In God we are more than conquerors

Christianity has contributed a lot to the transformation of society, but through many challenges. Some of them are persecutions and heresies. One of the major challenges, today, is the unfortunate invention of “Generational Curses.” 

Proponents of generational curses allege that sins of parents or ancestors are the cause of various misfortunes like sickness, childlessness, accidents, misfortunes, poverty, debts, etc. As a solution, they conduct special Masses and prayers for the healing of the family tree. Contrariwise, the condition of the people only gets worse; like causing family divisions, poverty and death. 

Considering those biblical passages which appear to support the theory of generational curses, in line with others, one would discover that the whole idea is false.

In Exodus 20:5, God said: “I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation”. God said this in the context of giving His laws to the Israelites, so that they might not be lost and also to teach them the seriousness of their sins. Indeed, they spent 40 years in the desert, because of their hardheartedness. Some did not enter Canaan because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). 

However, when they entered the Promised Land, God clarified Himself.

In Ezekiel 18:1-4, God says, “What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel? ‘The parents ate the sour grapes, but the children got the sour taste.’ As surely as I am the living God, says the sovereign Lord, You will not repeat this proverb in Israel anymore. The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die. If the father eats sour grapes the son will not get the sour taste, only the father will get it”. 

Jesus discarded genereation curses
Jesus discarded the notion of Generational Curses. When He healed a blind man, people wanted to know what sin his parents had committed that made him blind. Jesus said that the man was not blind because of the sins of his parents, but so the glory of God could be shown to the world (John 9:2-3). 

However, Paul teaches that through Adam, sin entered into the world. But there is no personal culpability for that original sin; it is a state of deprivation of God’s grace, not a personal act. 

1 Peter 1:18-19 proclaims that we were set free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors, by the costly sacrifice of Christ, the blameless Lamb. Through Baptism, God completely wipes away original sin, past personal sins, and all punishment due for any past sins; making us participants in the divine nature. 

Baptism deals the blow to evil
During Baptism, the priest exorcises all impure spirits from the candidate. Confirmation spiritually strengthens the supernatural life we receive in Baptism. Confession reconciles us with God and with the community. During every Mass we are healed, if we offer our selves in union with Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection! Holy Communion heals and strengthens us from broken relationships, troubled marriages, temptations, and other personal issues. The Anointing of the Sick heals the soul and, sometimes, the body too. 

Carry your cross
Participating in the victory of Christ does not, however, mean we shall be free from suffering. Jesus calls us to follow Him by carrying our cross, just as He carried His. Through an intimate relationship with Christ, Paul was able to testify, “If God is for us, who can be against us?… In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:31-37). 

Many issues can be overcome through counselling, medication, prayer and fasting.  Jesus assures us that His grace is sufficient in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).