Fr. Longenecker on Holy Saturday and the Lord of the Rings

"One of Catholicism's greatest contributions is the great artists it has produced. I have written elsewhere about how the deeply incarnation and sacramental vision of Catholicism helps to inspire art that works at a deeper level than anything the world (and non Catholic Christians) can produce. . . .

"J.R.R.Tolkien wove his Catholicism into The Lord of the Rings at the deepest of levels. . . .

"In Tolkien’s Middle Earth the characters work through the same themes of good and evil, death and resurrection, bondage and redemption, pity and blame - but they do so in their own world and in their own way.

"The Catholic themes are hidden. There is no Eucharist, but there is lemabas - the wondrous Elven way bread. There is no single Christ figure, but several characters evidence Christ-like features and echo the earthly redemption story.

"One of my favorite examples of this is Strider-Aragorn going through the realm of the dead, and bringing the forgotten warriors with him to fight another day and for a better cause. . . .

"The dead are imprisoned in the dark lands until the king can come at last, fulfill the prophecy and bring them into the light of day.

"Without a knowledge of the traditional Catholic teaching about Holy Saturday the Christian meaning might be lost on us."

In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Greenville, SC) reflected on the connection between The Lord of the Rings and Holy Saturday.

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

Fr. Dwight Longenecker: Holy Saturday and Lord of the Rings (3 APR 21)

Background information:

Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author