J. R. R. Tolkien is for us Catholics what C. S. Lewis is for protestants: a master story teller who reveals the truths of the Faith through allegory and just darn good tales! In his works on Middle Earth (which are far vaster than The Hobbit and Ring Trilogy), there is the enduring theme of "the long defeat." During the course of this defeat which runs through thousands of years, there are tales of individual heroes who kept faith and were able to perform mighty deeds as a result. There's a lot of thoughtful comfort in his works to be found alongside the pure entertainment of it. I was delighted when Catholic apologist Matt Fradd posted an excerpt from The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton Mifflin, 1981). Here are some snippets, for those who enjoy snippet-browsing: ---------------------------------------------------- "You speak of 'sagging faith', however. That is quite another matter. In the last resort faith is an act of will, inspired by love. ...
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