Eucatastrophe.
This is perhaps my favorite word in the English language, coined by JRR Tolkien.
Tolkien himself defined it as "the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears." In its purest form, it means 'good catastrophe.'
It's the moment in the story when you think all hope is lost, that there's no way through whatever mess the characters find themselves in. But then - but then something happens. The tide turns perhaps in a way you never excepted or imagined, but it comes nonetheless and hope stirs. For a moment, you realize that maybe all the sad things really can come untrue. As TolkienGateway.net explains,
In essence, a eucatastrophe is a massive turn in fortune from a seemingly unconquerable situation to an unforseen victory, usually brought by grace rather than heroic effort. Such a turn is catastrophic in the sense of its breadth and surprise and positive in that a great evil or misfortune is averted.
A turn brought by grace. Tolkien argued that Jesus' death on the cross was the greatest eucatastrophe in history, the moment when it seemed all hope had been lost, but in truth, was the defining moment of victory.
I think we all have moments like this in our own lives, our own mini-eucatastrophes scattered across the plot lines of our lives, moments when we thought we had reached the end, facing our own "seemingly unconquerable situation." And in those moments, it might have been easy to wonder, "How could this possibly end well?"
God, in his infinite kindness and wisdom, knows the answer to that question because he is the master author of all eucatastrophes. It's the turn brought about by his grace, and not our heroic effort. As Tolkien said, "It is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur."
When you trace the timeline of your life, where are the eucatastrophes? Where are the moments when grace miraculously and suddenly rushed in and claimed an unforeseen victory? Those moments are there, but we must have eyes to see them. We must have eyes to see the turning of the tide, to see both the good and the catastrophe all at once, reconciling the two together, for they are closer kin than we would like to think.
In the book of Genesis, Joseph knew of this eucatastrophe of which Tolkien spoke. Sold into slavery by his brothers at a young age, Joseph both climbed to the heights of ancient Egyptian power and tumbled into the depths of its darkness. He languished for years in prison, forgotten by those around him, his father and brothers believing him dead.
And then in a turn brought by grace, he was remembered. He was liberated from prison and rose to become pharaoh's second-in-command. A famine struck the land and it is under Joseph's leadership that the people managed to survive. His brothers went Egypt to buy grain, and it there that they discovered the brother they thought dead was, in fact, alive and well. And with Joseph in a position of power now, they were at his mercy.
From the perspective of the brothers, this was their seemingly unconquerable situation. They had sold their brother into slavery and led their father to believe his favorite son was dead. How could Joseph possibly ever forgive them for this?
Through a turn brought by grace.
"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear..." (Genesis 50:20-21a).
A good catastrophe.
This is the same through line with which Tolkien can claim the cross of Christ was the greatest eucatastrophe in the history of the world. The devil meant for the cross to bring evil against the Son of God, but God himself meant it for good, that many people should be kept alive, should be saved.
So do not fear.
You may look back on your past or be standing in your present and see nothing but catastrophe. But God sees the eu- in your catastrophe. He sees the happy ending, whether you can or not. Whatever the enemy has meant for evil in your life, God has meant it for good.
Just look for the moment when your breath catches.
"It is the mark of a good fairy-story, of the higher or more complete kind, that however wild its events, however fantastic or terrible the adventures, it can give to child or man that hears it, when the 'turn' comes, a catch of the breath, a beat and lifting of the heart, near to (or indeed accompanied by) tears, as keen as that given by any form of literary art..." - JRR Tolkien
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The BBC wrote a commentary on Tolkien and his neologism recently. Worth a read.
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