You need to know this.

All of us do - I have watched over the past few days, idly at first I admit, the events currently taking place between Israel and the militant Islamic forces (it's certainly not just between the Palestinians and the Israelis anymore!). It seemed like just more of the same, more people killing other people and other people blowing themselves up. Endless tragedy.

But now it's different. This could be something much bigger, with much farther reaching consequences. See Christopher Blosser's roundup and commentary, and don't miss his link on the top of the page to American Papist's own overview/timeline.

I know little, and so won't comment further other than to say A) I think all of us, particularly Christians, need to sit up and pay attention now, and B) Josh Tevino's take on the European response to this new crisis is spot on. After being in Europe for a year, and having in-depth conversations with Germans, Austrians, French, and Italians about war, peace, justice, and what to do in our modern world about all of it, I'll tell you that the bottom line is that Europe is defeated already. They won't begin to fight because they think they've already lost, and so their whole goal is to ignore it as long as possible, "keep the peace" as long as possible, and maybe all the conflict will just go away and they can continue to live their "normal" lives. They are, as my French friends put it, "undergoing post-WWII stress syndrome, as you Americans might call it". They are so traumatized culturally by WWII, they want to do everything (by doing nothing) to avoid another one. Problem is that, one way or another, it's not going to work. Either they'll end up in another massive war by letting things get too out of control, or they're going to end up WISHING they would be able to.

Yikes. Time for us to pray to our Lady, as our Holy Father has begged us to do - that she may intercede for us all, for a true and lasting peace in the Middle East, in the most holy land on earth, and that all those who are in a position to make a difference may receive the grace to know what to do, and to then act with the virtues of courage and fortitude. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, ora pro nobis!