Kyrie Eleison

(Lord have mercy)

Just hours after Russia began its military attack on Ukraine, a US journalist reported something she’d seen which had moved her greatly.  It took place early in the morning in the middle of an open square in the Ukrainian city, Kharkiv. In the bitter cold, a little group of people knelt on the stone paving slabs to pray. As this photo was taken, explosions were ricocheting across their city.

Watching helplessly as war once more comes to Europe, we too turn to prayer. And what better prayer to pray than one especially deeply embedded in the Christian East - in both Ukraine, then, and Russia. But the prayer as a three-fold petition is familiar to Christians across the globe. How could it not be? It is a cry for the mercy of God which we all need. Ky-ri-é El-é-i-son, it begins in Greek, Lord have mercy. And then often, Christ-é El-é-i-son (Christ have mercy) before repeating Ky-ri-é El-é-i-son.

As you pray for God’s transformational mercy both upon the suffering people of Ukraine and upon their warmongering oppressor, you might like to sing this simple Ukrainian setting of the Kyrie yourself. Or let the 16th-century setting below lead you into prayer. It is sung by Kyiv Chamber Choir. Above hauntingly resonant basses, the soloist’s soulful voice rises. It is a lamentation as well as a longing for mercy.