Our disciplines generally follow the course of the year, especially the liturgical seasons. During summer, we seek to embrace leisure, making use of vacation time and opportunities to be with family.
The Return of the King challenge builds upon the imaginative vision of J.R.R. Tolkien, led by our spiritual guide, Joseph Pearce. Combined with our discipline of reading ten pages, it provides an excellent opportunity to read Tolkien’s famous works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Though known as popular works of fantasy, Tolkien’s vision is rooted deeply in his Catholic faith. He created a modern myth that speaks to the great challenges our culture faces and also the hope that remains for the humble. The quest to destroy the ring, led by simple hobbits, relates to our own journey at Exodus 90 as we battle against sin and vice. Though Sauron seems invincible according to ordinary logic, the faithfulness of Frodo and Sam is able to overthrow the calculations of the mighty.
Pope Leo XIV actually cited The Return of the King in his new encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. “The twentieth-century Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien, in the words of a protagonist in one of his novels, described our responsibility in this way:
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.” The civilization of love will not arise from a single or spectacular gesture, but from the sum total of small and steadfast acts of fidelity that serve as a bulwark against dehumanization.”
Pope Leo holds up Tolkien’s imaginative vision as a model of Christian hope for us today, encouraging us all to play our own part in the renewal of culture.
Exodus 90’s Return of the King challenge builds upon Tolkien’s understanding that we have lost a great legacy from our past and are waiting for it to be restored. In The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is the king who restores the lost kingship and initiates a time of renewal.
As Christians, we are waiting for Christ’s return, the one who will set all things right and bring about the full instantiation of God’s kingdom. In the meantime, we are called to be stewards of the King, serving him faithfully in our family life and work.
Join us in the Return of the King challenge to find inspiration as we await Christ’s return.
