Tolkien Quote of the Day

6/23/2025

In the last resort faith is an act of will, inspired by love. Our love may be chilled and our will eroded by the spectacle of the shortcomings, folly, and even sins of the Church and its ministers, but I do not think that one who has once had faith goes back over the line for these reasons (least of all anyone with any historical knowledge). ‘Scandal’ at most is an occasion of temptation – as indecency is to lust, which it does not make but arouses. It is convenient because it tends to turn our eyes away from ourselves and our own faults to find a scape-goat. But the act of will of faith is not a single moment of final decision: it is a permanent indefinitely repeated act > state which must go on – so we pray for ‘final perseverance’.

J.R.R. Tolkien (letter 250)

Cor Jesu Press is a Catholic publisher recovering forgotten classics. Help promote their important work!

You can also check out my new Etsy shop, Via Pulchritudinis, celebrating the beauty of Catholic Tradition!