Damn - this is insane. Sounds like tolkein made your decision for you ; ) but seriously…. This is such a great primer on metaphysics! So provocative… I can tell you made it back to the woods where you told your best stories.
Glad you entered the Tolkien- Lewis space, perhaps fray. I give personal credit to Lewis for getting me past my intellect, surprisingly with only a couple parts of Mere Christianity which to be honest I never finished. And the ahah moment derived from Screwtape I return to again and again. But I agree that I would take Lewis into a debate, and Tolkien to a war, or a chivalric quest for woman or self sacrifice. I love CS and he was on his way, but I would not take a symbol over Body and Blood.
Gina read a Tolkien quote to me today before we listened to your essay. I will share that:
"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 on 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, p. 119
With Tolkien I would expect to find assistance from saints and acceptance of failure only to be graced by eucatastrophic rescue. In this life or our next.
Happy to hear you have a thriving parish out there. Greetings from Corpus, which is as you know is without a building and yet not without a body.
Next up I would love when you return again to JRR for your take on two distinct subjects-
1. Tom Bombadil
2. The scouring of the Shire
Maybe they are not so distinct. Please let me know
I would argue that CS Lewis’s best novel is Til We Have Faces, which people hardly ever seem to talk about. The ancient setting feels more grounded than anything else he ever wrote.
This made me think about the Latter-Day Saints conception of hell. Their worst destination for your soul is not fire and brimstone, but the 'outer darkness'. Hadn't considered how similar that description is to literal space. Interesting especially because I assume that doctrine was developed before Lewis wrote his take.
Damn - this is insane. Sounds like tolkein made your decision for you ; ) but seriously…. This is such a great primer on metaphysics! So provocative… I can tell you made it back to the woods where you told your best stories.
Glad you entered the Tolkien- Lewis space, perhaps fray. I give personal credit to Lewis for getting me past my intellect, surprisingly with only a couple parts of Mere Christianity which to be honest I never finished. And the ahah moment derived from Screwtape I return to again and again. But I agree that I would take Lewis into a debate, and Tolkien to a war, or a chivalric quest for woman or self sacrifice. I love CS and he was on his way, but I would not take a symbol over Body and Blood.
Gina read a Tolkien quote to me today before we listened to your essay. I will share that:
"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 on 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, p. 119
With Tolkien I would expect to find assistance from saints and acceptance of failure only to be graced by eucatastrophic rescue. In this life or our next.
Happy to hear you have a thriving parish out there. Greetings from Corpus, which is as you know is without a building and yet not without a body.
Next up I would love when you return again to JRR for your take on two distinct subjects-
1. Tom Bombadil
2. The scouring of the Shire
Maybe they are not so distinct. Please let me know
Clark
Great read, and a killer final thought! Orienting ourselves toward the Good—that way is up!
I would argue that CS Lewis’s best novel is Til We Have Faces, which people hardly ever seem to talk about. The ancient setting feels more grounded than anything else he ever wrote.
This made me think about the Latter-Day Saints conception of hell. Their worst destination for your soul is not fire and brimstone, but the 'outer darkness'. Hadn't considered how similar that description is to literal space. Interesting especially because I assume that doctrine was developed before Lewis wrote his take.
I enjoyed reading this, thank you for writing it!