Healing the Family Tree

Spiritual healing essentially consists in drawing our lives back to the nature
originally designed by God. This includes the incorporation of every human family in
God’s entire spiritual family.

“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the
children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did
not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children…(1 John 3:1-2)”; “…so that you too may
have fellowship with us, for our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ (1 John 1:3). “…If we walk in the light as He is in the light, then we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of His Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If
we say, ‘we are without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and clean us from
every wrongdoing (1 John 1:7-9). The consequence of original sin is genetical
bondage. Bonding with God replaces bondages. The process of healing the family tree
brings back “love, that is, the bond of perfection (Col. 3:14).”

Inner healing is healing of painful memories full of hatred, guilt, anxieties and
fear of the future. This leads us to the lost of inner peace and our ability to love and
trust others and eventually God. God wills that we live our life to the full. So, it is only in
walking back with Him in time, recognizing the many occasions that we are hurt and
forgiving our pasts that we can truly live our life to the present.

The Catholic Church believes that the process of healing of the wounds of the
family can only take place through prayer and the sacraments. This happens ultimately
in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Procedures for Making a Family Genealogy

1. Research your family line beginning with yourself to at least your great grandparents.

2. Include as many generations as you can.

3. Conduct an interview with the older members of your family and research on the
following: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that you might discover
in your family genealogy.

4. Identify the negative situations/ events that you think that need spiritual healing.

5. Make a synthesis of Unit 1 on Christian Family making the post-synodal apostolic

exhortation by Pope Francis, “Amoris Laetitia” as your primary source. Don’t forget to
cite the paragraph number of the said exhortation which you will use for developing your
synthesis.
6. Include in it your personal insights/ difficulties encountered/ realizations acquired
from the activity, “Healing the Family Tree.”

7. End it with a personal prayer for Inner Healing/ for Healing of Negative Memories/
forWounds in the Family Genealogy.

8. Submit it in the assignment/project section by attaching your accomplished PETA.

Things to remember:

1. Make a creative presentation of your family genealogy. (You may use any software
application you want that will best portray your work.)

2. If problems arise in citing the names of family members up to the great

grandparents, kindly state the reason/s.

Rubric for Making a Family Genealogy

Content (50 points) (35 points) (20 points) (5 points)

The student has The student has The student has The student has
Included all the Included almost all Included more than Included less than
requirements of the requirements half of the half of the
according to the according to the requirements requirements
given instructions. given instructions. according to the according to the
given instructions. given instructions.

Organization (20 points) (15 points) (10 points) (5 points)

The student is The student is The student is The student is not
exceptionally adequately slightly coherent in coherent in
coherent in coherent in presenting his/her presenting his/her
presenting his/her presenting his/her facts, ideas, facts, ideas,
facts, ideas, facts, ideas, personal insights personal insights
personal insights personal insights and opinions; and and opinions; and
and opinions; and and opinions; and formulating a formulating a
formulating a formulating a synthesis using of synthesis using of
synthesis using of synthesis using of the assigned the assigned
the assigned the assigned apostolic apostolic
apostolic apostolic exhortation. exhortation.
exhortation. exhortation.
Creativity (30 points) (25 points) (15 points) (5 points)
The student has The student has The student has The student has not
exceptionally used adequately used slightly used used creative
creative means (use creative means (use creative means (use means (use of
of sounds, graphics, of sounds, graphics, of sounds, graphics, sounds, graphics,
pictures, software) pictures, software) pictures, software) pictures, software)
to make the project to make the project to make the project to make the project
more fascinating. more fascinating. more fascinating. more fascinating.