‘Then you think that the Darkness is coming?’ said Eowyn. ‘Darkness Unescapable?’ And suddenly she drew close to him.
‘No,’ said Faramir, looking into her face. ‘It was but a picture in the mind. I do not know what is happening. The reason of my waking mind tells me that great evil has befallen and we stand at the end of days. But my heart says nay; and all my limbs are light, and hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny. Eowyn, Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan, in this hour I do not believe that any darkness will endure!”
-The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien
What an honor and privilege to be not just witnesses, but participants in these days. “All my limbs are light”, indeed.
At Mass, we beg God for the gift of His peace. The Priest, in Persona Christi bids us peace: “Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.” The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And then at the Agnus Dei, “Dona nobis pacem”, Grant us peace, and the following prayer:
O Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst to Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My peace I give you: regard not my sins, but the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe to grant her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God, world without end. Amen
If we go to Mass and pray the Mass (I believe “active participation” is the term), God will answer our prayers. God will give us peace, even as the winds of war howl, because God is infinitely good. And then we can say, like Faramir,
“…all my limbs are light, and hope and joy are come to me that no reason can deny.”
“How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.”
Psalm 30: 19-20
