Pope Francis in his youth message released on Tuesday encouraged young people to imitate Blessed Carlo Acutis in prioritizing “the great gift of the Eucharist.”

“As Blessed Carlo Acutis said, the Eucharist is the highway to heaven,” the pope wrote in his message for diocesan World Youth Days published on Sept. 17.

Pope Francis pointed to how Blessed Carlo made praying before the Eucharist “his most important daily appointment,” which gave him the strength to persevere in his journey of faith.

“I encourage all of you to rediscover the great gift of the Eucharist!” the pope said.

Pope Francis highlighted the witness of Acutis, whom he will soon canonize as the first millennial saint. 

The Italian computer-coding teenager who died of cancer in 2006 is known for his great devotion to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Carlo attended daily Mass as an elementary and high school student at his neighborhood parish, describing his life goal as “to be always united with Jesus.”

Pope Francis approved the second miracle attributed to Acutis’ intercession in the spring, paving the way for his canonization during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year.

Local World Youth Days

Pope Francis’ message was released ahead of the next diocesan World Youth Day, to be celebrated on Nov. 24, the solemnity of Christ the King, in Catholic dioceses across the world.

The Catholic Church has celebrated World Youth Day annually in local dioceses since the event was established by St. John Paul II in 1985.

In his message, Pope Francis said “the precious gift of the Eucharist” is the food that “God gives us to sustain us on our way” in the pilgrimage of life. 

Pope Francis invited young people to discover “a deeper kind of rest, the repose of the soul,” which is “found in Christ alone.” 

“Realize that all your inner weariness can find repose in the Lord, who says to you: ‘Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest,’” the pope said.

“When the weariness of the journey weighs you down, come back to Jesus, learn to rest in him and abide with him, for ‘those who hope in the Lord … will run and not be weary (Is 40:31).’”

Hope for a weary world

Pope Francis acknowledged the profound challenges facing today’s generation and called for renewed hope and perseverance in the face of adversity. 

“Today, we too live in times marked by dramatic situations that generate despair and prevent us from looking to the future with serenity,” the pope said. He highlighted how young people in some parts of the world pay a high price when faced with the tragedy of war, social injustices, and inequalities.

The pope also pointed to the temptation to despair when faced with uncertainty about the future, saying that young people today who live without hope can be “prisoners of boredom, depression, and even be drawn to risk-taking and destructive behaviors.”

“For this reason, dear young people, I would like the message of hope to come to you,” he said. “Today too, the Lord is opening a highway before you.”

“The Christian life in particular is a pilgrimage toward God, our salvation and the fullness of every good thing,” he said. “Our goals, achievements, and successes along the way, if they remain only material, will, after an initial moment of satisfaction, still leave us hungry, longing for something  greater.” 

“They cannot completely satisfy our soul, because we were created by One who is infinite; as a result, we have an innate desire for transcendence.’”

The pope cautioned against the dangers of complacency and inaction. He said: “The solution to tiredness, oddly enough, is not to stand still and rest. It is to set out and become pilgrims of hope.”

The theme for this year’s World Youth Day is “Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Run and Not Be Weary,” taken from Isaiah 40:31 in the Bible. The pope said he wanted the theme to connect it with the theme for the 2025 Jubilee, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Pope Francis said: “Those who visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome cross the great square surrounded by the colonnade built by the celebrated architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The entire colonnade appears as two open arms, an image of the Church, our mother, who embraces all her children.”

“In this coming Holy Year of Hope, I invite all of you to experience the embrace of our merciful God, to experience his pardon and the forgiveness of all our ‘interior debts,’ as in the biblical tradition of the jubilee years.”

“I entrust your journey to the Virgin Mary, so that, following her example, you may be able to look forward with patience and confidence to the fulfillment of all your hopes, even now, as you persevere in your journey as pilgrims of hope and of love,” he said.

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.