The saints I would like to share, are two I have come to find great admiration for.

When I chose St.Catherine of Siena as my Confirmation Saint I did not know much about her, but I think the main reason I chose her was because of her confidence to speak the truth and what she thought was right. When she was young she went to the Pope herself, in Avignon, and told him to go back to Rome (which influenced his decision to go back to Rome in 1376 ). I also liked her because I found her to be a lot like me; feisty, and passionate about her beliefs and thoughts.

Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.

As I got to know more about St. Catherine it also changed my outlook on fasting. She fasted greatly, by giving up her bed,  and eating little food( which she died from in the end ). She even cut her hair off, so she could influence her mom to let her be a nun and not have to get married. St. Catherine was also tempted greatly but stayed strong through it all, often by repeating the powerful name of Jesus. She had such a devotion to the Lord that he appeared to her many times, and helped her stay strong. Knowing her has brought me to realize that as long as I don’t fill my mind with things of this world and always give up more, I can be a lot closer to the Lord.

The second saint I would like to share about( one that awes me) is a very recently canonized saint… St. Carlo Acutis.

I was first introduced to him when we did an activity where each person in our family picked a name from a hat of a “Blessed”( a person on their way to being recognized as a saint ) to share about when it came to their feast day. I just happened to get Blessed Carlo Acutis!  What I admire about St. Carlo is that he loved Jesus and was not afraid to show that, even inviting friends of his to the church with him. He often expressed Jesus as being his best friend to those he asked to join him. He even converted the family caretaker to the Catholic faith!

Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.

I also love his example of self-control amidst his time of playing video games, pokemon, soccer, etc. He always found time to visit Jesus and others. Carlo often brought his conversations back around to Jesus. He even used his love of computer progamming to make a website about eucharistic miracles! Although St. Carlo lived a short earthly life he gave us the most amazing example of joy by his smile he wore all the time. He is a reminder that no matter how young you are you can make a change in people’s lives, even adults came to him with serious situations they trusted him with. St. Carlo became a saint even though he only lived 15 years. He teaches us to love always, because we never know how long we have.

View here the INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION (of Eucharistic Miracles) DESIGNED AND CREATED BY CARLO ACUTIS

To God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory forever and ever. Amen.