Chastity and Charity: The Shield and Sword of Manhood
[I was blessed to give a retreat to middle school boys on Friday morning. I thought that it would be good to write down the presentation I gave, and share it with others for their benefit. Here goes.] There is a scene near the middle of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in which Frodo Baggins volunteers to carry the last and most powerful ring to Mt. Doom in order to destroy it. Because he does not know the way, and because he is small of stature, he admits that he will require help. The most powerful moment in that scene is when Aragorn says to Frodo, "If, by my life or by my death, I can protect you, I will. You have my sword." Really what Aragorn means is that he offers all of himself and his skill in service of the mission. In our world today, there is a battle for truth, goodness, and beauty. The enemy seeks to deprive humans of access to any of these three by twisting their understanding of those transcendental realities....