And then wonder took him, and a great joy; and he cast his sword up in the sunlight and sang as he caught it. And all eyes followed his gaze, and behold! upon the foremost ship a great standard broke, and the wind displayed it as she turned towards the Harlond. There flowered a White Tree, and that was for Gondor; but Seven Stars were about it, and a high crown above it, the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count. And the stars flamed in the sunlight, for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond; and the crown was bright in the morning, for it was wrought of mithril and gold.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. The Lord of the Rings: One Volume (p. 847). HMH Books. Kindle Edition.
We all love reading this scene from the Lord of the Rings. We all forget that it is a scene that comes after intense suffering by various of the characters in the novel. Frodo and Sam go through intense suffering. Boromir is dead. Theoden is dead. Many others are also dead. After the war is over, Frodo shows all the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a heroic time. But, it is also a terrible time.
When Scripture and Tradition picture either the end times or the suffering of the saints, they picture a time that is most akin to the suffering through which Frodo and Samwise passed. They do not picture a time of easy victories, but rather a time when the saints must pass through incredible hardship. This is the total opposite of those who preach that we only need to claim the blessings to experience them.
Most of the Global South would not see it the same way. Christians are dying in Egypt, Nigeria, and other places. Starvation in Sudan does not play favorites. Christians are dying right alongside other religions. If you are Arab, you have to contend with American Christians who have no problem with Jews pushing you out of your land and establishing forbidden settlements. Worse, as an Arab Christian, you realize that American Christians do not consider you as their fellow Christians.
And yet, there is hope. There is the hope that the King will return and straighten out his people. There is the hope that the King will return and correct the errors. There is the hope that our sins will be forgiven and that our mistakes will be corrected. There is hope! This passage from the Lord of the Rings expresses that hope. It expresses the hope that a once and future King will return to establish his kingdom. It expresses the hope that what is wrong will be reversed and healed. It expresses the faith that the one who claims to have created the world did indeed create it, and that he will see it come to fruition.
So, let us hope. Let us work for that hope. Let us show ourselves to be the fools of the world in order that we might be the wise of God. Let us proclaim the hope of the Resurrection and the hope of the Second Coming.
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