The trees will clap their hands.

The mountains and hills will sing praise to God; all the trees of the forest will clap their hands, for he is coming, the Lord of a kingdom that lasts forever, alleluia.

The Church, in The Liturgy of the Hours, offers us this beautiful antiphon for meditation on the First Sunday of Advent in the Year of Our Lord 2008. Yet there do exist persons who downplay the truth and beauty of Scriptures such as these, claiming they are just metaphorical, or even questioning the inerrancy of Scripture itself.

My friends, I ask you, “Why can’t we say that the trees clapped their hands (branches)?” Forget that irrational modern empiricism which says that only observable data can be true. Use your God-given imagination. How do you know that the trees weren’t able to clap when all was new and Adam, and with him all creation, was in the state of Original Justice? Were you there? It is definitive Church teaching that Adam sinned and as a result every human being was changed in a negative way. This change, or fall, was reflected in nature and all creation—including the trees. Perhaps before Adam sinned, they could clap, or maybe they were so alive with God’s creative power that they at least seemed to us to clap with joy as they did their movements completely in conjunction with a loving and almighty God. Face it: We are dull. We don’t fully comprehend reality and we don’t love God and neighbor as we ought, because we have a fallen (yet redeemed) nature. Furthermore, we are selfish and we don’t love as we ought. If we would only use our imagination and our heart along with our knowledge, then the world would be much better. We would see the trees clap their hands in obedience to an all-good, all-powerful Father. We would love our brother. We would see the redemption of all creation before our very eyes!

Yet we must not forget the second part of the antiphon. Wouldn’t it be right for the trees to clap for the righteous Adam? For then he was king of all creation—by God’s decree (Cf. Genesis 1). But if it was right for the trees to clap when Adam was righteous (in the state of Original Justice), then it is even more right for the trees to clap for the New Adam, the true King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, the King whom God the Father has anointed with the Holy Spirit.

Certainly, J.R.R. Tolkien would have agreed with all the above, for his Middle-earth was so much like the world of the Bible.

In Tolkien’s world, nothing in nature is dead but all is alive, so much so that modern readers will call this cosmos “magical”. A better word is “biblical”. In Tolkien’s cosmology, the earth as well as the heavens is not dumb but declares the glory of God” [Peter Kreeft, The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005) 85].

Give Thanks to God; Pray to End Abortion!

"The Dark Tower has fallen, and there is a king in Gondor." -Frodo Baggins

On this day when the people of the United States of America give thanks [hopefully] to God, it must be providential that the prayer of the Church, The Liturgy of the Hours, has Psalm 81, in which we proclaim God's fidelity and love for his people.

O that my people would heed me; that Israel would walk in my ways. At once I would subdue their foes, turn my hand against their enemies. . . . But Israel I would feed with the finest wheat and fill them with honey from the rock.

We can truly replace the word "Israel" with "America" or "the world's peoples" because, in establishing his Church, Jesus the Christ has extended the Covenant to all peoples. O, if only we would heed the Lord's voice and thus let Jesus and the Culture of Life reign in our hearts. Then our foes (Satan and his pro-death minions) would be subdued forever. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

St. Martin of Tours: Humble Hobbit Hero

A hobbit hero is small and lowly and considered not likely to do anything great in the eyes of the world. Yet the hobbit hero trusts in God, who makes him able to do great things. In Middle-earth, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are hobbit heroes. In our earth, hobbit heroes include the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Peter, St. Joan of Arc, St. Therese, St. Faustina, and many others. St. Martin of Tours was a hobbit hero. We find a moving account of his heroism in today's Office of Readings:

Martin knew in advance the time of his death and he told his brethren that it was near. Meanwhile, he found himself obliged to make a vistiation to the parish of Candes. The clergy of that church were quarreling, and he wished to reconcile them...
He spent some time in Candes, or rather in its church, where he stayed. Peace was restored, and he was planning to return to his monastery when suddenly he began to lose his strength. He summoned his brethren and told them he was dying. All who heard this were overcome with grief. In their sorrow they cried to him with one voice: "Father, why are you deserting us? Who will care for us when you are gone? Savage wolves will attack your flock, and who will save us from their bite when our shepherd is struck down? We know you long to be with Christ, but your reward is certain and will not be any less for being delayed. You will do better to show pity to us, rather than forsake us."
Thereupon he broke into tears, for he was a man in whom the compassion of our Lord was continually revealed. Turning to our Lord, he made this reply to their pleading: "Lord, if your people still need me, I am ready for the task; your will be done."
Here was a man words cannot describe. Death could not defeat him nor toil dismay him. He was quite without a preference of his own; he neither feared to die nor refused to live. With eyes and hands raised to heaven he never withdrew his unconquered spirit from prayer. It happened that some priests who had gathered at his bedside suggested that he should give his poor body some relief by lying on his other side. He answered: "Allow me, brothers, to look toward heaven rather than at the earth, so that my spirit may set on the right course when the time comes for me to go on my journey to the Lord." As he spoke these words, he saw the devil standing near. "Why do you stand there, you blood thirsty brute?" he cried. "Murderer, you will not have me for your prey. Abraham is welcoming me into his embrace."

