In the wake of the Oregon shooting, it seems there’s so little that hasn’t already been said.
As the opinion editor, I find myself at a loss for opinion. I don’t know where I stand on gun control laws, how exactly safety measures should be employed, how to process criminals, etc.
So, I turn to prayer.
I pray for Oct. 1, 2015, an ordinary fall day that abruptly became marked by blood, anger and loss. I pray for every Oct. 1 to follow.
I pray for the people who were in Classroom 15 in Snyder Hall at 10:38 a.m. The people who saw their lives flash before their eyes while looking down the barrel of a gun. The people whose last memories of this earth were a reminder of the hate and hopelessness that run rampant in this world. The ones who lost their lives standing firm in their identity.
I pray for Umpqua Community College (UCC) and the Roseburg community. For the family members of the 10 UCC members who lost their lives and the seven who were injured. For the small Oregon town that was bombarded with news outlets and reporters who wanted responses, perhaps even before the community had time to find one themselves.
I pray for those who don’t understand this situation. Those who can’t comprehend why things like this are “somehow becoming routine,” as President Obama stated. I pray for wisdom for the politicians who are pushing for stronger policies in the shooting’s aftermath.
As they analyze, may they not forget to empathize.
I pray for the Church. May we stay strong and take heart that the real struggle is not against flesh and blood, but the principalities and powers of this dark world.
I pray for Christopher Harper-Mercer. I don’t know what made him feel unheard, invisible or demeaned. I don’t know what made him feel that doing this was his only chance to be heard. I pray over the burdens and pain that the Church placed on his heart. I pray for the man that we did not get to a chance to know. I pray for him wherever he is now.
I pray for the subsequent acts of gun violence in Arizona, Texas and California since Oct. 1. I pray for their communities and lost ones.
I praise God for allowing Mercy Medical Center to act and save lives.
I also praise Him for the heroic actions of U.S. army veteran Chris Mintz, who volunteered to spread word of the danger as the shooting spread to other locations on campus. He who stood face-to-face with the shooter and was shot repeatedly until he stated that it was his son’s birthday. I thank Him for Mintz, who has made a full recovery and is now sharing his experience with others.
Finally, I pray for us, people around the world as well as the APU community. I pray for the times our misconceptions have lead us to wrongfully judge others. I pray for sensitivity, love and courage to cover us. I pray that as we, the APU body, return to campus with heaviness, we become more aware of how our actions truly affect others. God, do away with our misconceptions, bind us to each other and hold us together by your mercy.
Lord, You heal and knit us back together when holes are ripped through our hearts. Bring us light as bright as the morning sun.