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| Rev. Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C. |
The
one message that Christianity has always proclaimed is the unconditional and
infinite Love of God for humankind. More than every other love the world has
known what the Bible projects is the tender personal care that God has for
every one of His sons and daughters. He turns everything to our good so that
there is no room for any fear or anxiety in our hearts. However we do face
problems and impossible situations at every juncture of our life. Often we get
depressed and at other times irritated with God's apparent silence at the sight
of human misery. There are people who even end up giving up on God -
questioning the very meaning of life. "Why me?" is a painful cry from
the heart of many who are not able to cope up with the challenges of life. In
the midst of our trials and struggles the Lord as Emmanuel (God with us) stands
inviting us, "Come to me you who are tired and burdened, I will give you
rest." (Matthew 11:28) Genuine
religion will lead us to the open arms of the Lord waiting to comfort us. However
if we miss the Face of the Lord, we can easily be deceived by wrong answers
that misinterpretations of the Bible and tradition of the Church lead to.
“The Lord Has Forsaken Me” (Isaiah 49:14)
An
elderly woman came to me to pour out her woes. Life seemed impossible. All she
could see were problems. Everyone in the family was suffering. Her husband who
had stopped drinking some years ago had taken to the bottle again. Her son was
well qualified but was not getting a job appointment. Her daughter was not
getting a proper alliance for marriage. This lady herself had a problem of
insomnia - the inability to sleep at night.
She
had attended a retreat a couple of months earlier and the counselor in that
place identified her situation as the consequence of an ancestral curse. This
so-called messenger of God declared that a curse had fallen upon the family
which was why everything was going haywire. He prescribed a set of daily pious
exercises including a certain number of rosaries and novenas to deliver them
from this curse. The lady had to do much reparation for the family to be
delivered from the ancestor’s curse. When she received this direction, she was
at first relieved but when they returned from the retreat she felt more
desperate. She had been told that if she failed to fulfill her daily prayer
obligations she had to do the double of it the next day. That was the only way
she was told that the curse coming down from the ancestors could be averted.
She tried honestly to fulfill these obligations but because of the family
responsibilities, she would invariably fail. On the one hand she could feel the
curse of the ancestors pressing upon the entire family and on the other hand
the failure to fulfill the pious obligations crushed her. In such despair she
approached me.
I
explained to this lady that as a baptized Christian, all the ancestral curses
are washed away in the waters of the Sacrament of Baptism. I quoted to her the
Catechism of the Catholic Church. I further explained to her that the Sacrament
of Baptism is God's own hands reached out to us to save us through the ministry
of the Church. If this ministry cannot save us from ancestral curses, any
amount of pious exercises will not be able to effect that salvation.
“I Will Never Forget You” (Isaiah 49:15)
I
took time with her to make her understand that the problem of each member of
the family is to be understood in isolation and to be solved. Her husband would
have to open his heart to the Lord once again to experience the Power of the
Holy Spirit to defeat the evil power of alcoholism. Her son had to prepare
himself more intelligently to face the interviews and with the help of God, he
would get an opening. Her daughter was not able to find her future spouse
because the right person God had destined for her was yet to come her way and
would do so at the appointed time. The whole family has to learn to wait upon
God as Jesus instructed the Apostles. The Apostles asked the Risen Lord whether
that was the time when He would usher in God's Kingdom. The Lord responded
saying that they had to wait until "You will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you." (Acts 1:8)
I prayed for her and helped her to prepare for the Promise of the Holy
Spirit and His consolation. She indeed received the great peace of the Holy
Spirit. She was able to sleep well. She also got the courage to intercede for
her husband and children with Mother Mary on her side. Prayer was no longer a
burden but a support and confidence.
Earlier
she became distressed because of the wrong ideas and reasons placed in her mind
by the counselor. It looks unfortunate that certain preachers and counselors
are taking recourse to the easy answer of ancestral curse to solve the burning
problems of life. Instead of turning to God for a solution, they are directed
away from God to the desperate myth of curse of the ancestors. Instead of
giving people the confidence of God’s Saving Love and the Hope of heavenly
intervention, they are led to the helpless situation of blaming their ancestors
for their misery.
