Letter 54

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
Letter 54
Recipient	Christopher Tolkien
Date	8 January 1944
Subject(s)	Religious exhortations

Letter 54 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Summary

Remember your guardian angel, exhorted Tolkien, she was not a plump lady with swan-wings! As free-willed creatures we are able to face God but He is also behind us to support and nourish us, and the angel was there to help.

Tolkien recommended that Christopher make a habit of the "praises", which he used in Latin, listing his favorites.

In the expanded edition

In the beginning paragraph Tolkien sends good wish to Christopher in face of the tough time, and advices him to practice praying steadfastly.

In the final paragraph Tolkien quotes from Psalm 116 in Latin:

Laudate Dominum omnes gentes:
laudate eum omnes populi.
Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericordia eius:
et veritas Domini manet in aeternum.
Gloria.