Mar 22

Mar 22 Why Middle-earth Matters: 11 Reasons You Should Be Reading Tolkien

JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are widely regarded as two of the greatest works of fiction of modern time. Over 150 million copies of The Lord of the Rings, and 100 million copies of The Hobbit have been sold worldwide (and this statistic hasn’t been updated in years, so it’s even been far more than this!). Tolkien's Middle-Earth is epic in every sense. He breathes life into Middle-Earth, writing as if he were recounting both history and legend, and draws us into a world that feels more real than our own. Millions have fallen in love with Tolkien's work and with good reason.

Apr 24

Apr 24 Book Review: The Messiah Comes to Middle-Earth by Philip Ryken

Kaitlyn Facista

Tolkien & Catholicism, Book & Gift Recommendations

In The Messiah Comes to Middle-Earth, Philip Ryken reflects on the three-fold offices of Christ as Priest, Prophet, and King as they are echoed in the characters of Gandalf, Frodo (and Sam), and Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. The book is comprised of three lectures given by Ryken, as well as a response to each lecture.

Apr 11

Apr 11 At Home in Middle-Earth: The Heroism of Life-Saving Hospitality

Kaitlyn Facista

Tolkien & Catholicism, Living Like a Hobbit

To the man who wrote of quaint hobbit-holes and grand kingdom halls, friendship and hospitality were valued in a heroic sense. He is often quoted, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” And oh, how true it is.

Apr 4

Apr 4 At Home in Middle-Earth: Becoming Strongholds of Goodness

Kaitlyn Facista

Tolkien & Catholicism

This quote has been stuck in my head for some time now (as I'm sure you've noticed since I write about it so often), and it's come to mean quite a lot to me. It's the kind of quote I'd like to paint across a giant canvas and hang above the entry way of my home. Evil things do not come into this home…

Mar 21

Mar 21 The Ring & The Cross: Why March 25th is The Most Important Date of all History

Kaitlyn Facista

Tolkien & Catholicism

Tolkien created Middle-earth with painstaking detail and wove importance and meaning into nearly every page of The Lord of the Rings — and the dates of important events are no exception. Chiefly, March 25th marks the date when the One Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. Being the most important event of The Lord of the Rings, this date is sure to hold some significance, don’t you suppose?

Feb 26

Feb 26 How Tolkien's Middle-Earth Introduced Me to Catholicism

Kaitlyn Facista

Tolkien & Catholicism

Christianity is so thoroughly woven into every aspect of The Lord of the Rings; it must have been written, I had decided, by someone who was thoroughly steeped in Christian truth. I had known he was a Christian, or assumed as much given his themes of redemption and his Christ-like characters. But I had assumed, like me, he was a Protestant Christian.

Feb 16

Feb 16 Why Middle-Earth Matters: 11 Reasons You Should Be Reading Tolkien

Kaitlyn Facista

Reading Tolkien