A brief yet profound moment of generosity in Essex Dogs reflects deep Catholic themes of grace, humility, and self-giving love, showing how even the smallest acts of kindness can carry spiritual significance amidst the brutality of war.

Dan Jones’ Essex Dogs is a novel that doesn’t shy away from the grit and brutality of medieval war. But in between the bloodshed and hardship, moments of grace shine through. One such moment happens when the Scotsman, a hardened warrior, offers water to Loveday. It’s a simple act, but one that carries deep spiritual weight. Even though the characters don’t explicitly frame it in religious terms, the scene naturally echoes Catholic themes of humility, charity, and even the Eucharist. Looking at this passage through the lens of Catholic thought, we can see how it highlights the power of grace and self-giving love, even in the harshest of circumstances.

Humility and the Gift of Water

The moment begins with Loveday struggling, exhausted and likely on the verge of collapse, when the Scotsman steps in:

“The Scot watched him for a few moments. Then he stopped him. ‘Ah, give up,’ he said. ‘Come here.’ Loveday hobbled over to the water’s edge” (Jones, 2022, p. 210)¹.

That simple phrase—“give up”—is more than just an order. It’s an invitation to humility. Loveday is used to being strong, to pushing forward despite his pain. But here, he has to admit he needs help. In Catholic teaching, surrendering our pride and accepting assistance isn’t a weakness—it’s wisdom. Jesus himself said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, New Revised Standard Version)². Sometimes, real strength comes from knowing when to rely on others.

The Washing of the Disciples’ Feet: An Act of Humble Service

Then comes the act of giving water, and there’s something deeply moving about how it happens:

“Scotsman, as tenderly as Loveday had ever known him do anything, filled his hands from the water in the pool, and raised them to Loveday’s mouth” (Jones, 2022, p. 210)¹.

This moment immediately brings to mind Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. In John’s Gospel, Jesus kneels before his followers and tells them:

“If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15, NRSV)⁵.

The Scotsman is no saint—he’s rough, blunt, and a soldier through and through. But in this moment, he humbles himself. He serves another man in need. And that’s exactly what Christian love looks like in action: not grand speeches or dramatic gestures, but small, quiet acts of kindness.

Water as a Sign of Grace and Salvation

In Catholic thought, water isn’t just about quenching thirst—it symbolizes cleansing, renewal, and grace. Baptism, the foundational sacrament of the Church, washes away sin and initiates a person into the faith⁶. And in John 4, when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, he tells her:

“The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life” (John 4:14)⁷.

Loveday’s thirst makes this moment even more meaningful:

“Loveday realized how thirsty he was. Putting his left hand on the back of Scotsman’s, he took deep draughts from his friend’s dirty hands” (Jones, 2022, p. 210)¹.

It’s not just physical thirst being satisfied here—it’s the kind of relief that goes deeper, that brings a moment of peace in the middle of suffering.

Echoes of the Eucharist: “The Blood of Christ”

Then comes the Scotsman’s rough but striking exclamation:

“The blood of fucking Christ,” said the Scotsman.

It’s a crude, offhand remark, but in a strange way, it speaks to something profound. In Catholic theology, the Eucharist is the highest form of self-giving love. Jesus said at the Last Supper:

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28)¹⁰.

The scene unintentionally mirrors the Eucharist: one man offers another something life-giving, freely given out of love. It’s a raw, unpolished reflection of what Christ does in the Eucharist—feeding the hungry, sustaining the weak⁹.

The Sudden Violence: A Reminder of Mortality

And then, just like that, the moment is shattered:

“And then an arrow split the air between them” (Jones, 2022, p. 210)¹.

This sudden shift drives home a brutal but deeply Catholic truth: life is fragile, and moments of grace are fleeting.

Ecclesiastes 9:12 puts it bluntly:

“No one knows when their hour will come.”¹¹

The lesson isn’t despair—it’s urgency. If love, kindness, and grace are possible, they have to be offered now, because no one knows how much time they have.

Conclusion

This moment in Essex Dogs captures what Catholicism teaches about grace, humility, and love. The Scotsman, without realizing it, embodies Christ-like service by offering water to a thirsty friend. The fact that this moment is immediately interrupted by violence only makes it more poignant—grace appears unexpectedly, but so does death.

While Essex Dogs isn’t a religious novel, passages like this one reflect deeper moral and spiritual truths. The world is harsh, and suffering is real, but in the midst of it all, grace can still break through. And sometimes, grace looks like a handful of dirty water, offered by a tired soldier, to a man too weak to stand.

Sources

1. Jones, D. (2022). Essex Dogs: A Novel. Viking. p. 210.
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2546.
3. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1816.
4. Aquinas, T. (1274). Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 30.
5. John 13:14-15, NRSV.
6. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1213.
7. John 4:14, NRSV.
8. Psalm 42:1, NRSV.
9. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1323.
10. Matthew 26:28, NRSV.
11. Ecclesiastes 9:12, NRSV.