O Glorious Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of Home Protection

St. Joseph, the saint known to be the patron saint of home protection, was a man of many titles and very few words. 

None actually. There are no recorded words spoken by this beloved saint. 

I always wondered why that was.

There must have been so many things he said, so many countless conversations he had with Jesus and Our Blessed Mother throughout his life that could have given us guidance. Guidance on how to be good and holy parents. Good Christians. Good People. 

Why was nothing recorded?

In the Bible, we have the words of Jesus and Mary, the apostles and so many others. 

Did the earthly father of Jesus not have anything notable to record? Surely not. So why nothing?

This question would pop up in my mind occasionally throughout the years. 

Saint Joseph and his many titles

Saint Joseph is a man of great many titles. The linty of Saint Joseph is where I first got to know him and what his character must have been like as a human man. I included the entire Litany of Saint Joseph below, but by far my favorite title of Saint Joseph, and the one I have often found most thought-provoking, is St. Joseph Terror of demons; pray for us!

Terror of demons. What an awesome and honorable title to have!

But, why?

But this title also confused me. Why was he the terror of demons? We think of this man of no recorded words as a loving father to the child Jesus and a holy spouse of the Blessed Mother filled with paternal love for the infant Jesus but with a disposition that was quiet, meek, and humble.  If this saint does in fact terrorize demons, he certainly has earned the title of patron saint of home protection, but why would a man so meek and humble be the terror of demons?

Meekness vs. Weakness

I think growing up, I confused meekness as a weakness. I think many people do. We associate humility as the drabbest and most unbecoming of all the virtues. There are so many bright and shiny virtues such as courage, knowledge, and joy to choose from. Humility would be the last one picked if all the virtues were playing a game of pickup basketball. 

But humility is an underdog. 

Humility tastes like vinegar going down, but it is good medicine. 

And much stronger than it looks. 

Our Lord said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.”

Our Lord is meek and humble of heart.

And He said we should be like Him specifically in these ways.

This would lead us to believe that these must be pretty powerful and important for ourselves and our own salvations’. 

Humility: The antidote to Pride

C.S. Lewis said, “Through pride, the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every vice, it’s the complete anti-God state of mind.”

The devil fell from his high ranking as an angel in heaven because of pride. Pride was and is his sin. Being prideful is the opposite of being humble. The definition of pride is ‘excessive love of one’s own excellence’ and one of the seven deadly sins. 

The definition of humility is having a modest estimate of our own worth. Humility is defined as the virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. 

Humility is Good Medicine

The virtue of humility is the antidote to the deadly sin of pride. It tastes awful; sometimes, it even feels painful going down. If you don’t know where to start, I highly DO NOT recommend praying for humility unless you are fully prepared to be humiliated. I found that out the hard way, and I feel fairly sure that my guardian angel may have enjoy every minute of it. 

In all seriousness, though, the litany of humility is a beautiful prayer that I highly recommend praying and praying often. I firmly believe humility could save the city. I’ll include the prayer at the end of the post.

The Demons Cower at Humility

Our dear Saint Joseph, guardian of the word incarnate and faithful servant of God, ever in the background, never speaking words that would be recorded for us to read, must have been a master of humility, perfectly conforming himself to God’s perfect will, that God would choose him, a lowly carpenter to be the mighty protector and provider of the holy family here on earth. 

The Mother of All Sins

Another fitting quote I love by C.S. Lewis says “Pride, on the other hand, is the mother of all sins, and the original sin of Lucifer… An instrument strung, but preferring to play itself because it thinks it knows the tune better than the Musician.” 

If virtue destroys vice, and humility is the opposite of pride, oh, how the devil and all the evil spirits must cower at the sight of the patron of the universal church!

O Saint Joseph, Protector of our families and our dwelling place

It’s easy to imagine Saint Michael as a worthy opponent of Lucifer and the evil spirits that prowl throughout the world. He is referred to in the St. Michael prayer as ‘o prince of the heavenly host’, and he has by the power of God, the power to cast evil into hell. We should recite the St. Michael prayer often and invoke his powerful intercession, but don’t forget that the chaste spouse of the virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus is also the patron saint of protection.

Terror of Demons, Pray for Us!

Glorious St. Joseph, doing the work of God in difficult situations, lovingly and fiercely known as the Terror of demons. 

Oh, holy saint Joseph, fine head of the holy family and husband of Mary, may we ever be under your constant protection. 

Watchful guardian of the holy family, watch over us and our families!

Protect us from sudden death, shelter us with your holy cloak against difficult situations and ask God to shower us with His spiritual blessings. 

Patron of protection, protect us from evil by your powerful intercession. Please be with us now and when we draw our dying breath!

Find out more about the exciting lives of the saints and our rich heritage as Catholics here!

AMDG

Emma Williams 

Catholic wife and homeschooling mother of 5.

Living life biblically and liturgically, adventurously and intentionally. 

Romanticizing everything.