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ChurchPOP @Church_POP - Advent has arrived, and we now begin a new liturgical year within the Catholic Church calendar. Fans of literature might consider a liturgical journey “there and back again” with a classic fantasy epic.
The Lord of the Rings is an all-time favorite book of many readers around the world. J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterful ability to weave the Catholic faith into the fabric of his storytelling—without ever becoming preachy or overt—is something that never stops mesmerizing me. I read the trilogy every year, and somehow, each time it feels like a brand-new book.
For fellow Catholics who love Tolkien’s work, I’d like to propose a fresh way of reading The Lord of the Rings: through the lens of the Catholic liturgical year. The story’s themes of light and darkness, death and resurrection, kingship and humility, temptation and triumph echo the very seasons we walk through at Mass.
Here’s a way to align your annual read-through of The Lord of the Rings with the sacred rhythm of the Church calendar.
Advent: Waiting in Darkness for the Light
Advent is a season of anticipation. It begins in darkness and moves toward the first rays of dawn. That’s partly why the liturgical color is violet—the faint color that appears in the sky just before sunrise. Christ is coming, but not yet visible.
A parallel moment in Tolkien’s tale is the Fellowship’s descent into Moria. The road is uncertain, danger is near, and they must move forward in trust.
Recommended chapters:
Book II, Chapter 4 – “A Journey in the Dark”
Book II, Chapter 5 – “The Bridge of Khazad-Dûm”
Here, we encounter the darkness of the world, the death of Gandalf (a Christ figure), and the hope that leads the Fellowship onward. Just as the Church walks in hopeful longing for the coming King, the Fellowship arises from shadow into the beauty of Lothlórien—where the light glimmers faintly, but truly.
Christmas: Humility and Hidden Glory
Christmas celebrates the Incarnation—God entering the world not in grandeur, but in obscurity and humility. Tolkien subtly embeds this theme in the journey of the Ringbearer and the hidden power of the lowly.
Recommended chapters:
Book I, Chapter 3 – “Three is Company”
Book II, Chapter 3 – “The Ring Goes South”