On a play date with neighborhood girls, my daughter tucked herself behind a couch during an innocent game of hide and seek, then waited excitedly. The joy and color drained from her face when she spotted the witchcraft books there. We were blindsided to learn her friend’s older sibling practiced spells.

Satan is not a myth, concept, or symbol, but a cunning fallen angel who exists and relentlessly moves to lead souls away from God. He moves subtlety, never to be underestimated or dismissed; yet for all his strength and show, Satan and his demons’ influence are ineffective against souls shielded by the Lord.

For a responsibility so weighty as our spiritual protection, the means are remarkably simple. Combatting the enemy’s unceasing harassment calls for living humbly and keeping our place under the Lord’s wing; but don’t take my word for it. For expert counsel, I turned to a diocesan exorcist (we’ll call him Father Bernard) who advised three actions, which underscore that acts of faith and love keep evil at bay.

• “Stay in a State of Grace”

Father Bernard urges here, “Go to Confession once a month and Mass at least once a week for the Sunday obligation.”

No one questions the need to eat or take showers as means of survival and health. Equally necessary is the spiritual cleansing that comes from the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the nourishment that comes in the Eucharist. The cause of spiritual harm is sin, which, when it persists without us going to Confession, gives demonic influence a foothold or even a wide open door to our souls. The late Vatican exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth said, “One confession is worth 100 exorcisms” not only for the healing grace and restoration of our friendship with God, but also because Confession is an act of the will that breaks sin’s grip.

Consuming the Eucharist is the closest we can be with God, the presence of Whom no demon can tolerate. We’re blessed to have frequent access to these sacraments, but we tend to lose sight of their vitality; just like food and showers, Mass and Confession keep us alive and well—where the sickness of evil cannot abide.

• “Keep a Catholic Culture”

“You gotta have holy stuff around the house,” Father Bernard emphasized. Catholic decor silently points us to heaven. Pictures of Jesus, Mary, and the saints offer hope, declaring that overcoming ourselves, sin, and hardship in this life is possible with God. This month, my family will set up holy cards and statues of St. Pio, Our Lady Star of the Sea, and St. Michael for their respective feast days.

When asked about prayer, Father Bernard responded with zero hesitation, “Mom and Dad need to pray together. The whole family should pray together every day, but Mom and Dad at least.” He made it clear that the Rosary is an especially powerful pillar of spiritual protection for the family.

What surprised me was when this priest who fights horrific evil on the front lines said game nights and hanging out together are also important for a family’s safety. It makes sense; a family is a small culture, a little community that is itself the building block of society as a whole. We want to be close to the Lord not only individually, but as a unit, and that calls for collective prayer and shared life.

• Bless the Kids

Though Father Bernard offered a wide range of ways to safeguard the souls at home, he concluded with a simple directive: “Mom and Dad should bless the kids. You have authority over these children. Blessing them is a powerful means of protection… just a basic ‘I bless you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ Make a cross on their foreheads, and if you have it, use holy water.”

It takes just a few crumbs to lure a pest inside, but those three actions are the best ways to clean house and keep it safe. While Satan’s intelligence and sleepless cunning far surpass our own, what renders him powerless against us is the mere presence of God. He cannot go to work where souls are in a state of grace, close with the Lord, and steeped in familial fellowship. For such a family, there is only confidence and divine strength. ✣

Katie Sciba is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award-winning columnist. She and her husband Andrew were married in 2008, and are blessed with seven children.

This article appeared in the September 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.