Here comes the autumn season. Things fall apart. With autumn came the first rain. The rains finally reached our land, and the first are always different, carrying a different smell. With it comes a quiet peace after the long, heavy summer. The land needs it.
The first drop … the streets it touches become wet, bringing too a certain brightness. It softens the heart, makes it glow with the beginning of a new season.
But this brightness does not last long, especially in Palestine. The first rain arrived this year during a Jewish holiday, Sarah’s Day. While it is a day of celebration for them, for Palestinians living in the restricted areas of Hebron, rain holds a different meaning. They cannot just enjoy it. They stay in their homes, holding their fears close, fearing attack. Their loneliness echoes inside them, along with the nagging thought that at any moment they could be harmed.
They wonder whether this day will end without anything happening to their families or their neighbors. They wonder if the rain will be allowed to fall peacefully, without settler attacks, without violence, without another night of restless fear.
I hope this rain, the rain that washes the dust from the streets, can also wash away the anxiety from their minds, from every heavy heart that carries fear.
Let us pray for peace to reach our souls, without conditions, without effort, just peace, simple and pure.
Pray that peace comes to this land, to these people, to erase fear and raise faith, belief, hope, and the promise of a better future.
Let us pray for a future free of oppression, a future where people no longer have to suffer just to live.
Let us pray for peace on this earth, far from the confusion of the mind.
Let us pray for a life that rises out of darkness, full of light and hope.
Let us pray for a land free from blood, free from fear, and full of dignity.
