Typically when we think of visiting a new city, we may not think of seeking out the nearest Catholic church. We may want to see the best restaurant, an historical monument, or maybe even a natural wonder that captures the attention of tourists.
Whenever Carlo traveled to a new city, he made it a point to visit the closest Catholic church and to spend some time in prayer before the Eucharist.
Yet, Bl. Carlo Acutis didn't wasn't initially attracted to any of those sites. He wanted to first seek out the closest Catholic church.
Carlo had a deep love of Jesus in the Eucharist and wanted to be in his presence whenever possible. He wasn't satisfied with only attending Mass once a week. He wanted to be in Jesus' presence on a daily basis.
First stop
In his book Carlo Acutis: A Millennial in Paradise, Fr. Will Conquer explains that it wounded Carlo to see so many people neglect the Eucharist:
The fact that we are ready to travel several hundred miles, whereas we are not ready to go only a few miles to pray to God, wounded him. This is why, when he traveled, the first thing that Carlo looked for was an open church to pray and stand close to the tabernacle, where Jesus' Real Presence rested.
Carlo believed that you needed to get a "tan" before Jesus, just as you get a sun tan:
"Under the sun, we end up getting a tan," [Carlo] said. "Under the Eucharistic Jesus' gaze, we become holy!"
This is one of the reasons why Carlo spent so much time in front of Jesus in the Eucharist, praying that Jesus' gaze would help him become holy.
The Eucharist was such a big part of his life that he went on to create a massive Eucharistic miracles display, highlighting the many miracles that have occurred around the world. He wanted everyone to have the same zeal and love of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Carlo truly believed in Jesus' Real Presence and wanted to acknowledge that presence every time he visited a new city. He also had a deep and abiding love of Jesus and wanted to foster that relationship as much as possible.
