A beautiful and funny meditation from Fr Euan (who has now had his operation and is doing well – thank you all for your prayers).

Words are important to Dominicans, as expressions of the meaning of the creation. I would like to speak of one derivation of a word which I came across recently, the derivation of the word ‘Wraith’. That is an old word, ‘wraith, a kind of ghost of spirit which represents evil. In The Lord of the Rings, there are monsters, the nine black riders, who were human beings who had received rings from the Dark Lord Sauron, which had preserved their life by turning them into wraiths. Indeed they try to turn Frodo, the hobbit, the hero of the book into a wraith like themselves, stabbing him with a morgul knife, when he has made himself vulnerable to this by putting on the One ring in their presence. You need to read the book to understand this.

What is the derivation of ‘wraith’, which I found so interesting? Well apparently ‘wraith’ is connected with the English word, ‘writhe’.  Its earliest known usage is in Gavin Douglas’ translation of the Aeneid into Scots, and it seems to be largely Scottish in usage. The idea is of smoke twisting and turning, but it also speaks of anger. The wraith is a spirit of anger. We can writhe in pain too, something which resonates with me, as I am constantly having to turn my body, to avoid the pain of this tumour, which God willing, will be removed on Easter Wednesday. That has its funny side. On Holy Saturday, I suddenly had to lie on the ground, to alleviate my pain, during dinner. When the fruit came round, I stuck my hand over the table, asking for a banana. The banana was duly place into my disembodied hand, which snatched it away. Anger and pain are connected of course. The angry person is in pain, and this seems to be behind the idea of the wraith, which twists and turns with anger and pain.

All human cultures have felt that there is a undertone of anger that surrounds them, angry demons who envy human life, the dead who resent the fact that they are no longer alive, and the Gods who are eager to punish any human pride that threatens their divine status. Much of ancient and world religion is about placating the anger of these powers. Now for atheists, it is the unseen mindless forces that we are to fear. Viruses, radiation, asteroids hitting earth, and pollution. The absurd idea that the new 5g protocol is responsible for the corona virus, shows how much superstition can infect these fears. In fact, so-called atheists, often show a fear of evil spirits, threatening human life. Christians cannot disagree that there are malign forces that threaten us. The fundamental sin of the bad angels, was their choice to become angry against God, an anger that had no justification. The demons wish to fill the world with this anger.

Christ drives out the demons, who are indeed wraithlike, twisting with anger and pain, in their rejection of him. The anger of human beings is a more intractable force for him. Christ too, is angry himself. This is not a sin, it being impossible for Christ to sin, but it is a reaction against sin. As long as he lived in the world, Jesus was angry about the distortions of the life that we Christians are called to share in. His opponents are much more angry than him, and without cause. This is the anger which will lead to the death of Jesus on the cross.

What is interesting is how this anger is missing from the resurrection stories. There might be a little impatience in his berating the disciples on the road to Emmaus for their failure to understand, but even there, he is so calm and peaceful. He walks with them, shares a meal with them and then he is recognised at the breaking of the bread. Breaking bread was a sign of community and sharing, but of course for us, the great community is in the Eucharist. In all the Resurrection appearances, there is no anger in Christ at all. He has driven out the anger of the demons, and his death is the remedy for human anger.

Yet human anger persists. This anger has split Christianity, and it continues to disintegrate our world. The purpose of Christianity then, is to overcome this anger. Here lies a paradox. Nothing generates petty, squalid anger like a community, particularly a Christian community. Yet this is not a failure of community. The real failure is when anger drives us apart and allows the communities of various kinds which the Holy Spirit has raised in Christianity to simply dissolve. This might feel like a solution but in fact it is a great victory for anger. In walking out of the communities, which for various reasons we should be committed, we are merely sulking. Instead it is in the Christian communities, parishes, sodalities, clubs, or the vaguer attachment some feel to a convent or priory, that we fight against the wraithlike spirit of anger.

It is odd, to be sure, that we are fighting anger in groups which seem to generate anger, but that is no more odd than saying that hospitals tend to be full of sick people. Dominican life is itself a good example of how anger can develop, yet anyone who understands the nature of our life, will understand that it is precisely in the life that we fight this anger. We still acknowledge authority, still turn up for regular meals, prayer and community meetings. We might be annoyed, or the source of annoyance to others, but we still remain committed to making or communities serve the Church and Christ’s purpose.

This is why after this strange Easter, I do not doubt that we will get back together again, and begin the difficult business of living together in Christ. That there are squabbles in our life is not a sign of failure but a sign that we are starting to understand why Christ has gathered us together. When St Paul berates his beloved Corinthian church, he says to them 1 Corinthians 3:5 ‘you are still fleshly people, for while there is jealousy and envy among you, are you not fleshly people, living a human life?’  Yet Christ offers us much more than that, he offers his spirit, which will heal the weakness of the flesh, make us one, and allow us to start again. So get ready for the return of community. It will be hard, and we will need to learn to pray together and accept that we are not each other. We are not each other but we all are part of each other. In fighting against anger, we will help restore creation. The prayer of Christ will be fulfilled. John 17:20-21 ‘I do not pray about them alone but also for those who believe in me through their word, so that all may be one, just as you Father are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.’