[Romulus]

I share your hope for a massive and decisive response against the perpetrators and their hosts, without distinction. (Though I wonder about your private reaction to seeing the President's description of this initiative as a "Crusade"). I do fear for the lives of the innocent, and pray that they may be spared harm, as much as humanly possible, even as Abraham pleaded with the Lord not to destroy the good and evil indiscriminately.

My chief prayer is that we continue to be the good guys, lest, even as we achieve a righteous victory over our worldly enemies, we be tricked into serving the death-loving aims of our worst and most implacable Enemy. As St Peter reminds us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. "

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

[don-o]

My chief prayer is that we continue to be the good guys, lest, even as we achieve a righteous victory over our worldly enemies, we be tricked into serving the death-loving aims of our worst and most implacable Enemy.

What must be faced that as Sholtzhnetsyn pointed out "...the dividing line between good and exil cuts through the heart of every human being..."

We are the "good guys" who have allowed abortion on demand to destroy 40,000,000 million innocents.

We are the "good guys" who most recently enabled Albanian Moslems to lay waste to Kosovo and many Christian churches and monasteries.

We said prayers of repentance after Divine Liturgy today. That is keeping with II Chronicles 7:14.