift for empathy and used this gift in defending those he saw being bullied and for establishing relationships with individuals from all walks of life. He was perceptive, a great listener and, perhaps, most importantly, “he had a thirst for the infinite, and he tried to imitate Jesus in everything.”

Though his life on earth was short, Carlo set a clear, consistent example for all of us, young or old, on how we can grow in our love for God, our love for neighbors and for gaining divine strength from the Eucharist and prayer.

Possessing wisdom beyond his years, Carlo has left us a message as to how we might imitate Jesus and live a holy life: “To lead a holy life takes an act of the will, all the time. Without it, you can’t be holy. The goal of our spiritual life is to love God and our neighbor. If we achieve this, we will always be happy. God will be our all in all. The problem is desire. We need to desire holiness.”

There is so much good that comes from reading all Antonia shares in this book, and Antonia’s story seems to build up perfectly to the climax presented in the last chapter: “The Eucharist is My Way to Heaven.” Carlo’s favorite sacrament was the Holy Eucharist, and I found Antonia’s narrative on this sacrament so powerful I re-read the chapter several times.

Carlo made his first Communion at the age of 7. This experience motivated him to attend Mass daily and turned him into a “Eucharistic apostle,” not only bringing his parents back to the practice of attending Sunday Mass and attempting to bring his non-practicing peers to grasp the awesome gift they were neglecting.

To attract and encourage people to receive the Eucharist, Carlo created his own website focused on the miracles of the Holy Eucharist. The site included descriptions of the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano and the “miraculous communion of the shepherd children in Fatima.”

Carlo once said, “the more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on earth we will have a foretaste of heaven,” (denvercatholic.org).

Reading “My Son Carlo” leaves me no doubt that for Carlo, the Eucharist served as his Highway to Heaven. “My Son Carlo” is now one of my favorite books, and I highly recommend all Catholics make the effort and take the time to read it!  

John H. Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.