All in Tolkien & Catholicism
Because our community is one inspired by the works and faith of J.R.R. Tolkien, I often receive messages from folks interested in learning more about how Catholicism influenced his worldview and writings. I’ve created this page in hopes that it will be a helpful resource in this regard. I will be occasionally adding to this list as I come across new resources, so please add a comment below if you are aware of any that I’ve missed.
In the opening chapter of Tolkien’s The Two Towers, Aragorn rushes to find Boromir after hearing the desperate calls of his horn. Upon finding him, however, he realizes he has come too late: Boromir has been pierced with many orc arrows and now lays dying. What follows is a beautiful, yet painful account of repentance and forgiveness held within Boromir’s final moments, reminiscent of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“The Resurrection was the greatest ‘eucatastrophe’ possible in the greatest Fairy Story–and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love.” - JRR Tolkien
As a Middle-earth aficionado, I have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. Currently, I am navigating the land of Beleriand as I am reading The Children of Húrin. While these books are creative and profound, my personal favorite Tolkien work [so far this may be subject to change!] does not take place in a mythic land or through the medium of an epic adventure tale. Instead, a short story published in 1945 wins my personal Pulitzer. Leaf by Niggle does not follow hobbits, elves, dwarves, or contain any sinister evil such as Sauron or Morgoth. Instead, the plots details of a simple painter’s journey in the afterlife.
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, a compilation of letters written by Tolkien to different members of his family, his friends, editors, colleagues, and fans offers a glimpse into Tolkien’s writing process, his personal life, and in particular — his faith.
Today I wanted to share a passage from one of these letters in which he recommends several prayers to his son Christopher…
It comes as no surprise that Tolkien, being both devoted to his Catholic faith and the study of language, found a way to combine his two passions — by translating several prayers into Quenya. Almost enough to pray an entire Rosary if you wanted to.
After carrying it as his own for sixty years, Bilbo has felt the weight and the slow-changing power of the One Ring. As he celebrates his Eleventy-first birthday, he has not aged visibly since he was fifty -- an effect of the Ring that leaves his friends and relatives puzzled (and envious).
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.
Holy Saturday, the still in-between of such great sorrow and the greatest joy, has always been a quiet mystery to me. Jesus is dead, buried in His tomb. His mother is broken hearted, as are his Apostles and friends. A hush has fallen upon the earliest of Christians, one that they may perceive as the end of all things. And even still today, we might fall into despair.
Tolkien's profound love for Our Lord is nestled in nearly everything he wrote. And today as we remember Christ's Crucifixion, this simple reflection of Christ in Frodo's "I'm thirsty, Sam" guided me down such a beautiful path to Christ that I couldn't help but share it with you.
On this Holy Thursday, Catholics celebrate Christ’s institution of the Eucharist, or the Last Supper as it is commonly referred to. Tolkien himself held a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, which Catholics believe to be the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Tolkien spoke of the Eucharist many times throughout his Letters.
In honor of this blessed Holy Thursday, I wanted spend a bit of time today in reflection on the Eucharist. And as this is a community inspired by the life and works of Tolkien, it felt appropriate to look at the influence of the Eucharist on Tolkien's life, his letters, and his fictional works.
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.
