Akathistos

The other day while I was washing dishes at my kitchen sink, I heard a loud crash and looked up to see an SUV crashing into a tree. My backyard looks out onto a farm and parallel to the farm is a main road. I went outside to see what happened and discovered that there was another car involved in the accident which was now facing the opposite direction with the driver side completely crushed. Immediately, people were on the spot to help those in the accident. My instinct was to cross myself and say a prayer for whoever may have been involved. I kept watching the second car and originally thought that the door must have been stuck because no one was getting out. About 30-40 minutes later, I watched as a stretcher with a sealed body bag was wheeled toward the ambulance. This entire time, my son had been standing on a chair, peering out our back door. I am so thankful that he didn’t understand what was going on and was only excited to see police cars and firetrucks. In the blink of an eye and right outside my window, a person had died. There was nothing else that I could think to pray but “Lord, have mercy!”

Before I became Orthodox, every time that I would drive past a car accident or a funeral, I would struggle to come up with a prayer on the spot. Usually something not very pretty- I’ve never had a talent for “pretty prayer.” Now all I have to do is make the sign of the cross and pray, “Lord, have mercy,” and that says it all.

“Lord, have mercy” can mean a variety of things at a variety of times. The beautiful thing is that our Lord shows us his mercies everyday. Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

“Orthodox Worship” describes the meaning of the word mercy like this:

“The word mercy in English is the translation of the Greek word eleos. This word has the same ultimate root as the old Greek word for oil, or more precisely, olive oil; a substance which was used extensively as a soothing agent for bruises and minor wounds. The oil was poured onto the wound and gently massaged in, thus soothing, comforting and making whole the injured part. The Hebrew word which is also translated as eleos and mercy is hesed, and means steadfast love. The Greek words for ‘Lord, have mercy,’ are ‘Kyrie, eleison’ ­ that is to say, ‘Lord, soothe me, comfort me, take away my pain, show me your steadfast love.’ Thus mercy does not refer so much to justice or acquittal ­ a very Western interpretation ­ but to the infinite loving-kindness of God, and his compassion for his suffering children! It is in this sense that we pray ‘Lord, have mercy,’ with great frequency throughout the Divine Liturgy.”

When I began attending services at our parish, I was overwhelmed by the constancy and frequency of the “Lord, have mercy”s. But now they are a comfort to me and I desire to pray them more consistently. Tonight, I searched the phrase “Lord, have mercy” online and came up with a good explanation. The concluding paragraph written by a graduate of St. Vladimir’s Seminary is very powerful:

The Church is intimately in Love with her Lord. She forever yearns to be worthy of His Love. She is forever amazed at His steadfast love. And so she says over and over again, “Lord Have Mercy?’ To the extent that we enter into this consciousness and truly experience the fact that God loves us, then we will understand that nothing we say, do, think, or desire will ever be enough, that no prayer, praise, or petition directed to God is ever enough for the God that is too much!