Ft. Longenecker on the Scouring of the Shire

"The last time I read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, it became clear just how deeply the work, as Tolkien admitted, was deeply Catholic. But those who are looking for a religious book will be disappointed. The Catholicism is embedded in Tolkien's classic at a deep level. It is in the depth of detail that Tolkien's Catholic imagination shines through.

"In the chapter in The Return of the King on the houses of Healing, there was so much there that sounded like the sacrament of confession. There was also so much richness to be mined from the horror and inner conflict of Gollum - who is, of course, a shadow of Frodo and a picture of what he would become if he gave in to the power of the Ring. 

"The Scouring of the Shire is the final chapter of the trilogy. The hobbits return home after their great quest and they find their beloved shire has been turned upside down by a kind of social revolution.

"The chapter illustrates Tolkien's assent to Catholic social teaching. The Shire, in its innocence, shows us the perfection of Catholic social teaching in which the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are working perfectly. The hobbits care for one another and respect the property of one another. They take pride in their families, their crafts and their work. Each one to his own gifts and reaping the just rewards of a job well done for its own sake. In the simple agrarian community they brew beer, run inns, farm, raise animals, marry, enjoy the land and enjoy one another."

In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Greenville, SC) reflected on the Shire's slipping into a "capitalistic and a socialistic nightmare," including its causes and effects, and ending with a warning to us.

To access Fr. Longenecker's complete post, please visit:

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Fr. Dwight Longenecker: The Scouring of the Shire (16 OCT 17)

Background information:

Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author