Peanuts
They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way. – Amos 2:7
My uncle, a former seminarian, told me this story about seven boys who went to confession.
Boy 1: Father, forgive me for I have sinned. My sin is I threw peanuts into the water.
Boy 2: Father, forgive me for I have sinned. My sin is I threw peanuts into the water.
The next few boys confessed the same sin. As the seventh boy knelt down, the priest asked, “What’s your sin my son? Did you also throw peanuts into the water?”
Boy 7: No, Father, I am Peanuts.
This story is amusing, but bullying in real life is no laughing matter. This is a grave concern especially for parents with children in grade school. Bullied children bear scars all the way to adulthood. Later in life, they may even become bullies themselves.
Children are not the only victims. People who are weak, helpless or poor suffer the same thing at work and in society. Let’s make sure that we do our part to ease their suffering. More importantly, let’s make sure we are not the bullies committing this sin. Lella Santiago (mirellasantiago@yahoo.com)
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REFLECTION:
Are you trampling on someone weaker or poorer than you are in school, at work or at home?
Lord, help me today to be a blessing and not an added burden to the weak, the helpless and the poor.
St. Oliver Plunkett, pray for us.
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