J.R.R. Tolkien on the Sacrament
"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament...There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: Death - by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires."-J.R.R. Tolkien, letter to Michael Tolkien 6-8 March 1941;
from Letters of JRR Tolkien (1981), p. 53-54
Labels: Quotes, Sacraments, Tolkien, Witness of the Saints
posted by Rev. Daniel McLain Hixon at 9/23/2010
3 Comments:
Very good!
I think I'll point my readers to this post!
Todd+
Beautiful.
St. John Vianney says something similarly exalted:
"All the good works in the world are not equal to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because they are the works of men; but the Mass is the work of God. Martyrdom is nothing in comparison for it is but the sacrifice of man to God; but the Mass is the sacrifice of God for man."
Although this would be hard for most Protestants to understand, when we realize that the Mass is nothing other than a re-presentation of Christ's cross and resurrection, it makes perfect sense. So Tolkein is absolutely right to say that this is the "one great thing to love on earth."
By the way, that last comment was from me. I'm really enjoying your site! Peace, Chris
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