Healing our Family Trees...

"…Yet He [God] does not leave the guilty

unpunished; He punishes the children and

their children for the sin of the fathers

to the 3rd and 4th generation."

~ Exodus 34:7



I recently read a few very intriguing articles about the concept of “generational curses”, which implied that the sins of our ancestors, especially the most serious sins, have a spiritual impact on the lives of their descendants. I'm not saying that every bad thing that ever happened to us was the effect of a curse, but perhaps in certain extraordinary circumstances, it may be plausible. In fact, the concept has gained popularity in recent years and many healing ministries (including Catholic ones) have been founded to help individuals and families.

I stress the fact that this subject matter is still debatable and that the Church has yet to officially rule on it, but proponents of generational healing - which include learned and respectable priests - cite the scriptural passage above as one of its scriptural foundations, and also testify to the positive results received by people who have sought healing of generational curses... and interestingly, the saintly mystic and stigmatist - Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich - had also alluded to this concept in a few of her recorded revelations. In fact, one of her most controversial visions relates how Noah (who built the Biblical Ark) had placed a curse on Ham, his youngest son, after the young man grievously offended him:

"I saw the curse pronounced by Noah

upon Ham moving toward the latter like a

black cloud and obscuring him.  His skin lost

its whiteness, he grew darker.  His sin was

the sin of sacrilege, the sin of one who would

forcibly enter the Ark of the Covenant. I

saw a most corrupt race descend

from Ham and sink deeper and

deeper in darkness..."

To give a few more examples… parents who involve themselves in occult practices (e.g. the use of ouija boards, witchcraft) may inadvertently attract demonic entities and other evil forces to themselves and their children. Less extreme, but still serious afflictions, may include addictions (alcohol/drugs), social issues (marital problems/phobias), and chronic illness that consistently occur in a “Family Tree”, resulting in conflict and other devastating effects.



A painting representing the cursing of Ham.

In the same line of thinking, but on the opposite spectrum, parents who live highly devout lives are said to pass on grace, blessing, and other spiritual gifts to their children and descendants. Again, citing the private revelations of Bl. Anne Catherine, the mystic attributed many of the signal graces bestowed on her and on her relatives to the positive spiritual influence transmitted through her family line by highly pious ancestors, including two saintly nuns, who like herself, were marked with the Sacred Stigmata.

As a remedy to generational curses/afflictions, the recommendations I’ve read about from subject matter experts have all been consistent: Prayer (especially the Mass), Confession, Penance, and the practice of Virtue are all effective in healing an afflicted Family Tree. For readers who may discern the need for generational healing in their families, I urge the diligent practice of the above spiritual regimen... and I share the prayer below, which I personally wrote and often pray for my own family. The prayer is strictly for private use only and may also be offered for the benefit of our dearly departed relatives, as it was written to also include the deceased.

Those familiar with the Divine Mercy devotion will notice elements of that devotion in the prayer, which I purposely intended because of my own faith in the healing power of Our Lord's Divine Mercy - hence, the title I gave to it. As the prayer has been a blessing and a comfort to me, may it also be a blessing to others who pray it with faith...  Jesus, we trust in you.