1. First and foremost; today’s the feast of Bl. Karl of Austria, whose prayers we desperately need today as the wreckage of Christendom spirals ever more wildly out of control. Just learned of a quote of his that has immediately become one of my favorites: “We are bearers of culture even in the land of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Bl. Karl, Lasik, Tolkien, and Anime
Lord of the Rings
Masterful Heroes
I was trying to decide what made the hero in The Monster Men feel different from most other fictional heroes I’d encountered recently and I realized that it was a quality of masterfulness. Without spoiling too much, Number 13 is not only able to engage small armies of pirates in pursuit of his heart’s idol, … Continue reading Masterful Heroes
Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
1. I have been reading the letters of Professor Tolkien lately, mostly straight through, though sometimes jumping about when I want to find his views on something specific. Mostly I read it because I enjoy his company, as it were, and I feel as though I am getting to know him personally as a man. … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Professor Tolkien and Related(?) Matters
Feast of the Annunciation
"But in Gondor the New Year will always now begin upon the twenty-fifth of March when Sauron fell, and when you were brought out of the fire to the King."-The Return of the King "Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum."
Tolkien’s Songs
This young lady has some of the best renditions of Tolkien's songs that I've ever heard. Not only does she have a lovely voice, but she puts just the right emotion and just the right tone into the music that brings out their poetic beauty and sense of longing and antiquity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZnPlBOZOvs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn1oeEmzFhQ … Continue reading Tolkien’s Songs
Living in Interesting Times at Catholic Match
I missed that this piece went up a few days ago: talking about how to live in "Interesting Times." I get to quote "Lord of the Rings" a lot in this one: The first thing we ought to get clear right from the start is this: our circumstances are nothing new. Certainly the specifics are … Continue reading Living in Interesting Times at Catholic Match
Serpent's Den 