You know it’s funny you say that, but I felt the same forces at work at her announcement as I do for this one.
Namely, that the Enemy has been unchained for a little while, and that God is calling His elect not to rest their confidence in the poor things of this world but to look with hope to Eternity.
The world is being judged, and the Church is being prepared. It may not be the last judgment, but we need to prepare all the same.
I’d imagine that all the Cardinals in the world gathered to Rome to elect the next Pope would be a target the Jihadists would dream about attacking and attempting to annihilate. Think of the implications...
Yesterday’s opening prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time strikes me as appropriate for this moment:
Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.