{"id":2230,"date":"2021-06-27T13:29:27","date_gmt":"2021-06-27T17:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/?p=2230"},"modified":"2021-06-27T13:31:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T17:31:01","slug":"a-catholic-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/a-catholic-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"A Catholic Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u2018The Lord of the Rings\u2019: A Catholic journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leonard J. DeLorenzo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 576,459 words in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d trilogy \u2014 far too few to contain all that is revealed therein. In his review of the first volume of the three-volume series, C.S. Lewis likened the tale to \u201clightning from a clear sky \u2026 [with] beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron \u2026 a book that will break your heart\u201d (\u201cOn Stories: And Other Essays on Literature\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We might not consider ourselves the kind of people who need any more heartbreak, let alone the kind of people who have the time to read so many words for the sake of heartbreak. And yet, the heartbreak of which Lewis speaks is healing, restorative and perhaps even necessary, especially in times such as ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would it be fair to say that, in our times, the powers of the world appear ever on the rise, hope is rather scarce, those who discern patiently and exercise responsibility are few and far between, and the meek continue to be trampled underfoot? Has not a prevailing sense of gloom fallen upon our world? Do we not yearn for a happiness we have forgotten or not yet known?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Lewis noted in his friend J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s masterpiece, in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d we are plunged into a darkening world with characters submerged in anguish. But their anguish is of those who desire more than the inevitable doom thrust upon them. They set out on a journey against all odds. And yet, when we have seen them through all their travels and travails across 576,459 words, we, like them, \u201creturn to our own life not relaxed but fortified,\u201d as Lewis wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Sunday Visitor . OSV Website<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018The Lord of the Rings\u2019: A Catholic journey Leonard J. DeLorenzo There are 576,459 words in \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d trilogy \u2014 far too few to contain all that is revealed therein. In his review of the first volume of the three-volume series, C.S. Lewis likened the tale to \u201clightning from a clear sky […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spiritual-practices","category-spiritual-reflections"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bfMR-zY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5512,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-reflections\/a-journey-of-renewal\/","url_meta":{"origin":2230,"position":0},"title":"A Journey of Renewal","author":"monks4christ","date":"November 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u2018The Lord of the Rings\u2019: A Catholic journey C.S. Lewis likened the tale ( Lord of the Rings ) to \u201clightning from a clear sky \u2026 with beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Would it be fair to say that, in our times, the powers of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Evangelization"","block_context":{"text":"New Evangelization","link":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/category\/new-evangelization\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Frodo2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Frodo2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Frodo2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Frodo2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2102,"url":"https:\/\/www.fatherboniface.org\/wordpresshome\/spiritual-practices\/the-joy-of-being-catholic\/","url_meta":{"origin":2230,"position":1},"title":"the Joy of being Catholic","author":"monks4christ","date":"May 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Paul Street Evangelization The following report comes to us from team leader Ed with our team in Sierra Vista, AZ: On Saturday, May 1, after being consecrated to St. Joseph, and after Mass celebration we drove down to Tombstone to evangelize. 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