And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.
We know about the Devil from Church Tradition. Satan was God’s greatest angel, higher than all the rest of Creation. Then he rebelled. But an archangel stood against him.
The Hebrew name “Michael” comes from a phrase that is often translated as “Who is like God?” But a better, more modern translation would be “Who can compare to God?” This is important, for it helps us understand the war in Heaven (Apoc. 12) and how God used St. Michael to separate the Light from the Darkness (Gen. 1).
Our God is a God of hierarchy. All things are subordinate to Him. Rightly ordered, all is in harmony. But the Devil rejected this hierarchy. He demanded equality with God. The Devil was the first, true egalitarian — not because he cared for all the various “rights” our modern egalitarians constantly demand, but because he hated being lower than anyone else.
Then a righteous archangel rose up and cried out a challenge that would become his name. “Who dares compare himself to God?” He was crowned the prince of archangels and was sent into battle against Satan.
St. Joseph is a kind of “earthly Michael.”
St. Joseph is hated by the powers of Hell far more than St. Michael or even Our Blessed Lord. This is because Christ is divine, and St. Michael is a pure spirit, while St. Joseph is a mere human. Tradition holds that St. Joseph never committed a mortal sin. This was surely through a special, divine grace. Satan never touched St. Joseph in any meaningful way. St. Joseph is given the title “Savior of the Savior” for this reason. The Devil can never harm St. Joseph. All of Hell is terrified of his holy presence.
St. Joseph saved the Christ child from King Herod’s wrath by taking Him and Our Lady to Egypt. St. Joseph is Our Lord’s Savior in that he saved Christ from death. Why did God allow a mere human man, like St. Joseph, to save the Second Person of the Trinity? Why did God “need” a lesser creature to defend Him from the world? For the same reason God used a lesser being — St. Michael — to defend Heaven and Earth from Hell. God acts through His creation to accomplish His goals.
St. Joseph has the title “Terror of Demons.” St. Joseph is even more powerful than St. Michael in fending off the powers of Hell. St. Joseph was given the task of guarding and protecting the church — the Holy Family, which was the Church in her infancy — at its very conception. A father’s duty is to protect his wife and family. St. Joseph gives us the greatest example of fatherly and husbandly love. He protected and provided for the Holy Family, and he protects the Church now from demons and provides us graces from above.
Exorcists should call upon St. Joseph! Many traditional Catholics dedicate their homes to the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary. We should not forget to dedicate our homes to St. Joseph’s Most Chaste Heart. Many people today practice the superstitious art of purchasing and burying a statue of St. Joseph upside-down. This is not Church tradition! Instead, purchase a statue of St. Joseph for your home and have a priest bless the statue. Dedicate your home to the Terror of Demons, and ask for St. Joseph’s protection in these demonic times.
St. Joseph protected the Holy Home of Our Lady and Our Lord. He will protect your home as well. Priests should dedicate their parishes to St. Joseph. These things are especially important, because as husband and father, St. Joseph was the priest of the Holy Family. In this way, St. Joseph can be the father and priest of your home and parish as he was to Christ on Earth.
Although not as clearly spelled out in Christian scripture, the Jews in the ancient world believed that St. Michael stood before God offering a sacrifice before the eternal throne. St. Michael is the Prince of Archangels and a lordly member of the hierarchy of Heaven. St. Michael’s job was not just to defeat Satan, but to glorify God at each moment in Heaven. St. Joseph is a new Michael for us.
While he was on Earth, St. Joseph continually adored his adopted Son. Our Lord learned to walk and talk because of what St. Joseph taught him. If Our Lady was the Ark of the New Covenant, then St. Joseph — as priest of the Holy Family — led the first adoration procession by bringing Our Lady (while pregnant) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. St. Joseph not only defends us from evil, but spent his whole life adoring his son. With the exception of Our Lady, no one loved Our Lord more than St. Joseph. No one longs to protect the Church more than our earthly father.
We need St. Joseph now, more than ever. Our world has embraced deeply anti-Christian ideas. Young people are attracted to the demonic more than ever. Perversion fills the internet, television, and our politics. The devil is truly Prince of This World, and many are his loyal subjects! For those of us who have St. Joseph, we’ve nothing to fear. But we must act to spread devotion to the Terror of Demons far and wide. We need his constant protection for our families and children.
Let us pray,
O Terror of Demons, our world needs your mercy more now than at any time. Send us your mercy and give us all protection in battle with the demonic. Even the Prince of Archangels, even Our Lady obey you in Heaven! What can we fear when you, our earthly father, can command all of Heaven to help us? Send all of Heaven’s armies to us now and protect us from the forces of Hell.
Sancte Ioseph, terror daemonum, Ora pro nobis!