Summer’s a great time to work on our Jesus tan
Summer camp was the highlight of my teen years. I was blessed to go to Forest Home Christian Camp and it was pure bliss for a city gal like me. I loved breathing in the fresh mountain air, smelling the pine trees, feeling a sense of independence from my parents, and just experiencing life for the first time. We’d sing silly camp songs and play silly camp games, but make no mistake, there was something rich and meaningful going on. I was experiencing Christ’s love in a whole new way and it was sinking deep into my soul. What a grace to know and love Jesus from an early age.
One of our favorite things to do at Forest Home was to lay by the lake and see who could get the best tan by the end of the week. At last, a camp contest I might actually win! Back then we didn’t use sunscreen - it was more about slathering on baby oil and hoping you didn’t fry! Now that I’m older and wiser, I’m a) using sunscreen, and b) aiming for a different kind of tan…now I’m going for the Jesus tan. How do you get it? Well, before I tell you, I’d like to introduce you to my newest, coolest friend in heaven - Blessed Carlo Acutis. This kid is something special.
Carlo is on his way to becoming a canonized saint. One more documented miracle attributed to his intercession and bam, he’s officially in the club, which means that a kid who grew up in Italy and lived a fairly normal life - playing video games and working on his computer, could soon join the ranks of Augustine, Aquinas, and Anselm. But make no mistake, Carlo was anything but ordinary. In fact, he was extraordinary in the holiness department, which is why he’s someone worth paying attention to, especially during this time of Eucharistic revival.
Carlo started displaying signs of holiness at age three, but things intensified after he received his first Holy Communion at age seven. From that day on he did three things consistently: he went to daily Mass, he prayed the rosary and he spent time in Eucharistic adoration. He called the Eucharist his “highway to heaven” and said his “life plan is to always be close to Jesus.” He said Mary was THE woman in his life, and he wondered why people would travel all the way to Jerusalem to encounter Christ when they could visit him anytime at their local parish. I don’t know about you, but those are some pretty extraordinary things for a young kid to say.
Carlo’s simple, childlike faith inspires me, but I think I’ve been drawn to him because he feels like a “third son” to me - he would’ve been the same age as my boys, born right between them in 1991. Carlo died of leukemia at the age of 15, but he packed a lot into those 15 years, including creating a website that documents the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place over the centuries. Check it out, it’s very cool.
By now you’re probably wondering, what does all of this have to do with the Jesus tan? Okay, it’s time to land the plane. So, I coined that phrase based on something Carlo said. He observed that “When we get in front of the sun, we get sun tans, but when we get in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, we become saints." What a simple recipe for holiness! I can do that! So now, whenever I’m heading to adoration for a little visit with Jesus, I tell Bill that I’m off to get my Jesus tan and he knows what I mean.
So friends, perhaps this summer we can all work on our Jesus tan a bit. It won’t require any baby oil, and after a few visits, you’re sure to be glowing like never before! And best of all, this tan lasts forever!
Blessed Carlo Acutis - pray for us, and may we be drawn to the Eucharistic Lord like you were!