The Inhuman Behavior of Man to Man

How we as Christian adults must

shine Christ’s love into a fallen world

In a way the Church Fathers did not really specifically address the subject of “bullying”, but more so spoke of the inhumane behaviour of man to man in a general sense. “Bullying” itself might be seen as the first shoots of a plant that can later flower into the type of behaviour that gives itself to cruelty, injustice, or outright persecution of others – whether from unjust causes or because one thinks they are “right” and that it is their “duty” to show the other person they are “wrong”.

As with many of our good or evil dispositions and habits they have small beginnings and later grow into strong trees if consciously developed, into the virtues and/or the vices. “Bullying” itself is often associated with a type of interaction practiced by the young, whether the person in question is bullying someone else or on the receiving end of such behaviour.

The “answer” to bullying specifically, and cruelty in general, is not a “simple” one – one that just needs a “simple band-aid” or to be “vaccinated” once and then all will somehow “magically be well”. Individual souls might respond and/or react to different situations in different ways, after all. However, one thing that contributes very clearly to the problem of cruelty and injustice in this world is our response as adults to it in the situations we find ourselves in.

More and more frequently we read about children taking their own lives, having reached a place where they would rather be dead than live another hour suffering from bullying. Too often parents and teachers have ignored the problem of bullying, dismissing it as nothing more than “kids will be kids”, and “kids can be cruel”.

The truth is that children, from the earliest of age, can be taught to treat other children with kindness, and encouraged to be sensitive to the plight of other children. The youngest can be taught the importance of sharing their toys, and of including other children in their neighborhood games. Even the smallest child can be taught to treat others as he wishes to be treated, and to report incidences of bullying to his teachers and parents, when he sees it happening to other children.

I believe part of the problem may be, at the root level, teachers who were bullying others when they were children, and transferring that childhood experience into how they perceive some of the children under their care. It is only human to have favorites, and teachers are no exception.

My own youthful struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts, revolved around my perceived failures and sense of hopelessness, but was offset by one single high school teacher who took me under her wing, and helped me become a champion debater. She believed in me when no one else would, and all it took was that one teacher willing to reach out to a kid with low self-esteem. That one child who is taught by his parents the importance of treating a bullied school mate with kindness, and even stepping up to defend and befriend them, can be life-changing for both children.

Children are wonderful gifts from God, and are pliable and open, always ready to learn from the adults in their lives, whether they are their parents, teachers, pastors, or neighbors. They depend on us for comfort, direction, support, AND protection. They are in our care, and God expects us to take this responsibility very seriously. These children are the future of our country, our Church, and our world, and must be taught the importance of being kind and generous towards others.

The child that is raised in the ways of the Lord, will in turn raise his/her children in the ways of God. Let us not pass on the sins and failures of our generation into the next generation. We adults need to make sure peace, love, justice, and charity become the hallmarks of what we pass on to the next generation. Most importantly, we must instill in our children the love of God, and the desire to treat everyone we meet with respect and kindness.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Friday March 5, 2021 / February 20, 2021
Week of the Prodigal Son. Tone five.
Fast. Fish Allowed
Venerable Leo, bishop of Catania in Sicily (ca. 780).
Abbot Macarius and 34 monks and novices of Valaam Monastery martyred by the Lutherans: hieromonk Titus, schemamonk Tikhon, monks Gelasius, Sergius, Varlaam, Sabbas, Conon, Silvester, Cyprian, Pimen, John, Simonas, Jonah, David, Cornelius, Niphon, Athanasius, and Serapion, and novices Varlaam, Athanasius, Anthony, Luke, Leontius, Thomas, Dionysius, Philip, Ignatius, Basil, Pachomius, Basil, Theophilus, John, Theodore, and John (1578).
New Hieromartyr Nicholas priest (1938).
St. Yaroslav the Wise (1054).
Venerable Agatho, wonderworker of the Kiev Caves (13th-l4th c.).
Beheading of Venerable Cornelius, abbot of the Pskov Caves (1570), and his disciple St. Bassian of Murom.
Hieromartyr Sadoc (Sadoth), bishop of Persia, and 128 Martyrs with him (342).
Venerable Agatho, pope of Rome (682).
Venerable Bessarion the Great, wonderworker of Egypt (466) (Greek).
St. Cindeus, bishop of Pisidia (Greek).
Hieromartyr Eleutherius, bishop in Byzantium (2nd c.).
St. Eleutherius, bishop of Tournai (531).
St. Eucherius, bishop of Orleans (740).

The Scripture Readings

2 John

Greeting the Elect Lady

1 The Elder,

To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Walk in Christ’s Commandments

4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. 6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

Beware of Antichrist Deceivers

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ is coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

9 Whoever [d]transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

John’s Farewell Greeting

12 Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.

13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.

Mark 15:22-25

22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. 24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.

25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

Mark 15:33-41

Jesus Dies on the Cross

33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” 36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

40 There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, 41 who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.