War-torn as modern Israel and Gaza are today, there's much to learn from the region's equally war-torn history, the parochial administrator at parishes in Kingman and Dolan Springs said in a recent bulletin column.

Parochial Administrator Fr. Victor Yakubu delved into that history following news media reports about "the endless skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza," he said in his column published in the Aug. 16 bulletin of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Kingman. He read a book about the Middle East's history and studied the rise and fall of empires, sultanates, caliphates and khanates.

"We cannot continue to live in the past since the age of the enlightenment is here," Yakuba said. "Nations of the world embrace literacy and scientific developments to their problems."

Yakubu became parochial administrator of St. Mary Parish in Kingman and Our Lady of the Desert in Dolan Springs, following his appointment by the Diocese of Phoenix in April.

"The Christian era in Jerusalem from 33 AD" was a period not of war but of "reconciliation of peoples and seeking the lost sheep of the house of Israel; the Gentiles and displaced Jews, of course," Yakuba said in his column.

Every person's right to choose the kind of life they live is a gift from God, Yakuba said.

"We can choose to be at war all our days and not enjoy the opportunities given to us by God," Yakuba stated. "Additionally, we can choose to unite the lost sheep of the house of Israel by abandoning ghosts of ancient conquests of a land that we refuse to respect. Our message should be clear, that though empires come and go, or khanates come and go, what remains is the land which great men have fought to acquire."