09/18/2026
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph of Cupertino (Sept 18), a humble Franciscan friar whose life reminds us that God does not measure a person by worldly intelligence, accomplishments, status, or human expectations. God looks at the heart. Saint Joseph’s story is, in many ways, the story of someone whom the world might have overlooked, but whom God chose to use in extraordinary ways.
Joseph was born in Italy in 1603 into difficult circumstances. His childhood was marked by poverty and hardship, and he struggled greatly with learning. He was often considered slow, incapable, or inadequate. Yet despite his limitations, Joseph possessed something far more important than academic ability: a sincere love for God and a deep desire to serve Him.
When Joseph sought to enter religious life, he encountered rejection and difficulty. But he persevered. Eventually, he became a Franciscan and was ordained a priest. His humility was profound. He knew his limitations, but instead of allowing them to become an excuse for despair, he surrendered them to God. His life became a beautiful example of Saint Paul’s words: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
Saint Joseph is especially remembered for the extraordinary mystical experiences associated with his prayer, including moments of ecstasy in which he was said to levitate. Because of these experiences, he became known as the “Flying Friar.” But the true miracle of Joseph’s life was not that he could rise physically into the air. The greater miracle was that his heart continually rose toward God.
That is an important lesson for us. We can become so focused on what we cannot do that we forget what God can do through us. We look at our weaknesses, failures, mistakes, wounds, limitations, and disappointments and conclude that we are not worthy of being used by God. Saint Joseph tells us otherwise.
God does not require us to be perfect before He calls us. He does not wait until we have everything figured out. He does not demand that we possess extraordinary talents. He asks us to give Him what we have.
Perhaps you feel inadequate. Perhaps you have struggled with something your entire life. Perhaps someone has made you believe that you are not intelligent enough, talented enough, successful enough, holy enough, or worthy enough. Perhaps you carry memories of rejection that have convinced you that you will never amount to much.
Look to Saint Joseph of Cupertino.
The man whom others considered incapable became a priest, a religious, a spiritual guide, and a saint. His weakness did not prevent God from working through him; it became the very place where God’s grace was revealed.
There is another lesson in Saint Joseph’s life: humility. Joseph did not seek attention for himself. He understood that everything good in his life came from God. His extraordinary experiences did not make him proud; they made him more dependent upon divine grace.
That is the challenge of Christian discipleship. When God gives us gifts, we must not ask, “How can this make me important?” but rather, “How can I use this gift to glorify God and serve others?”
And when God allows us to experience weakness, we should not immediately ask, “Why me?” Perhaps the better question is, “Lord, what can You teach me through this?”
Saint Joseph’s life reminds us that holiness is not about having an easy life. It is about allowing God to transform whatever life gives us into an opportunity for grace.
So today, let us bring our weaknesses to Christ. Bring Him the things about yourself that you wish were different. Bring Him your failures, your insecurities, your disappointments, and the parts of your life that make you feel inadequate. Do not hide them from God. Offer them to Him.
The same God who took an unlikely, struggling young man named Joseph and made him a saint can take the ordinary circumstances of our lives and make them holy.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino teaches us that we do not have to rise above our humanity before God can love us. We simply have to open our hearts and allow His grace to lift us.
May Saint Joseph intercede for all who struggle with feelings of inadequacy, especially students, those facing difficult challenges, and anyone who has ever been made to feel that they are not enough. May he teach us humility, perseverance, trust, and joyful surrender.
And may we remember always that our worth is not determined by what the world thinks we can accomplish. Our worth comes from the fact that we belong to God.
Saint Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us, that we may surrender our weaknesses to Christ, trust in His grace, and allow Him to lift our hearts toward heaven.