With these words, he gave up his spirit to heaven. Filled with joy, Martin was welcomed by Abraham. Thus he left this life a poor and lowly man and entered heaven rich in God's favor. (-from a letter by Sulpicius Severus)

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.

What an extrordinary thing, I thought; though Tolkien makes never so much as a glancing reference to Jesus Christ in a single paragraph of all The Lord of the Rings thick volumes, His face is glimpsed on virtually every page. -Joseph Pearce

Morning Prayer: Monday Week One

God our Father, hear our morning prayer
and let the radiance of your love
scatter the gloom of our hearts.
The light of heaven's love has restored us to life:
free us from the desires that belong to darkness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
-The Liturgy of the Hours

My Jesus, I Trust In Thee.

For the sake
of His sorrowful passion,
have mercy on us
and on the whole world.

The "Good Thief" of Middle-earth

Boromir was a tragic hero. Indeed, his reputation among most fans of LOTR seems to have been tarnished unduly. Yet, his life begins and ends in love and honorable majesty. Let us honor this life. Gandalf, Aragorn, and the Hobbits certainly would have done so.
Yes, Boromir tried to take the Ring from Frodo. He nearly betrayed the Company and all Middle-earth to Sauron. That is indeed tragic. Yet, in justice, we must remember that he repented, saved the lives of Merry and Pippin, and died pledging his love and fealty to Aragorn, the true heir of Isildur and rightful claimant to the throne of the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor, which is virtually all of Middle-earth. "I would have followed you, my brother, my captain, my king!"

"Saint" Faramir: Brother of Boromir and Son of Denethor

When I first read in this paragraph about Faramir, I cried with joy and wonder! The tears welled up in my eyes. It's "a miracle" that my book didn't have major water damage inflicted upon it. For it seems that Faramir was just too good to be true! He truly is a "saint" in the world of Middle-earth. In fact, he and Aragorn are my two favorite Dunedain. ("Dunedain" means the Men of the West, whose ancestors came over the sea from Numenor.)

So time drew on to the War of the Ring, and the sons of Denethor grew to manhood. Boromir, five years the elder, beloved by his father, was like him in face and pride, but in little else. Rather he was a man after the sort of King Earnur of old, taking no wife and delighting chiefly in arms; fearless and strong, but caring little for lore, save the tales of old battles. Faramir the younger was like him in looks but otherwise in mind. He read the hearts of men as shrewdly as his father, but what he read moved him sooner to pity than to scorn. He was gentle in bearing, and a lover of lore and of music, and therefore by many in those days his courage was judged less than his brother's. But it was not so, except that he did not seek glory in danger without a purpose. He welcomes Gandalf at such times as he came to the city, and he learned what he could from his wisdom; and in this as in many other matters he displeased his father.

One cannot but be moved upon noticing the virtues of Faramir. He is intelligent--he has keen insight into the hearts of men--yet his intelligence (or wisdom) causes him to take pity or show mercy to others. In this, he fits well the major LOTR theme of pity. Yet more importantly, he resembles Christ Jesus, who "is meek and humble of heart" and who constantly has mercy and forgives our sins when we tell Him sincerely that we are sorry. People mistook Faramir's gentleness, mercy, love of lore (revered stories), and love of music for weakness. Yet when it was necessary to fight and defend all that is true and good in the world, Faramir was more courageous even than Boromir. Jesus, the Perfect Man, was gentle as any man can be, and his enemies mistook this for weakness. Yet Jesus was more courageous than anyone who ever walked the face of the earth when He offered Himself completely to the Father to ransom us from our sins and from slavery to the cruel dominion of Satan. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

The Return of the King

The Church is a fellowship, a company of friends on their way together to happiness, that is, to the beatific vision of God for all eternity--an eternity of total happiness at being with our Beloved. Friendship and love are an essential part of life. Indeed, as C.S. Lewis states, "To the Ancients, friendship was a form of love" (The Four Loves). And in Middle-earth, the two sons of Denethor had friendship and love for one another with great love--the pure love of brothers.

