Kyrie
Kyrie, a
In the Bible
The prayer, Kýrie, eléison, "Lord, have mercy" derives from a Biblical phrase. Greek ἐλέησόν με κύριε, "have mercy on me,
In the New Testament, the Greek phrase occurs three times in Matthew:
- Matthew 15:22: the Canaanite woman cries out to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." (Ἐλέησόν με κύριε υἱὲ Δαβίδ)
- Matthew 17:15: "Lord, have mercy on my son" (Κύριε ἐλέησόν μου τὸν υἱόν)
- Matthew 20:30: two unnamed blind men call out to Jesus, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David." (Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς κύριε υἱὸς Δαβίδ)
In the Parable of the
Luke 17:13 has epistates, "master", instead of kyrios, "lord", (Ἰησοῦ ἐπιστάτα ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς), being less suggestive of the kyrios "lord" used as
There are other examples in the text of the gospels without the kyrie "lord", e.g. Mark 10:46, where blind
In the biblical text, the phrase is always personalized by an explicit object (such as "on me", "on us", "on my son"),[2] while in the Eucharistic celebration it can be seen more as a general expression of confidence in God's love.[3]: 293
In Eastern Christianity
The phrase Kýrie, eléison (Greek: Κύριε, ἐλέησον), whether in Greek or in other languages, is one of the most oft-repeated phrases in
The various
The phrase is also the origin of the Jesus Prayer, beloved by eastern Christians as a foundation of personal prayer, and is increasingly popular among some Western Christians.
The prayer is simultaneously a petition and a prayer of thanksgiving; an acknowledgement of what God has done, what God is doing, and what God will continue to do. It is refined in the Parable of The Publican (Luke 18:9–14), "God, have mercy on me, a sinner", which shows more clearly its connection with the Jesus Prayer.
In Western Christianity
A. Introductory rites |
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B. Liturgy of the Word |
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C. Liturgy of the Eucharist |
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D. Concluding rites |
Ite, missa est |
Catholicism portal |
In Rome, the Liturgy was first celebrated in Greek. Josef Jungmann suggests the Kyrie in the Roman Mass is best seen as a vestige of a
As early as the sixth century,
"Kyrie, eléison" may also be used as a response of the people to intentions mentioned in the Prayer of the Faithful. Since 1549, Anglicans have normally sung or said the Kyrie in English. In the 1552 Book of Common Prayer, the Kyrie was inserted into a recitation of the Ten Commandments. Modern revisions of the Prayer Book have restored the option of using the Kyrie without the Commandments. Other denominations, such as Lutheranism, also use "Kyrie, eléison" in their liturgies.
Kyrie as section of the Mass ordinary
In the Tridentine Mass form of the Roman Rite, Kýrie, eléison is sung or said three times, followed by a threefold Christe, eléison and by another threefold Kýrie, eléison. Collectively, the nine invocations are said to unite the petitions of the faithful to those of the nine choirs of angels in heaven.
Text
- Kyrie eléison (Κύριε, ἐλέησον)
- Lord, have mercy
- Christe eléison (Χριστέ, ἐλέησον)
- Christ, have mercy
Musical settings
The Kyrie is the first sung prayer of the
Use in litanies
The Kyrie serves as the beginning of litanies in the Roman Rite.[5]
Modern Catholic thought
The terms
Its emphasis is not on us (our sinfulness) but on God’s mercy and salvific action in Jesus Christ. It could just as accurately be translated "O Lord, you are merciful!" Note that the sample tropes all mention what Christ has done for us, not how we have sinned. For example, “you were sent to heal the contrite,” “you have shown us the way to the Father,” or “you come in word and sacrament to strengthen us in holiness,” leading to further acclamation of God’s praises in the Gloria.[8]
In this same line, Hans Urs von Balthasar calls for a renewal of the focus at the Eucharist:
We must make every effort to arouse the sense of community within the liturgy, to restore liturgy to the ecclesial plane, where individuals can take their proper place in it…. Liturgical piety involves a total turning from concern with one’s inner state to the attitude and feeling of the Church. It means enlarging the scope of prayer, so often narrow and selfish, to embrace the concerns of the whole Church and, indeed – as in the Our Father – of God.”[9]
In the New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship, the need to establish communion is reinforced as it quotes the GIRM to the effect that the purpose of the introductory rites is “to ensure that the faithful who come together as one establish communion and dispose themselves to listen properly to God's word and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily” (GIRM, 46, emphasis added).[10]
See also
- Jesus Prayer
- List of Greek phrases
- Kyriacos
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Definitions for Medieval Christian Liturgy: Kyrie eleison". Yale. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013.
- ^ Fortescue, Adrian. "Kyrie Eleison". Retrieved 13 March 2017.
- ^ a b Jungmann, J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. New York 1951: Benzinger Brothers. pp. num. 322ss.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Gregory the Great, Epistles 9: 26, trans. Baldovin, Urban Worship, 244-245
- ^ Fortescue, Adrian (1910). "Kyrie Eleison". The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 4 February 2021 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain..
- ISBN 9780199552870. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-0268004989., p. 318
- ISBN 978-0-8146-6174-1. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
- ^ Church and World. Herder and Herder. 1967. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ISBN 978-0814657881.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Kyrie Eleison". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
Sources
- Hoppin, Richard. Medieval Music. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1978. ISBN 0-393-09090-6. Pages 133–134 (Gregorian chants), 150 (tropes).