J.R.R. tOLKiiEN'S CHRiStiAN fAitH & fAVORitE PRayERS
“O Praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him all ye people;
for His merciful kindness is great toward us,
and the truth of the LORD endureth forever.
Praise ye the LORD.“
-Psalm 117
“I am Christian and of course what I write will be from that essential viewpoint.”
“Is there any pleasure on earth as great as the circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”
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“If more of us valued food and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christian Faith and Favorite Prayers
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“Eucastrophe (eu-cas-tro-phe): A sudden and
favourable resolution of events in a story;
a happy ending.” -Oxford English Dictionary
“The birth of Christ is the eucastrophe
of Man’s history
The Resurrection is the eucastrophe of the story
of the Incarnation.
This story begins and ends in joy.
It has pre-eminently
the ‘inner consistency of reality.’
There is no tale ever told that men would rather
find was true, and none which so many
skeptical men have accepted as true
on its own merits.
For the Art of it has the supremely convincing
tone of Primary Art, that is, of Creation.
To reject it leads either to sadness or to wrath.”
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-J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973)
J.R.R. Tolkien Quotes: ________________________________
“The birth, death, and Resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will come untrue.”
“If you do not believe in a personal God, the question: ‘What is the purpose of life?’ is unaskable and unanswerable.”
“Life’s purpose is to know, praise, and thank God.”
“Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them.”
“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J.R.R. TOLKiiEN'S CHRiStiAN FAitH & FAVORitE PRayERS: "MaKE A HAbiT Of tHE 'pRaiSES'"
On January 8, 1944, Tolkien wrote to his youngest son, Christopher:
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“…If you don’t do so already, make a habit of the ‘praises.’
I use them much (in Latin): the Gloria Patri, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Laudate Dominum; the Laudate Pueri Dominum (of which I am specially fond), one of the Sunday Psalms; and the Magnificat; also the Litany of Loretto (with the prayer Sub Tuum Praesidium).
If you have these by heart you never need for words of joy. It is also a good and admirable thing to know by heart the Canon of the Mass, for you can say this in your heart if ever hard circumstance keeps you from hearing Mass.
So endeth ‘Fæder lar his suna’ (Anglo Saxon for ‘the father’s counsel to his son’). With very much love.“
-From: “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien” – Letter 54
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Tolkien’s Favorite Prayers (that We also Pray “By Heart”)
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(1.) Like J.R.R. Tolkien, we have memorized our entire Worship Service. If you attend a Liturgical Church and desire to do this, you will want to memorize your own Church’s Liturgy.
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(2.) Gloria Patri (“Glory to the Father” – Sung)
Western (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and others):
“Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”
Doxa Pater (“Glory to the Father” – Sung)
Eastern (Orthodox):
“Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.”
Both versions have the same meaning of “forever and ever” (for eternity). We Sing the Doxa Pater to begin our Liturgy, and again at the end of the Time of Silence immediately following our partaking of Communion. _________________________
(3.) Gloria in Excelsis Deo (“Glory to God in the Highest” – Sung). Tolkien calligraphied it in the Elvish language he invented (Below).
The Gloria Hymn (The Greater Doxology) has been sung in Worship Services since the second or third centuries (100’s-200’s A.D.). We sing it to the tune of the Advent song: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
All sing: Glory be to our God in the highest; and on the earth, peace and good will toward all. (Luke 2:14)
We bless You, worship You, and adore You; we give thanks, we praise You for Your glory. (Psalm 86:12; 138:1)
Lord God, our King, the Father Almighty; Lord Christ, only Son of God the Father. (1 Peter 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Ephesians 1:3)
Lord God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. (John 1:29; Psalm 51:1).
You sit at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer, for You alone are Lord. (Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19; Psalm 6:9; Nehemiah 9:6)
O Light from Light, You alone are Most High; You alone are the Holy One of God. (John 8:12; Psalm 83:18; John 6:69).
+ Lord Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, in all the glory of God the Father. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:17)
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(4.) Laudate Dominum (“Praise the Lord”). This is composed of Psalm 117 (the shortest Psalm – only 2 verses long), followed by the Gloria Patri.
We pray Psalm 117 every day as part of The Threefold Daily Prayers (of the Apostles and the Early Church).
Find The Threefold Daily Prayers under: “Prayer Category” in the Navigation Bar at the top of this page.
“O Praise the Lord, all ye nations, praise Him all ye people; for His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endureth forever. Praise ye the LORD.” -Psalm 117
These are the 4 prayers (out of 7) recommended by J.R.R. Tolkien that we also pray, and have been praying since 1999, when we Founded this Ministry.
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Our Commentary:
The most important thing we will ever do in our entire life is to make the decision to give our life to Christ.
What God sees as the second most important thing we will ever do in our entire life may not be something that we ourselves are even able to recognize.
Like the Chicago man who considered himself a failure as a Christian — because, after six years of teaching Sunday School, he had “only” led one teenage boy to Christ.
That boy became the great worldwide Evangelist: Dwight Moody.
“The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy were J.R.R. Tolkien’s life masterwork.
But I believe that, after giving his life to Christ, the second greatest thing J.R.R. Tolkien ever did in his entire lifetime —
–was to lead his friend C.S. Lewis to the Lord.
-Lay Monk Preston
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