Ancestral Curses and Illnesses in Descendants

[Holly3278]

Do ancestral curses cause illnesses in descendents? For example, would I possibly have an illness caused by a curse that was on my ancestors due to sin or something? I ask because of this Bible passage:

The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
(Exodus 34:6-7 RSV-CE)

However, there is this passage which seems to be different:

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him.
(John 9:1-3 RSV-CE)

So, do sins of our ancestors cause curses that can cause health issues in future generations? I was curious about this because of this prayer and others like it:

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, by the power of his cross, his blood and his resurrection, I take authority over all curses, hexes, spells, voodoo practices, witchcraft assignments, satanic rituals, incantations and evil wishes that have been sent my way, or have passed down the generational bloodline. I break their influence over my life by the power of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and I command these curses to go back to where they came from and be replaced with a blessing.

I ask forgiveness for and denounce all negative inner vows and agreements that I have made with the enemy, and I ask that you Lord Jesus Christ release me from any bondage they may have held in me. I claim your shed blood over all aspects of my life, relationships, ministry endeavors and finances. I thank you for your enduring love, your angelic protection, and for the fullness of your abundant blessings.

Emphasis in underline is mine.

Here is a link to the page where I found that prayer:

catholicwarriors.com/pages/warfare_prayers.htm

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Ophelia23]

Well, in his book An Exorcist Tells His Story, Father Amorth emphasizes that hexes and curses are indeed a real thing that can cause spiritual dilemma for the naive. I understand some find Fr. Amorth to be a reliable source, others take him with a grain of salt. I thought I would at least throw it out there. Do I think you could be sick from a curse put on a family member generations ago? I personally don’t. There isn’t any theological teaching that I am aware of that could support it.

I think we are sick and we suffer because it is what Christ asks of us. As part of his one glorious Body, we all have burdens to carry. It is the suffering that makes us become great, much like the labor pains of a woman; she suffers great pain and hardship and difficulty in order to bring life into the world. We suffer pain and hardship in order to bring our life into eternity.

 

[lux]

To add to these other fine replies, two books in particular helped me to understand the “whys” of Catholic teaching and also may help you in evangelizing to your friend.

Karl Keating’s Catholicism and Fundamentalism
Frank Sheed’s Theology and Sanity

Good luck:thumbsup:

 

[1ke]

No, Holly. God does not curse you for the sins of your ancestors.

 

[christofirst]

No, Holly. God does not curse you for the sins of your ancestors.

There are several authors addressing this issue, notably Fr. John Hampsch CMF, and lately Fr. Joseph B. Ssemakula.

Fr. Joseph agrees that God does not curse you for the sins of your anscestors, but he proposes that the effects of their transgressions can possibly pass down through generations (think of today’s concept of the “addiction gene” where a propensity to alcoholism seems to run in families). He goes to great lengths to explain this idea in his book Healing of Families.

Having read both Fr. Hampsch and Fr. Joseph, I would be interested to see an official Church response to this idea.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

No one is held morally culpable for the sins of his ancestors. However, the concept of negative consequences and even divinely ordered temporal punishments affecting the descendants of a sinner seems extremely well attested in Scripture.

I would suggest it is our overly individualistic modern attitudes that makes this strike us initially as though it were an injustice.

 

[Robertanthony]

There are several authors addressing this issue, notably Fr. John Hampsch CMF, and lately Fr. Joseph B. Ssemakula.

Fr. Joseph agrees that God does not curse you for the sins of your anscestors, but he proposes that the effects of their transgressions can possibly pass down through generations (think of today’s concept of the “addiction gene” where a propensity to alcoholism seems to run in families). He goes to great lengths to explain this idea in his book Healing of Families.

Having read both Fr. Hampsch and Fr. Joseph, I would be interested to see an official Church response to this idea.

I think what 1ke tried to express is that God doesn’t actively curse Holly but doesn’t prevent stuff that makes life not pleasant to be passed down from her ancestors down to her parents down to her. As for myself I escaped the propensity to alcoholism but not personality disorders, abyssal learning capacity and almost constant depression and anxiety. I don’t know for sure whether I was cursed, my hunch is that I was indirectly as I just mentioned, but as far as being blessed, hell no.

 

[Robertanthony]

No one is held morally culpable for the sins of his ancestors. However, the concept of negative consequences and even divinely ordered temporal punishments affecting the descendants of a sinner seems extremely well attested in Scripture.

I would suggest it is our overly individualistic modern attitudes that makes this strike us initially as though it were an injustice.

That’s the temporal equivalent, for some, to go to Hell because your great-grand father died cursing God. It is an injustice. That someone gets all kinds of temporal blessings because he’s born into a good lineage whereas some girl is abused psychologically, physically and sexually by her ape-like father is a terrible injustice. I propose some are hard-hit by the consequences of the Fall, some feel them as though they were a soft summery breeze.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

That’s the temporal equivalent, for some, to go to Hell because your great-grand father died cursing God. It is an injustice. That someone gets all kinds of temporal blessings because he’s born into a good lineage whereas some girl is abused psychologically, physically and sexually by her ape-like father is a terrible injustice. I propose some are hard-hit by the consequences of the Fall, some feel them as though they were a soft summery breeze.

Ultimately, at the end of the day, I suppose it’s the old loving Jacob and hating Esau: divine predilection is based on nothing but the divine will. Inequality in blessings does not constitute injustice when neither the more blessed nor the less blessed had any right to the blessings in question.

Also though there is the reality of family unity which we perhaps excessively de-emphasize in this country and century.

 

[Holly3278]

Okay so I don’t get a spiritual curse passed down to me but the effects of sins of my ancestors could be passed down to me in the form of tendency towards addiction or something similar, right? Also, can I suffer from the temporal effects of sins of my ancestors?

 

[christofirst]

Okay so I don’t get a spiritual curse passed down to me but the effects of sins of my ancestors could be passed down to me in the form of tendency towards addiction or something similar, right? Also, can I suffer from the temporal effects of sins of my ancestors?

This question interests me as well. While we are in no way guilty because of the personal sins of our ancestors, it can seem as though we sometimes suffer the effects of their sin. Not that this should be seen as an unjust punishment from God for something we did not do, but rather the natural consequence of cooperation with evil. The idea is that when someone chooses to go against God, an implicent agreement is made with the devil which can effect those connected with the sinner, such as family. This “contract”, so to speak, must then be deliberately broken, the evil must be renounced, either by the sinner or by those in connection, such as future generations. At least, this is how I have heard it explained by those few authors I mentioned above.

While this concept can perhaps give one some comfort in the thought that my propensity toward addiction, for example, is not entirely my fault, it would be wrong to then assume I have no personal responsibility for my actions! The sins of my fathers do not “get me off the hook” for my own sinful decisions. If this concept leads one to offer a prayer of deliverance and to renounce any evil which might be attached to a family line, this can be a good thing (IMO), but I do not think one should obsess over the idea. I would consider it just another tool in a spiritual arsenal to help us fight the good fight.