“You Shall Not Pass”

Brethren, this is my favorite scene in The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf stopping the Balrog at the bridge:

You Shall Not Pass!

It is, I think, a metaphor for the Christian life and our struggle with evil, and confronting one’s fears and weaknesses as we do so.

Gandalf fell with the ancient demon into The Shadow and wrestled him for three days and nights…and then he died. And came back to life.

Bravo for J.R. Tolkien! No wonder he was a Catholic writer.