“Lessons from the Saints on the Movement from Life to Death to New Life”
Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Year “C”
Mass with the Participants in the Respect Life Essay Contest
April 27, 2025; St. Mary’s Cathedral
Introduction
In gathering on this occasion for our Mass today, God shows us once again that He never ceases to be full of surprises. We are happy to celebrate this Mass with the boys and girls participating in the annual archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest, planned for this day to coincide with the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first officially recognized saint of the millennial generation. But as it turns out, the Pope died, so the canonization is postponed!
The Cycle of Life to Death to New Life
It is quite a convergence of events and themes today that teaches us a very powerful lesson, a convergence of life, death and new life. First of all, life, as it comes into existence and continues to exist in this world.
This is the very purpose of the Respect Life Essay Contest, that is, to teach our children the foundational principle of respect for human life in all of its stages and all of its conditions. There are so many threats to the dignity of human life in so many different ways, and we are so proud of you, school students in our Archdiocese, for your young wisdom and understanding of how important it is to fight against these movements attacking human life and to affirm its goodness.
Of course, the death of Pope Francis has sent the whole world into mourning, and invites us all to reflect more seriously our own death and the purpose of our life in this world and how this will have consequences for our life in the next world. Then, finally, this is all taking place in this first week of Easter, when we are basking in the glory of Christ’s Resurrection, filled with the joyful hope of his victory over death and the promise it holds out to us for the new life of heaven.
The Example of the Saints: The First Disciples
We also see a certain pattern of movement from life to death to new life in our readings for this second Sunday of Easter. More specifically, it is death and life serving as metaphors for fear and courage, doubt and faith. We hear in the Gospel reading about the disciples huddling behind locked doors out of fear, fear of the leaders of their people who associated them with a condemned rabbi, and so they were afraid that they might suffer the same fate. And we hear about doubt, with Thomas being the one pointed out as St. John recounts it for us in his Gospel. But in reality, when we read all the accounts of our Lord’s appearances to his disciples after the Resurrection, they were all hesitant to believe; doubt and fear plagued them all until one key moment: receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Receiving that gift changed everything. They then courageously went forth to proclaim the Good News to all the world, fulfilling the precise commandment that their Lord had given them. All throughout the Easter season we will be hearing about their exploits in the Acts of the Apostles. We see their courage reflected in today’s reading: they were carrying on the work of their Master with “many signs and wonders being done among the people at the hands of the apostles.” They gained the esteem of the people, but many were afraid to follow them for the same reason: fear of the authorities.
Others, however, were inspired by their courage and their message, and saw the signs they were performing of healing the sick and casting out demons just as their Lord had done. So, despite threats from the authorities, “great numbers of men and women were added to” the community of disciples. So emboldened were they by the Holy Spirit that nothing could stop them, not even death itself. As we know, most of those first followers of Jesus of Nazareth faced execution for the sake of their faith in him. And that is the door that leads to the new life of the Resurrection, the glory promised to Christ’s faithful followers which we celebrate during these days of the Easter season.
The Example of the Saints: The First Millennial
This may seem long ago and far away, and the example of those first disciples too remote, as if they were people very different from us. But the Acts of the Apostles makes clear that everyone regarded them as very ordinary people, and even uneducated. In other words, holiness is for everyone! And just to drive the point home, we can look to the first millennial saint as an example.
Carlo was a completely normal boy just like others of his age, with interests common to all young people: music, sports, even playing video games (although he had the wisdom to limit himself on the amount of time he would spend doing that). But he realized that there’s a lot more to life than that. As he wrote when he was only seven years old: “To be always close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.” He knew that becoming a saint was not just a matter of wishful thinking, but something that had to be lived in concrete action in different ways: prayer and devotion, learning and teaching the faith, and serving the poor.
He famously compiled a website categorizing all of the Eucharistic miracles; he attended Mass every day from the day of his First Holy Communion, and prayed the rosary daily and also spent hours of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle; he taught catechism to First Communion students even at his young age; and he volunteered at a diner for poor people run by Capuchin Friars and Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. His life was a summary of the essence of the Christian life: prayer and devotion; study and learning; a life of charity and a witness to the love of Jesus Christ. And all of this in the context of a very normal life of a young person with normal interests. In short, he is saint who is relatable.[1]
The Price to be Paid
There is always necessarily a price to pay for making progress on the way to holiness, though. For Carlo, death came early, as he was struck down with leukemia at the tender age of fifteen-years-old. But even at that young age he could face a happy death, because he lived so well with the few years that God gave him in this world. That is to say, there are lots of little deaths we have to submit to in this life if we wish to know the happiness and glory of that new life in Christ. The perfection of that new life lies beyond this life, but we can already get a taste of it in this life when we live as those first disciples did and as Carlo did: a life of virtue.
Some few are called to pay the ultimate price of dying to self for the sake of fidelity to Jesus Christ, the death of martyrdom. Again, most of those first disciples faced this end to their lives. But not all. We hear from the apostle St. John in our second reading: he was exiled to an island for the rest of his life because, as he says, he “proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus.”
This is another kind of death we face in this life: what we suffer for the sake of Jesus. But notice: the high cost that these early disciples paid for their fidelity to Christ is not only what delivered them into eternal life, but, in living and dying this way, they also brought others with them. This is the ultimate purpose of our life as Christians in this world: to get to heaven, and to help others get there as well. And some are called to dedicate their entire lives exclusively to this purpose, that is, those who are called to the Priesthood and the consecrated life. I want to encourage all of you young people to be open to this extraordinary call of God in your lives, for there is no greater joy than doing good for others, and the greatest joy of all is doing the greatest good for others: helping them get to heaven.
The Kit for Holiness
Every Christian, though, is called to participate in this mission of the Church in some way, according to their own personal vocation and state in life. These are the marching orders Jesus gave us before returning to his Father in glory: to go forth and teach others what he taught us, making disciples of all nations. This is what we refer to as “The Great Commission.” And it is only through a life of holiness that we can accomplish it.
Carlo was very practical in understanding how this was done. In fact, to help the children to whom he taught First Communion, he put together what he called a “kit for becoming a saint.” It is an eight-point plan that contains sage advice for all of us, of all ages and states in life – and, I dare say, even for bishops. Here is the kit:
1) You must want to be a saint with all your heart and if you still don’t want it, you must ask the Lord insistently.
2) Try to go to Holy Mass every day and receive Holy Communion.
3) Remember to recite the Holy Rosary every day.
4) Read a passage of Sacred Scripture every day.
5) If you can, spend a few moments of Eucharistic Adoration before the Tabernacle where Jesus is really present, and you will see how amazingly your level of holiness will increase.
6) If you can, go to confession every week, and confess even your venial sins.
7) Frequently make resolutions and little sacrifices to the Lord and Our Lady to help others.
8) Continuously ask for help from your Guardian Angel, who must become your best friend.[2]
Conclusion
In his short lifetime, Carlo had collected many sayings that were gems of wisdom to guide our Christian living. Among others, he famously observed: “everyone is born an original, but many die as photocopies.” Dear children and young people, participants in our archdiocesan Respect Life Essay Contest: we are grateful to you and proud of you that you are not turning your lives into being just another photocopy! Be the original that God created you to be!
You are capable of spiritual greatness even at your young age, as Carlo taught us by word and example. Follow his formula that is his kit for holiness, and you will know the life of heaven and you will bring others with you. In fact, that is a good idea for all of us! Let us, then, learn from the saints, ancient, contemporary and in between, that we may be faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission and be joined with them in the glorious new life of heaven. May God grant us this grace. Amen!
[1] https://www.carloacutis.com/
[2] Ibid.