Hagelin 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time page 1 6/21/2020 I. Intro

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is deeply Catholic. The protagonist, Frodo Baggins, perfectly models Christian heroism. Accordingly, Frodo is a textbook prototype of Jeremiah & of a disciple of the Lord Jesus. What defines Frodo’s heroism is humility – it is why he is chosen for the difficult task, and it is why he succeeds – I will explain in a moment.

Christian humility comes from living out of “the gift” Saint Paul refers to today. Christian humility begins, to be possessed by a love that we do not deserve; and to live out of the Lord’s intimate and personal love for each of us as daughters & sons. It is from that place of identity that Jeremiah today – in the midst of his difficulty – confidently asserts that the Lord will save him. It is from that gift that Jesus tells us to fear not:

Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

NOW, as I trace parts of Frodo Baggin’s humility & quest, please be proactively “connecting the dots” about how this relates to being a disciple of Jesus. Here we go:

II. Frodo1

Frodo Baggins belongs to a race called Hobbits. Hobbits are modest & domestic race of people who inhabit a little neighborhood of Middle Earth called The Shire. Hobbits seek the simple joys of life: to drink beer, smoke pipe-weed, tend their gardens, celebrate birthdays, and consume second breakfasts. They do

1The connection of these readings to humility and Frodo Baggins is original in my thought. However, I googled “Frodo and humility” and borrow VERY heavily from here on out for key points from: The Hobbit Redemption: Christian Heroism & Humility in the Work of J.R.R. Tolkien by Geoffrey M. Vaughan. Although the nuances expressed in that article are not difficult to extract from the story itself – they are not original to my own reflection. Credit goes to Vaughan for much of this. Hagelin 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time page 2 6/21/2020 not aspire to go on adventures home-bodies that they are. BUT….Frodo and some companions are drawn into adventure through the friendship of Gandalf.

Gandalf is not a Hobbit, but a Wizard – who is a Christ-figure in some ways. Gandalf is the only notable citizen of Middle Earth who cares for or even seems to know that Hobbits exist. Now, Hobbits are small, and child-like; but not childish. One as noble as Gandalf would not waste time with childish people. Hobbits are small, and child-like; but not childish.

Here let me briefly break from the story and speak about the difference because it helps highlight what humility looks like. By childlike we mean all the virtues that are most noble in children: earnestness, unabashed expression of emotion and love, a desire to do noble things, wonder and awe about new things, and contentedness in small familiar things, and most of all a total and confident trust that his or her parents are like superheroes.

A childish person (and there are plenty of childish adults) display the common behaviors most vexing in children and teens. I’ll let you think of those on your own.

Frodo will be a model of humility & obedience; and so it must be said that a humble person is child-like, but not childish. For it is childish to be disobedient and insist on having things our way. It is also childish to be rash & self-assertive on the one hand OR cowardly on the other.

A humble person, conversely, is a realist who knows their limitations, and is cautious even in heroism, because a good measure of distrust of self is needed to be a truly great one in the REAL world. Accordingly, the Lord Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel calls for humility & child-like-ness, NOT child-ISH-ness.

Humility for a Christian – again – is knowing oneself to be a beloved child of God, and living from that identity, with child-like trust. Hagelin 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time page 3 6/21/2020 III. Journey

So, back to Frodo: and remember to please try to connect the dots as this relates to a disciple – so far we have a humble race: Hobbits, known and loved by a Christ-figure (Gandalf) who has pushed them into a much bigger adventure.

The adventure really begins when The Fellowship of the Ring is established at the Council of Elrond to decide what to do with the newly-discovered infamously dangerous object known as The Ring of Power. The decision of the council is to destroy The Ring. Therefore, a long & dangerous journey lies ahead because The Ring can only be destroyed in the fire of Mount Doom – where the Ring was forged.

The catch is that the obvious contestants to bear the ring are warriors hailing from the stronger, powerful & wiser races (the elves, wizards, dwarves and men). But these candidates are not volunteering, because they know the history of the Ring: namely, that up and down the centuries, The Ring of Power has corrupted all who possessed it– the best, most virtuous and strongest. They are wise enough to KNOW that before the journey was complete they would become depraved monsters.

Frodo Baggins, the Hobbit, sees the impasse, and says, “I will take the ring…though I do not know the way.” Here, Frodo, disregards the risk, and without seeking applause, and without being paralyzed by fear of the immense challenges ahead, he does what – perhaps – only he can do, “though he does not know the way.”

As the long journey stretches out over three books, we see that Frodo is cautious & reserved. He is not a coward, he is brave – remember I said that a humble person knows their limitations, and has a healthy distrust of self. Frodo’s keeps going not because of self-assurance, but out of simple obedience to the Hagelin 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time page 4 6/21/2020 mission entrusted to him. Frodo’s humility means that he is open to and actively seeks HELP, and thus receives aid from friends & strangers at critical points.

It also must be said that Frodo does not escape unscathed. He sustains permanent wounds, and never returns home to The Shire. But Frodo’s humility, obedience and courage, delivers Middle Earth from evil, and he eventually receives his reward. Finally, his journey seemed to be guided by an unseen hand; which Christians call God’s providence, or particular love that always precedes & follows after us, and guides us if we are humble & obedient.

IV. Application

That is the mission of every Christian. There is evil in this world that we must resist, and each of us lives in a dangerous world, but are nonetheless called to bring the light of the Gospel into the darkness (which Jesus alludes to in today’s Gospel). Having healthy distrust of self, with Humility & obedience to the mission, a disciple trusts in God, and looks to others for help. A humble person is a realist knowing that we will not emerge unscathed, understanding that this is not our final home, but that we can emerge victorious. And child-like confidence in the love of God in which we are immersed should lead to trust that if we cling to Him tenaciously – although we fail at times – the outcome and victory is assured.

V. Conclusion

“I will take the ring…though I do not know the way.” Like Frodo – we don’t know what is ahead. But there is no surer place to start than admitting we are not in control, and that whatever difference we make in this life has to begin with humility – living out of our identity as beloved daughters and sons of the Father. The humble end up being the great difference-makers and Saints in this world, not because they are wise or powerful, but because they are Hagelin 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time page 5 6/21/2020 prayerful, willing to serve, to listen and rely on and be led by the Lord and His love in daily life. May the same be said of us.

Praised be Jesus Christ