Forsaken Land

So far, this has been the bleakest Christmas season of my life. Granted, I'm still quite young but I'm finding myself struggling to find joy yet this season. So, I need something encouraging today.

“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tower high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”

This is one of my most favorite moments in The Lord of the Rings. We are Sam, trapped in a shadow covered, forsaken land. Sometimes it feels as if there is no hope. But above that shadow is beauty and goodness. The road ahead is very dark, and we need to continually remind ourselves that this "forsaken land" is not our home.


 Nai Eru lye mánata!

Monday Inspiration

I hate Mondays. In fact, I think I hate them as much as Garfield.

So, here's some inspirational speeches to get you and me through the work week. :)

 Nai Eru lye mánata!

Thoughts: The Philosophy of Tolkien

"From the premise that Christianity is true it follows that the far-off glimpse of joy produced by fantasy is a glimpse of truth; that a great eucatastrophic tale like The Lord of the Rings is a gift of divine grace, an opening of the curtain that veils Heaven to earthly eyes, a tiny telepathic contact with the Mind of God."

With The Philosophy of Tolkien, Peter Kreeft sets out to write a concordance, of sorts, of the philosophical themes in LotR. He draws from Tolkien's own letters and writing, C.S. Lewis, and other sources (G.K. Chesterton for example) to expound upon these philosophical ideas. 

I have no complaints regarding the content of the book. Kreeft gets it. But therein, I think, lies the problem (or at least my problem) with this book. Having someone explain to you why you love The Lord of the Rings can feel a bit invasive. There is such depth of joy, sorrow, and longing for something more in LotR, and if you get it, you get it, and you do not need someone to tell you that is why you love it. 

That being said, I still highly recommend this book!! :) 


Nai Eru lye mánata!

First Love

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

-C.S. Lewis

In the days leading up to Easter Vigil, I have been thinking over what has brought me to this point in my life. How did I get here? It is journey whose foundations were laid as far back as the very first time I saw the animated Redwall series on PBS.

              

I still get goose bumps when I hear that opening music.

Because of the TV show, I picked up the first Redwall book and that was my first love. My young mind was utterly entranced by the adventure, the battles between good and evil, and the peace and joy of Redwall Abbey.

 It was only recently that I discovered that Brian Jacques was Catholic, though that fact did not surprise me (the stories are set in an Abbey afterall!). I do not know how devout Jacques was, but I do know that Catholicism affected his writing. There is no obvious religion within the stories, despite the Abbey, places with names such as St. Ninian’s, etc., etc. Language is a powerful thing and the language in Redwall laid the foundation in my young mind to love the beauty of the Catholic Church, though I could not have known it at the time. I was putting monks and religious orders in my own writing long before I even considered looking into the Catholic faith.

Not long after reading Redwall, I would read C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. I was firmly lost to a love of story and fantasy after that. In fact, I think it is safe to say that I was lost to the Catholic Church after reading The Lord of the Rings. I would not know it until much later, though.

I highly recommend Brian Jacques’ Redwall series for kids from about the ages of 8 to 14. Or, if you are an adult who is old enough to begin reading fairy tales again, perhaps you should pick it up for yourself.  

 Nai Eru lye mánata!