Yet between the brothers there was great love, and had been since childhood, when Boromir was the helper and protector of Faramir. No jealousy or rivalry had arisen between them since, for their father's favour or for the praise of men. It did not seem possible to Faramir that anyone in Gondor could rival Boromir, heir of Denethor, captain of the White Tower; and of like mind was Boromir. Yet it proved otherwise at the test. But of all that befell these three in the War of the Ring much is said elsewhere. And after the War the days of the Ruling Stewards came to an end; for the heir of Isildur and Anarion returned and the kingship was renewed, and the standard of the White Tree flew once more from the Tower of Ecthelion.

When the heir of Isildur and Anarion, King Elessar (Aragorn), returned, all the good Men of Middle-earth once again lived as brothers, like Boromir and Faramir, and others of the Edain (men) who had lived during the three past Ages of Middle-earth. No doubt it will be the same when our King returns to Earth, He of whom King Elessar is but a faint shadow. Or, as Gimli was fond of saying, it will be "even better'! Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Prayer for Monday: Week One

God our Father, hear our morning prayer
and let the radiance of your love
scatter the gloom of our hearts.
The light of heaven's love has restored us to life:
free us from the desires that belong to darkness.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
-The Liturgy of the Hours

Why Are Hobbit Holes So Large?

The Dunadan(my pen name) holds that the essential thought of Tolkien is Catholic, consonant with Scripture, and pro-life. Hobbit holes are large. Why? They are large because Hobbits have large families with many wonderful Hobbit children! They need plenty of room. Take, for instance, the home and the family of the perennial Hobbit, Samwise Gamgee. As Frodo and the three other Hobbits of the Fellowship travel to the Grey Havens, Sam finds out that Frodo will not be returning, and he objects:
“But,” said Sam, and tears started in his eyes, “I thought you were going to enjoy the Shire, too, for years and years, after all you have done” [J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King (New York: Ballantine Books, 1994) 337-338].
Then Frodo consoles Sam with the following words, words that illustrate the love of the Hobbits for family, life, and children.
“I thought so too, once. But I have been too deeply hurt, Sam. I tried to save the Shire, and it has been saved, but not for me. It must often be so, Sam, when things are in danger: some one has to give them up, lose them, so that others may keep them. But you are my heir: all that I have and might have had I leave to you. And also you have Rose and Elanor; and Frodo-lad will come, and Rosie-lass, and Merry, and Goldilocks, and Pippin, and perhaps more that I cannot see.” [Ibid., 338]
Here Frodo is reminding Sam of the joy that he will have in his family, because he and his wife, Rose, were generous in having children. In their married love for one another, they were open to the transmission of human life, and so God gave them the wonderful gift of children. This is an essential part of the natural law that God wrote into our hearts (into our nature) when He created us. Sam and Rose already have one child, Elanor. They will have at least five more, whose names will be Frodo, Rosie, Merry, Goldilocks, and Pippin. Thus, they will have at least six children and truly will live happily ever after.
My friends, the story of Samwise and Rose Gamgee need not be a mere fairy-tale. Such can be our life and happiness as long as we live according to the natural law – as long as we live our lives in a way that is consistent with our nature as God created us. Children are a gift from the Lord!

Addendum to Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Please accept my apology: In my post on the Gospel for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, I forgot to mention one thing: exactly how the Pharisees had planned to trap Jesus in His speech. This is explained very well in a footnote from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: "The collaboration of the Pharisees and the Herodians--representing opposite political views--reveals the extreme measures taken to eliminate Jesus (cf. 12:14, 26:4). Their strategy was to trap him, if Jesus opposed the tax, the Herodians could charge him with treason for instigating a tax revolt against Rome. If Jesus approved it, the Pharisees would charge him as unfaithful to Judaism and its hopes of national independence" [Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, IGNATIUS Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of MATTHEW (San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2000) 56]. The opposing political views of the Pharisees' disciples and the Herodians are as follows: The disciples of the Pharisees were Jewish nationalists who were opposed to Rome's occupation of and rule over Palestine. The Herodians, on the other hand, were supporters of Roman rule and were sympathetic to the Herodian dynasty. Jesus answered in a manner that left both sides astounded. Observing this, we say with the Church Fathers: "O happy fault that won for us so great a Redeemer!"

