Just a word before we go...Third Sunday of Advent...December 11, 2022

“The wind blows hard against this mountain side, across the sea into my soul. It reaches into where I cannot hide, setting my feet upon the road.”  These lyrics from the artist Mr. Mister’s 1980s hit are followed by the unlikely words Kyrie Eleison, the Greek for Lord, have mercy.

Listening to this old favorite of mine started me thinking about the words we say early in the celebration of the Mass, arguably as part of or following the Penitential Rite, and again sometimes after each petition of the Prayer of the Faithful...Lord, hear our prayer, or Lord, have mercy...Kyrie Eleison.

When we recite these words, do we pay attention to them or are they spoken out of habit?  And what exactly are we praying for?  Forgiveness? Health? Security? A way forward on our road of life?  What exactly do we expect God to do for us?

The followers of John the Baptist were praying for a redeemer, a savior who would vindicate the Jewish people and pass judgment, with punishment, on those who deserved it.  But along comes Jesus, who seems to neither judge nor punish, but when questioned by John, does not point to himself but rather to his works...the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear.  Jesus is known by his fruits.  He has come not to wage war, but to change hearts, to call forth our potential...to make us whole, that we might see ourselves and others as God sees us. 

When we ask for mercy, what is it we are praying for?  In our heart of hearts, when we face our inner selves and confront those areas where we might need some “tweaking,” what is it that we are really asking of the Lord? John the Baptist, praying for the Messiah, came to prepare the way of the Lord. The Lord became one of us to open our hearts to recognize the spark of the divine in each of us, and in all creation, that we might see that we are all connected.  Jesus came to show us how to live. He came among us to prepare the way for us to see as God sees, thereby helping the reign of God unfold. 

The refrain of Mr. Mister’s song is: Kyrie Eleison, down the road that I must travel; Kyrie Eleison, through the darkness of the night; Kyrie Eleison, where I’m going will you follow; Kyrie Eleison, on a highway in the light. 

We could do worse than think of these words whenever we pray Lord, have mercy. 

Kyrie Eleison, down the road we all must travel.