The Devil Targets the Family First: Lessons From the Saints, My Own Story, and the Crisis of Confusion Today
In every age, the devil attacks the same three things:
the family, the priesthood, and the Eucharist.
Because if he destroys the family, he destroys vocations, identity, stability, and the seedbed of faith.
We are living in a time where the family is not merely neglected—it is under direct assault.
And if you look closely, the same three weapons show up again and again:
violence, nudity/shame, and lies.
This is not abstract.
It played out in my own family story.
And the saints warned us it would.
1. Why the Family Is the Devil’s First Target
Saint John Paul II famously said:
“As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world.”
Saint Padre Pio said:
“The family is the battlefield on which the war for souls is fought.”
The devil hates what God loves most.
He hates communion.
He hates natural order, identity, motherhood, fatherhood, belonging, and sacrifice.
The family is the closest earthly image of the Trinity—three persons, one love.
No wonder hell rages against it.
2. The Devil Uses Ignorance—Especially Spiritual Ignorance
I didn’t see this growing up.
I didn’t understand spiritual warfare.
I didn’t understand trauma, or wounds, or how demons weaponize old memories.
So during my divorce, when stress was high and emotions were raw, the enemy took advantage of my ignorance and her ignorance.
He used:
old childhood wounds
insecurity
fear
pride
spiritual confusion
bad theology
My sister was caught up in angel numbers, megachurch emotion, and spiritual shortcuts.
I was shouting internet Baptist rapture nonsense, thinking I was “defending truth.”
We were both spiritually illiterate.
Two souls who loved God—but had no armor.
And Satan used our confusion as his playground.
One incident.
One moment.
One emotional explosion.
Suddenly, I was “dead” to the family. My sister said never to contact her again. And for three years… silence.
All of it rooted not in malice, but ignorance—and the devil capitalizes on ignorance.
Saint Paul warns us:
“We are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Cor 2:11)
But at the time, I was ignorant.
My sister was ignorant.
And the enemy worked freely.
3. The Modern Crisis: When Roles Are Rewritten, Confusion Reigns
Today the devil doesn’t need to invent new tactics; he just confuses the ones we have.
Fathers are minimized, mocked, or removed.
Men are told leadership = oppression.
Women are pressured into being “empowered” in a way that isolates them from actual support.
Marriage is viewed as optional or temporary.
Children are raised to entertain themselves, not be formed.
Social media replaces wisdom.
Trauma replaces identity.
Feelings replace truth.
Saint Joseph is the antidote to this age because he reveals what the enemy tries to erase:
A father who protects, provides, prays, and sacrifices.
A mother who nurtures, teaches, builds, and loves.
A child who grows under order, peace, and prayer.
When roles collapse, the structure collapses. Where structure collapses, sin grows. And where sin grows, demons feast.
This is why the Church calls Saint Joseph “Terror of Demons.” Because a holy father destroys confusion simply by being what he is.
4. The Saints Warned Us: The Devil Targets Marriages and Siblings First
Saint Francis de Sales said:
“The devil rides the storm of passion in domestic life.”
Saint Alphonsus Liguori warned that demons aim particularly at:
spouses
siblings
parents and adult children
Why?
Because those wounds ripple through generations.
For me, the sibling wound was the one Satan used.
He used:
misunderstandings
emotional moments
theological confusion
our broken childhood patterns
shame
pride
fear
He convinced both of us we were each other’s enemy.
But we were never enemies.
The devil was.
5. And Yet… God Always Wins When We Stop Fighting Each Other & Start Praying
For three years, I didn’t push.
Didn’t fight.
Didn’t try to argue the past.
Didn’t force reconciliation.
I prayed.
I trusted.
I waited.
And three years later—unexpectedly—my sister reached out.
Not because of me.
Not because of logic.
Not because of argument.
But because grace outlasts demonic tactics.
Every time.
Saint Monica prayed for her son’s conversion for 17 years.
I prayed for my sibling for 3.
When hell closes a door, heaven eventually opens a window.
6. What I Learned: The Devil Fractures, God Restores
Looking back, I finally see:
The arguments weren’t “just arguments.”
They were spiritual attacks.Her silence wasn’t “just silence.”
It was spiritual paralysis.My defensiveness wasn’t “just trauma.”
It was a wound the enemy exploited.
And today, after growth, conversion, and real Catholic formation?
I’m no longer spiritually illiterate.
And that alone weakens hell’s grip on my family.
Final Encouragement for Anyone in Family Conflict
1. Stop fighting the person. Start fighting the real enemy.
(Eph 6:12)
2. Pray even when it feels pointless.
The devil can block communication but not intercession.
3. Root yourself in sacramental grace.
Confession and Eucharist make you unappetizing to demons.
4. Rediscover God’s design for family roles.
Order is not oppression.
Order is protection.
5. Let Saint Joseph lead the way.
His quiet obedience defeats a thousand demons louder than thunder.
6. Let God choose the moment of healing.
Our job is faithfulness.
His job is transformation.a