Go White Rider!

Whenever I see Jesus getting out of the trap and turning the tables on His adversaries, I want to cheer for him. I feel like Pippin in The Return of the King when he says of Gandalf driving away the Nazgul and saving the life of Faramir: "Go, White Rider!" If you are a fan of Tolkien and have read The Return of the King or--better yet--listened to the Recorded Books version, then it is very likely that you know what I mean. Pippin has the greatest admiration for, dependency on, and love of Gandalf. (Gandalf is a Christ-figure.) I have the same "sentiments" toward my Savior, Jesus the Christ. My brethren in Jesus, I think that you do, too! Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's readings are remarkable! This is particularly true of the first reading and the Gospel. First reading (Isaiah 45:1,4-6): At this time in salvation history, by God's consequent will, Cyrus is the ruler of the earthly world. For the sake of his chosen people, Israel, the Lord reveals to Cyrus that He is the one, true, almighty God--the only God! Yet Cyrus is a pagan ruler! Two conclusions: 1) Our Lord is in control of the universe and all of human history, no matter how dark things may appear on the surface. He can use anyone to accomplish his plan. 2) The Lord's salvific love is universal. He loves Israel his chosen and the Gentiles as well (that's everyone). He desires that everyone be saved. Indeed, He died on the Cross for them.
The Gospel (Matthew 22:15-21): The Pharisees and the Herodians, who are usually at odds with each other, join forces in an attempt "to entrap Jesus in speech." Yet Jesus is much smarter than they and will not be trapped by their malicious devices. Oh, the majesty of the true King, the King of Kings, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who--referring to the coin of the tribute--very calmly tells these plotters: "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They reply, "Caesar's." Then Jesus says to them: "Then render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but render unto God what belongs to God." And what it that above all belongs to God? Man, human beings, people--you and I! John Paul the Great made this point many times during his pontificate. Jesus is indubitably concerned for us, for our real happiness, that is, our salvation, our ultimate union with our true Lover--Jesus Himself, the eternal God, trinity in unity. Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Was Saint Luke a Hobbit?

Through Saint Luke God gave us two beautiful canticles: The Magnificat and The Benedictus. The Magnificat is the Blessed Virgin Mary's prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. The Benedictus is Zachary's prayer of thanksgiving for John the Baptist and for Jesus, whose very name means "Saviour."

In The Magnificat, Mary says that God "has looked upon his lowly servant." Weren't the hobbits small and humble and lowly? "He has scattered the proud in their conceit." Saruman was defeated by the humble and lowly of Middle-earth and his Uruk-Hai were scattered by the bright light from Gandalf and the valiant, self-less fighting of Aragon, Theoden,and the Men of Rohan. "He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly." Once the Ring had fallen into the Crack of Doom, Sauron came toppling off his throne to become a merely a foul spirit, ever gnawing itself in the dark, never more to take bodily form, with his orcs dispersing like ants awaiting the foot of a man, and the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were exalted at the coronation of King Elessar. "He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty." Jesus feeds the Catholic Christians who hunger for his love with the Bread and Wine of Life, his very own Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, while unrepentant sinners can get no grace and nourishment from this wonderful sacrament. The starving and afflicted hobbits, especially Frodo and Sam are fed with the life-renewing Lembas (bread-like prefigurement of the Holy Eucharist), while the orcs go hungry because they cannot eat such good, wholesome food. They don't like it!
In The Benedictus, Zachary said, "In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace." The ancient Israelites and indeed all the world dwelt in darkness as they awaited the coming of the Messiah King, the Anointed of God, Jesus the Christ. It is significant that in Old Covenant times, before God-Incarnate was born and walked the earth, there were many more diabolic possessions than there are now under the New Covenant. The world was dominated by the Prince of Darkness. Now the world has been redeemed by the Prince of Light, the truly Tender and Compassionate One. Satan has less sway. The Light has entered. The Dawn has come. Death shall be no more. During the Third Age, the people of Middle-earth dwelt in darkness and under the shadow that spread from Mordor, but they were saved from the darkness once the One Ring to Rule Them All had fallen into the Crack of Doom and been unmade.

Feast of Saint Luke, Apostle and Evangelist

The Gospel according to Saint Luke is the Gospel of Mercy and the Gospel of Blessed Mary Ever Virgin. It has the Annunciation and the Infancy narratives. It has two beautiful canticles (songs): The Benedictus and the Magnificat. It also has the Prodigal Son, the Lost Sheep, and many other beautiful parables of God's mercy. My Jesus, I trust in thee.

