ing and dangerous be-
havior; however it would
also serve our society
well to ensure that this
message is received
loud and clear by all
persons of all ages. For
us to believe that bully-
ing only exists among
our schoolchildren would
be a terrible mistake. In
fact, bullying behaviors
are embraced by many adults, and in many situations. If we only open our eyes
and our hearts, we will see these behaviors in the workplace, at the grocery store,
on our streets and highways, and yes, dear readers, in our churches. The bully
preys on those perceived to be weaker than themselves, whether due to the color
of their skin, their gender, their sexual orientation, or their lack of power or pres-
tige. And as we read from the story of King Antiochus, we see that inevitably the
end of the story for the bully is an unhappy one, filled with sorrow, grief and
death. Thankfully, we see from the Psalm that those who have been victimized
“shall not be forgotten, nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish”. Thanks
be to God!!!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, fill us with your Holy Spirit so that we, like Jesus, may be kind
and loving bearers of peace to all whom we meet. Help us all to resist the temp-
tation to ‘bully’ anyone who is weaker than ourselves, and give us the strength to
speak out against the bully, and come to the aid of
those being victimized. We ask this through Christ,
our Lord, Amen.
_______
Bill Chapman
Evangelization Team, Gay and Lesbian Support Group