The month of November has traditionally been dedicated in the Catholic Church those who has gone before us in the Church. With November 1st being the Solemnity of All Saints and November 2nd being All Souls Day, there has long been a mindset in the Church to “remember your death” or momento mori. Here are […]
7 Ways to Better Appreciate November Read More »
Tolkien’s Love for the Eucharist J.R.R. Tolkien’s emphatic Catholicism pervades many of his works, especially his strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament or the Eucharist. Catholics believe the Eucharist to be Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Tolkien reveals his great love and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament in a letter written to his
Food for the Journey: the Lembas of the Saints Read More »
“…and in the darkness, bind them…” So ends the haunting poem that wraps itself around the ring of power in the Lord of the Rings series, the one ring upon which all the fates of the members of the Fellowship, and the fate of all Middle Earth, is so bound. It is not just dramatically
Religion, rings and the ties that bind… Read More »
The works of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien have fascinated the world of fiction and fantasy since the publication of The Hobbit, followed by his monumental The Lord of the Rings. Since then, a trilogy of movies has been made for both of these books as well as numerous games and a recent controversial TV show
How Catholicism Influenced the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien Read More »
Whenever one treats Gandalf as a “Christ-figure” in The Lord of the Rings, they often point out his sacrificial death on the bridge of Khazad-Dûm and his resurrection as Gandalf the White. There are, however, many other parallels between Gandalf and Jesus. There are also parallels between Gandalf’s mission and the ministry of priests. Incarnation
Gandalf as a priestly Christ figure Read More »
Throughout much of Tolkien’s legendarium, there are many women who can be seen as representing the Blessed Virgin Mary. These characters include Arwen, the daughter of Elrond; Eowyn the niece of Théoden, king of Rohan; Galadriel the queen of Lothlórien, and Lúthien the wife of Beren of whom great tales are told in The Silmarillion.
Is Tolkien’s “Varda” the best representation of Mary in Middle-Earth? Read More »
October 13 is the anniversary of the “day that the Sun danced.” In 1917, having promised a miracle at end of her apparitions to Sts. Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their older cousin Lucia dos Santos, Our Lady delivered the Miracle of the Sun, which was the miracle witnessed by the most people since Biblical
Aragorn, St. Edward and the healing hands of the king Read More »
Though intended for a juvenile audience, with an extra dollop of whimsy mingled with eucatastrophic reality, The Hobbit presents an adventure whose protagonist is motivated by moral reasoning, rather than by hubris. Thrust into an unforgiving and unknown landscape, Bilbo Baggins gets perhaps a bit full of himself when he realizes, once he’s got the
How Smaug the Dragon reflects the Serpent in the Garden Read More »
One of the most intriguing aspects of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is his choice of the ring bearer. Tolkien had many characters to choose from, especially among the Fellowship. There was Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, an elf prince and skilled warrior, and even Gandalf a wizard
Hobbits, and how God uses the “small” and “insignificant” for his plans Read More »
J.R.R. Tolkien began The Lord of the Rings as a sequel to his smash-hit fantasy novel The Hobbit. The new book soon took on a life of its own, becoming one of the few sequels to surpass its predecessor, showcasing Tolkien’s remarkable talent for inventing languages and fictional histories (what fantasy writers today would call
Tolkien’s abandoned sequel to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Read More »
