Kyrie Eleison – Lord have mercy
Very often when we hear Kyrie eleison or Lord have
mercy we often think of forgiveness and pardon. This is true and very good
but is only one aspect of mercy. God’s mercy can be defined as “loving care
from God for all creation.” Yes, this evokes the ideas of forgiveness and
pardon but there is more to it. The Hebrew word for mercy has three definitions
– which means: “goodness, womb (compassion) and grace.” These are
powerful words which evoke images of deep forgiveness and also the inherent
depth of God’s mercy seen in goodness, compassion and grace.
When we consider mercy as goodness, hopefully
we can call to mind the goodness we have experienced in our life, the very fact
we are created in the image of God which is good and the bonds of goodness we
have with so many people. When we ponder mercy as womb, we can
see it as the very place of life, the sacred place which holds us and first
introduces us to compassion and tenderness. When we look at mercy as
grace, we are reminded of God’s gift of free love to us; God willingly
bestowing upon us generous love and passion for us. It is with these thoughts
that I offer a Kyrie Litany for Triduum 2020 as we enter into
these holy days in a very unprecedented time. God's mercy is indeed present as God's goodness, compassion and grace give shape to the days of Triduum.
For those of us who are struggling with the fact that we
will not be in churches to celebrate these three sacred days and then gathering
with family, let us be mindful of the hundreds of thousands of Christians who
for many years have had to worship in secret or alone due to persecution. Let
us be mindful of the hundreds of homeless and poor who do not feel they can
walk through the doors of our church ever. The Body of Christ is still the
Body of Christ broken and hurting but always with eyes fixed on the
Resurrection.
For the times we have failed each other or failed to notice
each other may this mercy be upon us. For the times in which goodness, compassion
and grace have blessed us may we respond in mercy. For these times may mercy
comfort us.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy
on the
peoples of the world
on the
nations of the world
on the
whole of creation
Christ have mercy
on
the lonely
on
the broken
on
the hurting
Lord have mercy
on the
homeless
on the
hungry
on the
abandoned
Christ have mercy
on
the sick
on
the dying
on
the dead
Lord have mercy
on
those working for the common good
on
those working for justice
on
those working for peace
Christ have mercy
on health
care teams
on
emergency workers
on
medical specialists
Lord have mercy
on
farmers and food providers
on food
banks and soup kitchens
on postal
workers, delivery drivers and packers
Christ have mercy
on
those caught in violence
on
those caught in addictions
on
those caught in war
Lord have mercy
on
refugees
on
migrants
on
forgotten peoples
Christ have mercy
on
elders and the elderly
on
babies and infants
on
children and teens
Lord have mercy
on
single parents
on
married couples
on
widows and widowers
Christ have mercy
on young
professionals
on
those nearing retirement
on
minimum wage earners
Lord have mercy
on
grocery store clerks and stocking staff
on
pharmacists, drug store staffs and lab technicians
on
restaurant owners and servers
Christ have mercy
on
those alone in isolation
on
those with special needs and their care givers
on
those in hospital and those having treatments
Lord have mercy
on
those who must work for the good of all
on
those working long hours
on
those who need work
Christ have mercy
on
police officers
on
military personnel
on
firefighters
Lord have mercy
on
teachers, instructors and administrators
on
support staffs and janitors
on
students
Christ have mercy
on
daycare staffs and care aides
on
town maintenance crews
on
gardeners and florists
Lord have mercy
on
those working to provide power
on
those working to provide electricity
on
those working to provide water to our homes
Christ have mercy
on
pilots and airline crews
on
construction workers
on therapists
and mental health advocates
Lord have mercy
on
pastors, ministers and priests
on
rabbis
on
imams
and
their congregations
Christ have mercy
on
volunteers
on
neighbours
on
generous donors
Lord have mercy
on
small business owners
on
managers
on the
self-employed and employers
Christ have mercy
on
those who work with online technology
on
those working in and for social media
on
those working in medical technologies
Lord have mercy
on
cooks and bakers
on
cleaners and those sanitizing
on
dishwashers and food services teams
Christ have mercy
on
couples preparing for marriage
on
families preparing for the birth of a child
on
children waiting for adoption
Lord have mercy
on
seniors in assisted living homes
on those
dealing with natural disasters
on
families separated because of hurts
Christ have mercy
on
families of all sizes
on
communities of all sizes
on
cities, towns and villages
Lord have mercy
on
governments
on
leaders of nations and lands
on leaders
of communities and peoples
Christ have mercy
on…
on…
on…
Lord have mercy
on my
community and neighbourhood
on my
family
on me.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
Your love is our strength.
Your presence among us our hope.
Your way is our peace.
Our faith is weak,
our ways are feeble,
our work is stumbling,
yet
You are our strength,
You are our hope,
You are our peace.
Your mercy is goodness.
Your mercy is compassion.
Your mercy is grace.
God of Mercy,
we know you are here with us
during these holy days
and through this pandemic.
We are tired and weak,
we are bombarded with a lot,
we are trying our best,
we are learning to slow down,
we are listening more closely to our hearts,
we are working at being more humane,
we are trying to learn, to hear and to be.
Lord,
fill us with your mercy today,
these days and
always.
Amen.
Blessings of peace to you as we journey to the Last Supper, to the cross, to the sealed tomb and to the empty tomb.
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