The 21 Martyrs of ISIS

I started out today attempting to write about an entirely different subject – one that had gotten my Italian up as I had put it. It’s a theme to which I may return in time.

But right now, that original topic seems little more than trivial in a world that’s been set afire.

The brutality and the reality of this story hit me with full force this afternoon.

ISIS, taking full advantage of the chaos created by our so-called Smart Diplomacy in Libya, has today released a propaganda video detailing the unspeakable evil of having beheaded 21 men solely because of their Christian faith.

And now ISIS threatens Rome.

The West is at war with evil itself.

Ignoring it, or simply refusing to understand its origins and its goals, will not make that war go away.

ISIS seeks nothing less than complete world domination.

And right now, ISIS’s efforts are succeeding.

Some Islamic leaders, such as the King of Jordan and the President of Egypt, fully understand the threat.

And Europe is slowly awakening.

Let us pray that we, too, will soon act – with all due force, courage, and wisdom – to meet this evil head on.

In the meantime, The Anchoress, Elizabeth Scalia, has written movingly about this latest atrocity:

Let us ponder the increasingly chaotic world in which they were slain; let us consider the people who murdered them, who seem hell-bent on Apocalypse. It feels as though a world full of small fires, public and private, are simply the purposeful distractions meant to prevent our noticing a bonfire in our future.

Elizabeth then lists the names of all 21 men, and asks for their prayers as they take their place alongside the ancient martyrs.

Let us join her in that effort as we today beseech them, “Please pray for us, and for the whole world.”

Please go read and share the post.

Peace