Day 1 – Head
We begin our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
This week is Anti-Bullying week, and the theme is ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’. All humans have a responsibility to stand up for those around them, but as Catholics we have a more clear and definitive responsibility due to the words in the Bible.
Today we are going to read a piece of scripture from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that links in to the theme of Anti-Bullying.
Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. And do not make God’s Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort.
Ephesians 4:29-31
St Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians some time in AD 60-61, whilst he was in prison in Rome. This letter is very formal, and deals with topics at the very core of what it means to be a Christian both in faith and practice. Paul is writing to the people of Ephesus and telling them how when we are angry and hateful we will struggle to see God, and to be at peace with Him.
Therefore, we know that the themes mentioned in this passage are incredibly important, and that they should be used to shape how we act in our day to day lives. Bullying is defined as:
The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face to face or online.
ANTI-BULLYINGALLIANCE.ORG.UK
It would be foolish and ignorant to think that bullying does not happen within our school, sadly the truth is that there are instances where people deliberately go out of their way to be unpleasant to others. It is important that we make some noise and take a stand against bullying when we see it.
Take a moment to reflect. Have you been a victim of bullying before? Have you bullied someone? Have you seen bullying in school?
Hold these thoughts and reflections in your heart as we pray together:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.
We end our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
Day 2 – Heart
We begin our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
This morning we are going to recall some of what we looked at yesterday, before exploring the themes in more detail.
- What book in the Bible was our scripture taken from?
- What was the definition of bullying?
- Finish the line of scripture: ‘No more shouting or insults, no more…’
The Anti-Bullying Alliance have created a spoken word poem about bullying that we are going to watch today. Afterwards we are going to think about the impact of bullying.
Take a moment to have a conversation. You may be happy to discuss these things as a class, or you may prefer to do it in pairs, but discuss the questions below honestly for the next few minutes.
- Have you ever been bullied? How did it make you feel?
- Have you ever bullied someone? Why do you think you did?
- Have you ever witnessed someone being bullied and ignored it? Why?
- Why is it important as Catholics to stand up to bullying?
Hopefully by having discussed some of these things you have realised that we all have different experiences of bullying within our lives. When people are targeted by bullies, it can leave them feeling isolated, upset and deflated. It can be hard to stand up to a bully, we fear that they may turn on us, but if we are united and committed as a community against bullying then we know that we will have the support of those around us to do so.
If you feel happy to, why not let us know some of what you discussed in the comments below? Seeing that others may have experienced something similar to us can help us not to feel so alone.
Let us pray:
Gracious Lord, in this Anti-Bullying Week, we seek Your divine strength and protection for those facing the torment of bullying. Wrap Your loving arms around them, shielding them from harm. Grant them the resilience to rise above the hurtful words and actions directed their way.
Empower their spirits to embrace their worth and recognize the unique gifts You have bestowed upon them. Help them find solace in Your unwavering presence, knowing that You are their ultimate source of strength. Guide us, O Lord, to stand united against bullying, promoting a world filled with compassion and acceptance. Amen.
We end our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
Day 3 – Hands
We begin our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
This week we have been thinking about Anti-Bullying and how our words can hurt. In the scripture we read on the first day, it said that we should use helpful and not hateful words, that we should get rid of insults and anger. The other issue sometimes is not just the words we say, but how we say it.
For this activity, you can either choose six different people to read out the sentences below, or work in pairs and read the sentences out loud. When you read them, emphasise the word in bold more than the others. As a class have a discussion, how does the emphasis on each word change the meaning of the sentence?
- I know you like that YouTuber
- I know you like that YouTuber
- I know you like that YouTuber
- I know you like that YouTuber
- I know you like that YouTuber
- I know you like that YouTuber
God calls us to use our words for good, to think about what we are going to say before we say it. He tells us to use kind words that build others up, not ones that tear people down. If you think that the words you are saying could potentially have a different meaning depending on how you emphasise them, then perhaps they aren’t the right words to say.
Take a moment to discuss as a form what you are going to do as a form to combat bullying in school. Create a pledge/promise and type it into the comments below. You could also write it up/print it out and stick it up in your form room to be reminded of it each day.
Let us pray together:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
We end our prayer today with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, Amen.
the scripture made us think about what kind of words we use towards other people and that we should use kind words because God will rewards us
Our form 9T2 understands how to use words wisely from the scripture. We will ensure that everyone in our form and hopefully in the year will understand bullying is not OK and we must try to prevent it. It also teaches us that we should use helpful and not hateful words, that we should get rid of insults and anger.