Healing of Families: Lord, Make Us as the Holy Family

As today’s first reading reminds us, God sees family as passing from generations farther than we can count. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, is from the line of King David, fulfilling God’s promise to raise from David an heir whose kingdom would last forever. In the second reading, we hear of Abraham becoming a spiritual father of nations, far beyond his earthly life and ability to generate. And I remember at Christmas, we hear the genealogy of Jesus from the book of Matthew. What would it sound like for Jesus to call forth your ancestors at the end of time? What kinds of stories would be told? What graces and talents or sins and vices did we have in common?

I am considering today a deeper healing of family, from ancestors to future generations. This prayer below is for the healing of family lines. May the Lord heal us and make us as the Holy Family on Saint Joseph’s feast day. PRAYER FOR HEALING THE FAMILY TREE REV. JOHN H. HAMPSCH, C.M.F. Heavenly Father, I come before you as your child, in great need of your help; I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask you to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders. With your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders. In the name of your divine Son, Jesus, and in the power of his Holy Spirit, I ask you, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of evil. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your precious Son, Jesus, I beg you to extend your blessing to me and to all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree. I symbolically place the cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask you to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the bloodlines in my family lineage. Set your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members’ guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let your healing power be released at this very moment, and let it continue as long as your sovereignty permits. In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever-deeper bonding with you, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to your Son, Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus’ precious Name. Amen. St. Joseph, Patron of family life, pray for us. Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us.

#HolyFamily #SaintJoseph #IntergenerationalHealing #Generations #Family