Kyrie Eleison

Definition and Meaning

Kyrie eleison (Greek Κύριε ἐλέησον) means "Lord, have mercy." Kyrie is the vocative "O Lord," and eleison is the imperative form of a verb meaning "to show mercy" or "to have pity." It is commonly paired with "Christ, have mercy" (Christe eleison), the two being sung or said in alternation. It is often referred to simply as the Kyrie.

Biblical and Historical Background

The same expression appears in the Septuagint version of the Psalms and in the Gospels. Psalm 51:1, "Have mercy upon me, O God," is one example. In the Gospels, the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:22), the two blind men (Matthew 20:30–31), Bartimaeus (Mark 10:47), and the lepers (Luke 17:13) all cry out to Jesus in these words.

In worship, the Eastern church is known to have used the phrase from around the fourth century. A deacon would read the prayer intentions one by one, and the congregation would respond to each with "Kyrie eleison." This tradition survives in Eastern Orthodox worship today. The Latin Mass of the West adopted this one element in its original Greek. It later became the first item of the Ordinary, the parts of the Mass that remain unchanged from one celebration to the next. For this reason, Mass settings by many composers generally begin with the Kyrie.

During the Reformation, different traditions responded in different ways. Martin Luther retained the Kyrie even in his German service. By contrast, the Reformed churches in the tradition of Zwingli and Calvin largely set aside the fixed Ordinary, and the prevailing tendency among them was to put a prayer of confession of sin in its place.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korea, use of the Kyrie varies by tradition:

• Catholic Church: In the penitential act at the beginning of Mass, "Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy" is said or sung.
• Anglican Church of Korea and Lutheran Church in Korea: The Kyrie is said or sung within the set order of the Holy Eucharist and the Sunday service.
• Presbyterian, Methodist, and similar churches: Few Korean churches of these traditions include the Kyrie in their regular order of worship. However, some denominational service books include it as an optional element, and it is used in services during Lent and Holy Week, in special anthems sung by the choir, and in meditative songs such as Taizé chants.
• Free worship traditions: Even in Korean churches that do not use fixed liturgical texts, such as Baptist and Pentecostal churches, the cry "Lord, have mercy" arises naturally in audible corporate prayer (tongseong gido) and in personal prayer. In these settings it takes the form of extemporaneous prayer rather than a fixed liturgical text.