13 March 2021 | Third Saturday of Lent | Eugene, Ore.

This week in the Lord of the Rings, on the eve of Laetare Sunday, we rejoin Frodo and Sam on their long journey through the black wastelands to the very gates of Mordor, and we read Saruman and Sauron through the theme of pride. We also (fittingly) talk about the virtue of humility, in both its acquired and infused parts, and consider: what does it mean for a Christian to really love oneself? 

Opening music: “Laetare Jerusalem,” entrance antiphon for the Fourth Sunday of Lent from the 1950 Dominican Gradual, sung by Bros. Stefan Ansinger and Alexandre Frezzato, O.P., 2020. All rights reserved.