San Giuseppe da Copertino. Il santo che insegna ai giovani a spiegare le ali del cuore — Santi e Beati
Saint Joseph of Copertino. The saint who teaches young people to spread the wings of their hearts
Editrice Shalom
Tempo di lettura: 3 min
Autore: Editrice Shalom
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In a hectic world, where performance anxiety and the pursuit of material security often stifle the highest ideals, the figure of Saint Joseph of Copertino emerges as a beacon of hope, an extraordinarily relevant companion for new generations.
Known as the “Saint of Levitation,” Giuseppe is not an unreachable hero, but a brother who experienced fragility, disappointments, and difficulties firsthand, transforming them into springboards toward an authentic and contagious holiness.
A simple life filled with challenges and wonders
Born in 1603 in a stable, amid hardship and deprivation, Giuseppe Maria Desa (his real name) began life facing an uphill struggle. His childhood was marked by a serious cancerous ulcer that confined him to bed for about six years. Adolescence was made difficult by his trouble learning, so much so that his classmates mocked him, calling him “vocc’aperta” (open mouth), and he had to abandon his studies to learn a trade. In an era that valued education, he was “the ignorant one,” unsuitable even for manual work, and often described as clumsy and distracted.
The “miracle” of studying and his closeness to students
Yet it is precisely in this apparent inadequacy that his strength and profound relevance for young people today lie. Who has never experienced the difficulty of studying, the fear of not making it, or discouragement in the face of difficulties? Saint Joseph of Copertino experienced all of this, but he did not give up. With tenacity and perseverance, he tried to recover the knowledge he had lost by studying secretly by the light of candle stubs.
The culmination of his intellectual struggles emerged during the examinations for the diaconate. Giuseppe, who could explain only one passage from the Gospel, was asked by the bishop a question concerning precisely that one passage. This event, which he himself attributed to divine grace, led him to become a priest. Today, this experience makes him the heavenly patron saint of students and examinees. He is not a distant and austere patron, but a friend who understands the anxiety and tension of exams, a brother who encourages us not to lose heart in the face of failure. This is why, in many basilicas and sanctuaries, Masses are celebrated at the start of the school year and gatherings are held one hundred days before exams, precisely in his memory.
Beyond difficulties, an innate need for heaven
But Joseph’s life is not only a hymn to perseverance in study. It is a fervent testament to the primacy of God. Despite a life of constant relocations and isolation, Joseph never ceased to show his love for the Lord through ecstasies and levitations, his famous “flights”. These phenomena, which often caused him suffering and misunderstanding, were a manifestation of his deep connection with God, of his desire to break the thread that still kept him too closely bound to earthly things.
John Paul II emphasized how Saint Joseph invites the faithful to «seek the deeper meaning of existence» and to «personally encounter God by abandoning themselves fully to his will». In an age when «humanity is flying downward and suffering from a lack of great ideals», Joseph reminds us of the «innate need for heaven that we all carry in our souls».
A message of hope and freedom for young people today
Saint Joseph of Cupertino teaches us that “flying high” does not mean escaping reality, but embracing life with faith, humility, and unconditional love. His example of obedience and detachment from the vanities of the world is a powerful reminder for young people to choose wisdom over knowledge, service over success, virtue rather than vice, and love of God and neighbor above all else.
In every trial, Joseph found comfort in prayer and in entrusting himself to Mary, the Mother who consoled him. This maternal bond is a further invitation for young people to turn to the Virgin with confidence.
The life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino is a melody of faith, joy, and courage that still resonates today and invites everyone, but young people in particular, not to fear their weaknesses, to persevere through difficulties, and to spread the wings of their hearts and fly toward Infinity, where true happiness alone can be found.
Happy start to the school year to all the children and young people; let us entrust them to the skilled hands of the Saint of Flight!
