Elves, Men, and Ambrose on All Soul's Day

Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing (St. Ambrose).

In his legendarium, which includes all his fictional writings of Middle-earth and his Letters, J.R.R. Tolkien's thinking on life and death, immortality and mortality, is present. It is one of the major themes--perhaps the major theme--of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I have no doubt that Tolkien, being a devout cradle Catholic, knew well the Dies Irae and the thought of St. Ambrose and St. Paul on death and immortality or, shall we say, death vs. immortality. In his lengendarium, Tolkien brings out that the Elves are immortal and thus "bear a great weariness"(LOTR). ("Immortality" is here understood as serial longevity on earth rather than what it really is: eternal life in Heaven.) But death is a great gift given to the Followers, that is, to Men. This is because death frees Man from his awful burden. Again, from "the Undying Lands" (actually Heaven), Saint Ambrose speaks:

Death was not part of nature, it became part of nature. God did not create death from the beginning, he prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.

Tolkien sees death as a great blessing to Men, but only because the great Saint Ambrose saw it first!

Ecclesiastical Postscript: Saint Ambrose is the bishop who baptized Saint Augustine, who is perhaps the greatest Father of the Church. One can get an excellent sampling of the writings of Saint Ambrose in the Second Reading from the Office of Readings in today's Liturgy of the Hours.