“For A Brief Moment I Abandoned You” (Isaiah 54:7)
The
Old Testament indeed speaks about ancestral curses coming upon man. "For I
the Lord your God am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers'
wickedness on the children of those who hate me down to the third and fourth
generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the
children of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:5-6) We find a few other places in the Old
Testament where there is a similar mention of generational curses (Exodus 34:7;
Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9). It is noteworthy that in all these passages,
the generational curses are called down only for the specific sin of idolatry.
A Jewish interpretation of this passage specifically uses the term ungodly
fathers and rebellious children. This refers to the realistic situation where a
father has a sinful way of living and the children imbibe his sinful attitudes.
In other words,the children make a choice to repeat the sins of their fathers.
This is a warning to the parents not to live in sin setting a wrong example for
their children. Moreover, in the next verse God promises "I will bestow
mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me
and keep my commandments.” Therefore the teaching to the children is to turn to
God in repentance and not repeat the sins of their ancestors.
In
the prophecies of Ezekiel and Jeremiah there is a clear assertion that the
children will not have to pay for the sins of their parents. "You ask why
is not the son charged with the guilt of his father?" Because the son has
done what is right and just, and has been careful to observe all my statutes,
he shall surely live. Only the one who sins shall die. The son shall not be
charged with the guilt of his father, nor shall the father be charged with the
guilt of his son. The virtuous man's virtue shall be his own, as the wicked
man's wickedness will be his own." (Ezekial 18:19-20) This is the clear denial of any generational
curse coming upon a human.
No
one is permitted to blame his ancestors for his own misery. One has to take
responsibility for one's own life. The prophet in fact begins the entire case
with a more powerful question, "Thus the word of the Lord came to me: Son
of man what is the meaning of this proverb that you recite in the land of
Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten green grapes, thus their children’s teeth are
set on edge’? I swear that there shall no longer be anyone among you who will
repeat this proverb in Israel. For all lives are mine; the life of the father
is like the life of the son, both are mine; only the one who sins shall
die." (Ezekial 18:4)
“My Love Shall Never Leave You” (Isaiah 54:10)
Prophet
Jeremiah speaking of the same proverb says that it is not to be even uttered
again in the house of Israel. "In those days they shall no longer say,
‘the fathers ate unripe grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’, but
through his own fault only shall anyone die; the teeth of him who eats the
unripe grapes shall be set on edge." (Jeremiah 31:29-30) It is pertinent that the prophet speaks
about this new liberation in the context of the new covenant that God was to
establish, "The days are coming, says The Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." (Jeremiah
31:31) In this new covenant, God
promises total forgiveness of our sinfulness, "For I will forgive their
evildoing and remember their sin no more" (v. 34). This was indeed a
prophecy of what the Saviour would do for humankind. At the Last Supper, Jesus
took the chalice of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which will be shed for you." (Luke 22:20) It is in the Paschal
Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that we find total
liberation from all our sins and the curses coming down from ancestors as well
as our own personal inequities.
In
Jesus Christ, all the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled. The Old
Testament looks forward to the person and teachings of Jesus for its
completion. Hence Jesus corrects and completes the Old Testament teachings.
Jesus said, "Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17)
Hence
the usual formula that precedes the teachings of Jesus, "You have heard
that it was said to your ancestors... But I say to you." (Matthew 5:21-22) The Old Testament teachings on anger, hatred,
adultery, divorce, oaths, retaliation etc. are given a new interpretation by
Jesus (Matthew 5:21-48). To this list St. John adds the teaching of the
ancestral curse. While relating the healing of the man born blind, St. John
describes the disciples asking Jesus whether the blindness was because of his
sins or the sins of his parents. Jesus rejecting this popular notion among the
Jews answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works
of God might be made visible through him." (John 9:3) Here is a clear teaching of Jesus rejecting
all talk of generational curses promising that God is ready to intervene in
every form of human misery. Jesus went about healing every sickness, forgiving
all forms of sin, saving broken families and thus preparing for the culmination
of the work of salvation in His Death and Resurrection. Jesus took the powers
of sin and death upon Himself and paid the price of it all in His Blood. This
act of salvation was the ultimate manifestation of Divine Love. "No one
takes it (my life) from me but I lay it down on my own." (John 10:18)
“If You Repent, I Will Restore You” (Jeremiah 15:19)
The
salvific effects of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus flow down to us when we are
baptized in Jesus Christ. In His first sermon, after having received the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost, St. Peter proclaimed, "Repent and be
baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins; and you will receive the gift the Holy Spirit." (Acts
2:38) This was the joyous proclamation
of the early Church. St. Paul writing to the Romans explains the effects of the
Sacrament of Baptism. In this Sacrament of Initiation, we are united with the
Lord Jesus. The original Greek word used is “symphitos”. By this St. Paul means
that as the foetus is united with the mother, so is the baptized person united
with Jesus Christ to the effect that all the former’s sins and curses flow into
Jesus and grace flows back into him. It is in this context that St. Paul
affirms how Christ exempts us from the curse by taking it on Himself.
"Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse of
us." (Galatians 3:13) St. Paul
categorically asserts, "Hence now there is no curse for those who are in
Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) The
word used is 'en christo' which really means incorporated into Christ Jesus.
This explains what happens at the moment of Baptism. As a branch is cut off
from the main stem and grafted to a new stem, so are we disentangled from our
human ancestral line and connected to the new stem that Christ Jesus is. This
is the regeneration that happens at the moment of Baptism. Jesus Himself
explained this when He said, "I am the vine and you are the
branches," (John 15:5) inviting us to abide in Him and promising us that
He will keep us united with Him. It is in this new life received in baptism
that we have the promise that "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old is gone and the new is come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The
Church explains further this teaching of the Holy Bible in its sacramental
theology. The Catechism of the Catholic Church officially teaches us, "By
baptism all sins are forgiven, original sins and personal sins, as well as all
punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would
impede their entry into the kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin nor personal
sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from
God" (CCC 1263). The teaching makes it clear that what happens at baptism
is altogether a new beginning in Christ Jesus making the baptised a "new
creature" (1265), without any roots that reach back to any evil in his
biological ancestry. Eventually if he commits any personal sin, the grace of the
Sacrament of Confession washes it away. When we understand correctly the
biblical teaching as elaborated by the Catholic Theology, we will come to the
Truth of what Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free you are free
indeed." (John 8:36) It is this freedom that makes life with
Christ a celebration.
“I Will Be Their God, And They Shall Be My People” (Jeremiah 31:33)
The
remedy to the sins and curses, whether personal or ancestral, is the baptismal
regeneration - the grace of the Sacrament of Confession and a life of grace
united with Jesus Christ. Those who look to special exorcisms and generational
healing rites run the risk of getting entangled with the New Age influences.
The New Age theories show ways of escaping personal responsibilities for our
own choices and decisions. They urge people to look elsewhere than in
themselves for the source of their problems. The Church has always insisted
that we are responsible for our choices and actions before God. Through an
honest soul searching when we find out that we have gone astray from the Lord
Jesus, we come back to Him in repentance which culminates in the Sacramental
Confession and conversion. This is the way of ushering in the Kingdom of God in
our personal lives and in our community relationships. The first sermon of
Jesus was - "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew
4:17)
Retreats and counseling should
help everyone to understand oneself and to turn to God in repentance. In the
Sacrament of Confession, a renewal of the grace of Sacrament of baptism is
effected. All that God seeks is our freedom to live life in all its fullness.
For the days of trial, He is there giving grace. To even mention that suffering
is the working of a curse is to negate the truth of Christianity which is
founded on a God who is love and on Christ crucified to set us free from death
and every shadow of evil. Let us remember the sure promise of His Love and
Presence with us and turn to God with confidence in our every trial.
Let
Us Pray
Lord
Jesus You came down to the world as our Saviour. You set us free from the sins
and curses that are the plight on this earth. You instituted the Church to
continue Your ministry of liberation in this world. Thank You, O Lord, for Your
Infinite Mercy that flows into us in the moments of our misery. Let us turn to
You and live - finding all the answers in You. Let us never be disheartened by
our struggles, rather find our hope in You.
Amen.