October 17: Ignatius, Bishop and Martyr

"I am God's wheat and shall be ground by [the animals'] teeth so that I may become Christ's pure bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God. . . . He who died in the place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God."
Saint Ignatius was a successor of Saint Peter as bishop of Antioch. Condemned to death by being thrown to wild animals, he was brought to Rome for execution and was martyred under the Emperor Trajan in 107. On the journey to Rome he wrote seven letters to different churches. The above quotation is from one of those letters: a letter to the Romans by Saint Ignatius, bishop and martyr.
(Quotation and explanation taken from The Liturgy of the Hours for Oct. 17.)

"Men of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! . . ." -Aragorn, speech before the Black Gate of Mordor

October 16: Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Apostle of the Sacred Heart

"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much . . ." - Our Lord Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

My Jesus, I trust in thee.

"It [the Ring] is mine, isn't it, I found it, and Gollum would have killed me, if I hadn't kept it. I'm not thief, whatever he said."
"I have never called you one," Gandalf answered. "And I am not one either. I am not trying to rob you, but to help you. I wish you would trust me, as you used." He turned away, and the shadow passed. He seemed to dwindle again to an old grey man, bent and troubled.

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (New York: Ballantine Books, 1994) 36.

Jesus the Christ: Our True Friend (by Saint Teresa, Feastday: Oct. 15)

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. -Saint Teresa of Avila (Feastday: October 15)

"If by [my] life or death I can save you, I will." -Aragorn in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

May the Lord be with you!

Hello Father Luis Luna and Father Michel Legault! Please have a pleasant and safe trip to Montreal. May our Lord Jesus and His Mother Mary send the angels to protect you!

The Shepherd Gives His Life for the Sheep

Aragorn is the chief of the Dunedain and of the Rangers who protect the Shire (where the Hobbits live) and all Middle-earth. As Strider the Ranger, he protects, helps, and cares for the Four Hobbits: Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. He is a good shepherd to them. Indeed, we can say that he is a prefigurement (or type) of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Furthermore, as Aragorn, he is a prefigurement of Christ the King, the King who gives His life so that you and I will use our free will to choose to love Him and our brethren for love of Him. He died to save us from slavery to sin and Satan.

Decoy and Sacrifice by the Captains of the West

Contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus should fill my heart and your heart with gratitude and love for Him. Contemplation of such love should make us repent and resolve never to sin again, because our sins caused Him so much suffering. This change of life can and does happen through right use of the sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession) and Holy Communion.
Sacrifice is a very important theme in LOTR. Frodo is a Christ figure pointing to Christ as Priest. Aragorn points to Christ as King; yet even as King, Christ sacrifices Himself. In LOTR, the Captains of the West are ready to sacrifice themselves to give Frodo his one chance to destroy the Ring.

Jesus' Face on Every Page of LOTR

In the introduction to The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien stated that he disliked allegory and intended simply to write an engaging story. Yet his story is decidedly Christian and Catholic because his mind is so close to the Mind that authored the Christian story (Cf. Kreeft, The Philosophy of Tolkien). Indeed, C.S. Lewis says that this story will make you cry. Please hear Lewis’ declaration with the words of Gandalf in mind: “I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
Yet there is a very down-to-earth, close-to-home reason why J.R.R. Tolkien became – by the grace of God – a good Catholic. After the death of her husband, Mabel Tolkien became very serious about Christianity and, in June of 1900, she was received into the Catholic Church. Thus she and her sons converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism. “So it was that J.R.R. Tolkien, at the age of eight, became a child convert. Thereafter, he always remained a resolute Catholic, a fact which influenced profoundly the direction of his life.”
J.R.R. Tolkien’s mother underwent much persecution and suffering in order to become Catholic, stay Catholic, and raise her children in the one true Faith.
“Tolkien always considered his mother a martyr for the faith.” Yet like all martyrs and like Christ, her death meant life for the Church. Indeed, her martyrdom was a seed that died and went into the ground soon to rise and blossom in the life and writings of her son John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. It is no wonder that Joseph Pearce can make the following observation:
What an extraordinary thing, I thought; though Tolkien makes never so much as a glancing reference to Jesus Christ in a single paragraph of all The Lord of the Rings’ thick volumes, His face is glimpsed on virtually every page.