Kýrie Eléison: A Reflection on Divine Mercy


At the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration, we invoke the Lord and beg "Kýrie eléison" (Greek for “Lord, have mercy”). Likewise, when asked what we seek when making religious profession in the Order of Preachers, we reply "God's mercy and yours." Mercy is what we seek from God and from our brethren. 

Seeking for God's mercy is part of the ancient biblical tradition as well. Some psalms cry out for God’s mercy in times of suffering (i.e. Ps 119:77; 123:3). Others ask for God's mercy for the forgiveness of sins (i.e. Ps 51:1-2). In the New Testament, "mercy" becomes enfleshed in the person of Jesus Christ. In Latin, "mercy" is signified by the word “misericordia” that comes from the words “miseria, miseriae” meaning "misery" and “cor, cordis” meaning "heart". Mercy, indeed, signifies that God draws our misery into His own infinitely loving heart.

Two blind men trustingly approach the Lord begging for healing and said, “Have mercy on us, Son of David” (Mt 9:27; 20:30, 31). Others
seek the Lord's mercy on behalf of their suffering loved ones like the Canaanite woman who begged, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon” (Mt 15:22). When someone is in

dire need, Jesus responds swiftly and performs miracles. The Kýrie in the Mass stand in this biblical tradition of calling on God’s mercy for ourselves and for others. When we ask and seek for the Lord's mercy, we become like the blind men begging for Christ to heal our lack of spiritual vision.

We become like the Canaanite woman, pleading for Jesus for the lives of those we love. We humbly entrust our entire lives—all our weaknesses, sins, fears and sufferings—and the lives of those we love, to the merciful heart of Christ. This mystery of entrusting all humanity and indeed, all creation, to the infinite mercy of Christ is what we enter into each time we pray the Kýrie eléison in the Mass. God is, indeed, merciful (Dt 4:31)

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