Pray for Peace

Oct. 15, 2023

As I write this, we are only three days into the war that has broken out between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The most recent information that I have seen says that over 800 Israelis have died, and hundreds more Palestinians. The attacks were horrific, not only launching missiles, but also grabbing and kidnapping people off the street. There are accounts of murders and rapes, of women being paraded through the streets of Gaza naked, and the beheading of soldiers. This is almost unimaginable.
   
Although there have been other attacks from Gaza, this one is being called a war, not an incursion. Some reports are that Hezbollah in Lebanon has also launched attacks from the north. And of course, behind it all, seems to be the ever-present terrorist nation, Iran.

One of the concerns is that the war does not expand to include other countries, and to completely unsettle the Middle East as a whole. That will not be good for anyone. And side by side with the Russian war against Ukraine, we see another war that has the potential to develop into a nuclear conflict.
   
I shudder to think what will have happened by the time you read this. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, and the conflict will begin to diminish.
   
I have been pushing the rosary as a great spiritual weapon against war and oppression. Please join me in praying for peace in the Middle East and throughout our world.
--Fr. Mike Comer