He was slow.

He was mocked.

He failed exams repeatedly.

And the Church now calls him St. Joseph of Cupertino.

Joseph was born in 1603 into poverty and humiliation. His father died in debt, and Joseph’s family was so poor that creditors tried to evict them while his mother was in labor. From the very beginning, his life was marked by rejection.

As a boy, Joseph struggled deeply. He couldn’t concentrate. He forgot things easily. He spoke awkwardly. People assumed he was lazy or unintelligent. No one expected anything great from him—least of all holiness.

He wanted to become a friar, but every door closed.

He was rejected by the Capuchins.

Rejected again by the Franciscans.

Even simple tasks overwhelmed him.

But Joseph had one thing no one could take from him: a burning love for God.

Eventually, out of pity more than confidence, the Franciscans allowed him to stay—not as a student, but as a servant. He cleaned stables. He swept floors. He was invisible.

And that’s where God found him.

During prayer, something extraordinary began to happen..

Joseph would lose awareness of the world. His body would lift off the ground. Sometimes a few inches. Sometimes several feet. Sometimes high enough for crowds to see. Bells ringing, choirs singing, the name of Jesus spoken aloud—these were enough to send him soaring.

He couldn’t control it.

He couldn’t stop it.

He was embarrassed by it.

While people marveled, Joseph begged God to hide him. Fame terrified him. Attention crushed him. He wanted only obscurity.

Ironically, the man who couldn’t pass exams became famous for miracles. The Church once tested him by asking random theology questions—every question he happened to know perfectly. He was ordained a priest by sheer providence.

Still, Joseph never trusted his gifts. He trusted only humility.

Because of the crowds, he was often locked away, moved from monastery to monastery, hidden for years. He obeyed without complaint. He accepted loneliness as penance. He embraced silence as protection.

The world called him strange.

God called him beloved.

St. Joseph of Cupertino teaches us this:

Holiness is not about brilliance.

God does not need your competence—He desires your surrender.

Weakness does not disqualify you; it invites grace.

If you feel misunderstood…

If you struggle to focus…

If you think you’re “too much” or “not enough”…

This saint reminds us that God delights in lifting the lowly—sometimes quite literally.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us.

Source: Fear Not