Today I was delighted by Letter 54, written to Christopher Tolkien in January of 1944. Christopher was in the air force at that time, fighting in World War II.
What I enjoyed about the letter was a little digression Tolkien takes into a theology of guardian angels. Tolkien encourages his son to "remember your guardian angel," and goes on to explain why:
Remember your guardian angel. Not a plump lady with swan-wings! But – at least this is my notion and feeling – as souls with free-will we are, as it were, so placed as to face (or to be able to face) God. But God is (so to speak) also behind us, supporting, nourishing us (as being creatures). The bright point of power where that life-line, that spiritual umbilical cord touches: there is our Angel, facing two ways to God behind us in the direction we cannot see, and to us...
It's a lovely image. God is behind us and before us, supporting and nourishing us. And in each of those directions, "facing two ways," there is a "bright point of power," a "life-line," and a "spiritual umbilical cord" touching us. And at that bright point of power, that nourishing umbilical cord, both before and behind us, "there is our Angel."
No comments:
Post a Comment