WOF 181: J.R.R. Tolkien, Master Evangelist

The great novelist, J.R.R. Tolkien, has enchanted generations of readers with his Hobbitand Lord of the Rings, and is the subject of a new feature film, titled Tolkien. But in today’s episode, Bishop Barron talks about Tolkien’s Catholic faith, which was mostly absent in the new film, but critical to his upbringing and his stories of Middle-earth.

A listener asks what he should if he’s unable to find a spiritual director.

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Articles Mentioned

• I was an Atheist Until I Read “The Lord of the Rings”
• Gimli, Galadriel, and Guadalupe: An image of Our Lady in the Lady of Lothlorien
• Where the Rosary Appears in “The Lord of the Rings”
• Tolkien’s Catholic Genius

Books Mentioned

• The Battle for Middle-earth: Tolkien’s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings by Fleming Rutledge
• Tolkien: Man and Myth by Joseph Pearce
• Bilbo’s Journey: Discovering the Hidden Meaning of The Hobbit by Joseph Pearce
• Frodo’s Journey: Discover the Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings by Joseph Pearce