Terror of Demons
One
One of the titles of St. Joseph in his beautiful litany is Terror of Demons. To understand this title better, it may be helpful to first understand the pride of the demons, a pride that eternally torments them. The irony of pride is that rather than reveal the truth about oneself and be the cause of one’s celebrity it's instead a lie that hides the truth only from the proud and is the cause of their downfall. Further, because pride distorts a proper view of reality, the proud person damages or destroys his ability to relate to others, to self, and to God. Loneliness, loss, and torment are the inevitable result. Lucifer was created as the most beautiful of the angels but fell because he refused to be subjected to anything or anyone. Revelation 12 tells us that Satan and his minions were thrown down from Heaven to Earth, where they now attack those who attest to Jesus and obey Him. (Rev 12: 9; 17.) The pride of the devil can be summed up in what some spiritual writers call the three laws of Satan: You can do what YOU wish, apart from God’s law; Obey no one; YOU are the god of yourself. The saints, especially St. Joseph, offer a completely different model, that of living in obedience to God. This is why they are glorified. This glory terrorizes Satan and the fallen ones. St. Joseph, help me discover the power and the glory of obedience to God.
Two
St. Joseph lives a complete reversal of the Satanic laws. Instead of doing as he pleased, Joseph served the Lord completely. He was utterly devoted to God’s word. Matthew describes him as a just man. Psalm 1 tells us that the just man takes delight in the law of the Lord. No truer thing could be said about St. Joseph. He was delighted in God’s law. (cf. Mt 1:19.) Luke tells us; “And when they (Joseph and Mary) had performed everything according to the law they returned to…their own city.” (Lk 2: 39.) As a result of living in accordance with God’s law, Joseph and Mary enjoyed the privilege of watching their son grow in wisdom and strength and the favor of God was upon Him. (cf. Lk 3:40.) St. Joseph discovers a strange secret about obedience to God: it guarantees freedom for excellence! Strength, wisdom, favor, excellence flourish in Jesus because they flourished in Joseph and Mary. St. Joseph, pray for me. I want to become excellent like you and like Mary in Jesus!
Three
Scripture doesn’t tell us of St. Joseph’s humility, it shows us. Take Joseph’s tactics against Herod’s murderous plans to kill Jesus. St. Joseph humbly obeyed God’s angel when told to take his family and flee to Egypt; “Joseph awoke from sleep and did as the angel commanded him.” (Mt 1:24.) St. Joseph trusted completely in God’s providence versus his own assessment of the situation. He fled to Egypt, a faraway place where he knew no one, only because the angel told him to. This detachment of self kept God’s plan hidden from Herod and therefore the devil. Jesus was safe, Mary was secure, and the divine plan succeeded through the humility of St. Joseph. Satan’s plan to destroy Jesus failed. St. Joseph defeated the devil by his own humility—let that soak in! Satan, so in love with his foolish sense of grandeur, flops when he goes against St. Joseph! Can you see now why St. Joseph is a terror to demons?
Four
The third law of Satan is that you can be your own god; a tempting but foolish lie. The root of this lie is that if we serve God our own power is diminished, and we’re made slaves. Power, then, becomes the quest of this lie, and the result of this quest? Death! Look at those who seek power in the world and how they offer death as solution to our problems: abortion, euthanasia, revolution, war, contraception to limit population, etc. Thus, there is always an innocent one to pay the ultimate price when people who follow this law seize power. Also, I can think of no dictator whose life ended well. St. Joseph, on the other hand, willingly sacrificed his life & comforts to save life, all life, by saving Jesus’ life. In return, Jesus entirely entrusted Himself to Joseph. St. Joseph knew that he wasn’t God, and when his Divine son was born; “he (Joseph) named him Jesus (God saves)” (Mt 1:23.) In naming His son, Joseph reveals two paradoxical truths about God: God gives life and saves what He’s given, AND He desires our participation. God doesn’t diminish us and force us into His service but rather elevates us as His cooperators. Then He rewards us for doing so by sharing infinite power and glory with us. This is why Joseph is given the honor to name Jesus. Do I seek to cooperate with God’s plans and therefore share in His glory, or do I seek my own power and align myself with worldly solutions to life’s problems?
Five
St. Joseph shows us that life is not about becoming our own god, creating our own truth, and serving the autonomous self, but rather life is found in serving others. He creates his own community with Jesus and Mary, which is the first Church. He lives out what St. John Paul II called “The Law of Gift.” This law, a holy law, means that we are never more ourselves than when we give ourselves away in love to God and others. Jesus teaches; “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24). We need others so that we can sacrifice in love. This produces fruit, the kind of fruit that will last.
We close with this prayer: Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, cast your solemn gaze upon the devil and all his minions, and protect us with your mighty staff. You fled through the night to avoid the devil's wicked designs; now with the power of God, smite the demons as they flee from you! Grant special protection, we pray for children, fathers, families and the dying. By God's grace, no demon dares approach while you are near, so we beg of you, always be near to us! Amen.
A suggested resolution: between now and the end of the Year of St. Joseph (Dec. 8), pray and extra decade of the rosary meditating on the Presentation in the Temple, for all marriages, families, and/or the repose of our loved ones who’ve gone before us in faith.