On Oct. 7, 1571, Christian Europe, in a fight for its life with the Islamic invaders for some 700 years, prepared for a great naval confrontation with the Turks near the harbor of Lepanto.
At the hour of battle, Pope Pius V, far away at the Church of Minerva, led a prayer procession. At the church, he walked to a window, threw open its shutters and stood in a trance-like state for some time.
When he returned to his cardinals, he said: “It is now time to give thanks for the great victory which has been granted us.”
Later, the timing of the pope’s words with the records of the naval battle was found to be in exact accord. Selim II, the sultan of the Turks, lost a decisive battle that day.
But that’s not the end of the story that led ultimately to the canonization of Pius V.
The Islamic prisoners taken in the battle attested with unquestionable conviction that they had seen Jesus Christ and a multitude of angels, sword in hand, fighting against Selim and the Turks and blinding them with smoke.
What’s the relevance of this now obscure battle 430 years later?
I’m going to use this history lesson to do something most politically incorrect – and that is persuade Americans to pray for a decisive victory against their fanatical, radical, diabolical Islamic attackers this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2001.
A very specific prayer on a very specific day – why?
Because – like it or not, accept it or not, acknowledge it or not – there is a spiritual dimension to this war. There is a spiritual dimension to every conflict, to every thing under the sun, for that matter. But to deny it, as some of our more timid U.S. leaders have done, is misguided and wrong.
For 1,200 years, Islam and Christianity have been involved in conflict. More than any other conflict, this one defines world history during that era. Sometimes the war runs hot. Sometimes it runs cold. But it never ends. Islam and Christianity truly represent two distinct and clashing worldviews – and always have.
Does this mean I believe we should declare war on all Muslims? Or that I blame all Muslims for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11? Of course not. But not to see the connection between today’s Islamic warriors and those of the past is to misread history – to misunderstand our foes. Osama bin Laden himself calls Americans “Crusaders” and sees himself as a modern-day Saladin.
But my real point today is that there is power in prayer. How many times throughout history have we seen evidence for Providence? How many times in American history alone have we seen God’s hand at work?
I truly do not believe America will prevail in this war unless believers get down on their knees, humble themselves before God, repent of their sins and beg our heavenly Father for mercy in the name of Jesus Christ. I have not seen this happen yet.
I know this won’t be a popular thought at learned institutions in America. I know that my colleagues at the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post will scoff at such archaic notions, I know that even President Bush is unlikely to call for such a sectarian day of prayer. He has shown his preference for downplaying the differences between the world’s faiths and minimizing the role it plays in this conflict.
Maybe presidents have to do that in the 21st century. But somehow America got great through the inspirational leadership of some people who were anything but ecumenical.
So, who will join me this weekend in a daring prayer campaign for a decisive victory over our enemies this Sunday? Do this, I ask, not to bring glory to the United States, not to demonstrate our might, but to glorify God and to demonstrate the might of the Almighty.
This may seem like an unusual request coming from a journalist – and it is. But these are unusual times and we are experiencing unusual events. So it’s time for unusual people to do some unusual things.
Will you join me – all you unusual people out there? Will you get down on your knees and trust God to deliver Osama bin Laden and our other enemies into our hands this Sunday? I believe it can be that easy – if our hearts are pure and our prayers are sincere.
Let’s pray for another Oct. 7 miracle.
Don’t miss Joseph Farah’s exclusive report “Jihad in America” in the November issue of Whistleblower magazine, WorldNetDaily’s monthly offline publication. Order your subscription now.
