Christian Myers
On Oct. 30, the Mount community gathered in Founders Plaza to conduct a prayer for all the events that are going on in the world, specifically the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Middle East.
President Timothy Trainor welcomed the Mount community to the prayer by saying a few words the community itself, “We as a community pray for those who’s lives have been decimated, but also support each other” Trainor stated.
After Trainor’s welcome, a call to prayer is spoken that addresses those who face violence, mainly the countries and communities residing in the Holy Land, but as well as those in Ukraine, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and any others who face violence.
The main prayer begins following the call to prayer, and it is a very unique take on what one would consider in a usual prayer. There are readings from the Book of Isaiah, the Book of John as well as from the Koran. After the readings, more general prayers are spoken, addressing our grieving of those facing the harsh conflicts and tense polarization currently undergoing in our world, especially over the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
After a period of quiet reflection, more prayers occur, followed by a blessing peace prayer once again praying to peace over Israel and Palestine, and us in the Mount community.
Lastly, the Mount community was sent off by Reverand Martin Moran, who encouraged the community to continue to pray every day when we can for these ongoing conflicts.
The Mount students seem to share the same sentiment regarding the conflict currently undergoing in Israel and Palestine.
Evan Dale (C’25) stated “I don’t like it when innocent people are killed. I believe we need a ceasefire to avoid innocent people dying.” Michael Gutshall (C’25), an international studies major, stated “It’s an intriguing conflict, and unfortunately I believe it’s going to get worse before it gets better, but peace is absolutely a preferable option in this type of situation.”
Brett Haugh (C’25) added “While peace would be a great option to avoid killing innocent civilians, unfortunately neither side wants a peaceful resolution to this conflict.”
When asked about world peace itself, the same three students agreed that major changes are needed to make our world a better place. Dale stated, “You say one thing, and people think you believe it entirely, and that is a major issue.” Gutshall stated “For the world to get better, drastic changes need to be made, especially with how the United States handles certain situations.”
It is logical to think that this won’t be the only event that the Mount will be holding concerning the conflict between Israel and Palestine, as the school will most likely try to bring awareness to it in any possible way they can. The prayer itself had a good turnout, and hopefully our prayers could be answered with the Israel and Palestine conflict ending relatively soon.
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