Ring in the Easter season. (editors' note).

Last Saturday evening I found myself ensnared in a session of Lord of the Rings mania. It's not the first time it's happened to me lately, and I confess that once conversation starts heading in that direction, my eyes usually glaze over and my mind wanders as the folks around me lionize and criticize the likes of Frodo, Gollum, and Legolas.

This time, though, I tried hard to pay attention. Maybe I don't get it because I'm not a big fan of the fantasy genre or three-hour-long movies. But exactly what is it about these stories that drives so many of my otherwise down-to-earth friends and acquaintances to dizzying heights of fanaticism? Finally, I just asked.

I received a rapid fire of answers: Yes, it's about adventure and magic, but it's also about the situations that the characters face and the choices they make. It's about hope in the face of despair and evil.

In other words, someone summed up (with maybe just a tinge of flourish), it's a great escape from reality, but it's still completely relevant to everyday life.

Put it that way, and I felt a little dense for asking. I thanked them for enlightening me and made a mental note to go see that movie (whichever one was out, I couldn't remember the title).

That was Saturday. Three days later I found myself in yet another conversation turned Rings fest. And once again, I could feel my eyes glazing and my mind wandering.

Alas. Perhaps J. R. R. Tolkien's masterpiece and I were never meant to connect.

If you're as mystified by the Middle-earth craze as I am--and even if you're already a big fan--check out the explanations and insights Patrick McCormick offers in this month's Culture in Context, "The Gospel according to Harry and Frodo" (pages 28-30).

I know that if I ever do see these movies, there's one thing that would make me pay attention--the gorgeous scenery featured in the previews. There's something about mountains and green that gets me every time. Which is why I connected with Michael J. Farrell's story on pilgrimage, "These souls are made for walking" (pages 22-26).

And that idea that the Rings are about hope in the face of despair and evil? We could all use a big dose of that these days. Alice Camille gives us a reality check in "What a difference a day makes" (pages 45-47), and Joan Chittister's "Can you rise to the Easter challenge?" (pages 12-15) presses us not just to have hope, but to act on that hope and share it with each other and the world.

As this Easter season draws near--and whether you prefer Middle-earth or plain-old earth--may you find your sense of hope revitalized and restored.