What makes Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati so relatable and imitating him so attainable?

Saint Frassati didn’t have a cell phone or the internet or tell anyone to ‘follow’ him on social media. He wasn’t a scholar or married and, though he was from a wealthy and influential family, he gave away most of what he had. So what is it that draws people to him?

An active and outgoing saint, Frassati brings a fresh perspective to people today who are feeling lost and looking for meaning or purpose. How? His influencer was Jesus. The words he wrote on a photograph of himself hanging on a cliff side, Verso l’ alto, or, to the heights, were not just in the literal sense of his love of mountain climbing, but in a spiritual sense.

Spiritual Joy

Saint Frassati did not keep his faith to himself, bringing his friends out on his adventures with him to experience spiritual joy through prayer and discussions. Experiencing the beauty the Lord created around us is an opportunity to reach a heightened relationship with Christ and this extended to his deep love and connection with the poor and anyone who was suffering. He saw Christ in their eyes.

This “Man of the Beatitudes”, as Pope Saint John Paul II called him, was a mystery to his own parents, who were unaware of all the people he had befriended; most of whom were ill or on the streets and not in their own circle of family friends. Seeing these people show up for their son’s funeral took them by surprise and, likewise, those he served had no idea he was from a prominent family. It illustrated his love of Christ; immersing himself in his natural surroundings and in helping people find spiritual joy in their daily lives, especially the ones he served quietly and without recognition.

Eucharistic and Marian Devotion

With a strong devotion to the Eucharist, Frassati spent hours in the chapel in Adoration and prayer. Bringing Our Lady flowers, he would pray the rosary daily and, like many of us, sometimes fall asleep. It was this fervent love that fueled him to encourage others to grow in holiness, to spend as much time as possible in Adoration and to find strength in receiving the Eucharist. Like Saint Frassati, when we’re in the throes of daily responsibilities, school, work, friends, outdoor fun and activities, a new perspective can be found; a renewal in following Jesus and allowing Him to help us see Him in the many people and parts of our lives.

"Every good act of giving and perfect gift is from above" -James 1:17

God has placed people and moments before us, though seemingly small and insignificant. The sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees or the homeless woman asking for water; these moments are majestic gifts that connect us to Him and to each other through Christ; no mountains necessary.

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