Kyrie (KEER-ee-ay)

A short repeated invocation (in Greek or in translation) used in many Christian liturgies, especially at the beginning of the Eucharist or as a response in a litany. The word comes from Greek Kuriē eleēson ‘Lord, have mercy’. (via The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable)

Mark 10:47

⁴⁶ They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

What are we asking for when we sing kyrie?

We say or sing it every week, the Kyrie, the one piece of the Christian mass that is still in Greek.  For some reason it never made it over to Latin like the rest of the liturgy did. But what do we mean by saying Lord, have mercy? Some may say it’s asking God to not punish us for our sin – to not rain down fury and violent retribution on us and maybe there’s a place for that, but maybe Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy Lord have mercy is just shorthand for Please do not punish us by our sins… maybe asking for God’s mercy is like saying – we beg you God that our sin is not the final word. We beg you for your mercy to be with us, because ours is not enough. We pray for your wisdom to be with us, your lovingkindness to be with us because we just don’t have enough of our own. And we keep messing everything up. It seems that especially in situations where we are overwhelmingly aware of our shortcomings and smallness that we beg this of God.                                                                                                                         

– Nadia Bolz-Weber, “Sermon on The Kyrie” (2013)

Reflection & Prayer

When, where and how are you most acutely aware of the need for God’s mercy? Today, throughout your day, try praying “The Jesus Prayer” – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”