“ I put before you the one great thing to love on earth:
the Blessed Sacrament” - J.R.R. Tolkien

The idea came to me one afternoon as I was driving: the Eucharist, wrapped in Mallorn leaves. Something simple yet beautiful, to emphasize the connection between Tolkien’s sub-created world and his Catholic faith. I spent the next few days sketching it out and I’m so thankful to finally be able to share it with you.

The similarities between Lembas and the Eucharist are something I’ve spoken about on the podcast (episode 9), as well as on the blog in the past (here). It is, in my opinion, the strongest link between our ‘worlds’.

The grey flower in the design is a nod to the Silmarillion, in which Melian wraps Lembas in Mallorn leaves with a wax seal resembling a flower of Telperion.

Tolkien wrote of his devotion to our Lord in the Eucharist on numerous occasions, and I wanted to share two quotes from his Letters today:

In this one, Letter 43, Tolkien is writing to his son Michael,

“Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament. . . . There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste—or foretaste—of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.

Later, in Letter 250, also to Michael, he writes:

"The only cure for sagging or fainting faith is Communion. Though always itself, perfect and complete and inviolate, the Blessed Sacrament does not operate completely and once for all in any of us. Like the act of Faith it must be continuous and grow by exercise. Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals.”

My hope for this design is that it will remind you of the beauty and joy found within the Eucharist, strengthening your devotion and prayer life. I know I’ve always been encouraged by Tolkien’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and I hope you will be, too.

Free Phone Wallpaper

you may also download the image below and set as your phone wallpaper, if you’d like!