Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.-- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(ESV)
The
Jesus Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on
me, a sinner.
Pray without ceasing.
Occasionally I have known
Christian writers say things like, "to write is to breathe," or "I
live to write." Whether we echo these attitudes is up to each of us. I am
using these terms to invite you to consider the following point. Kyrie
eleison applies as an encouragement to pray without ceasing in our
lives as writers.
Kyrie Eleison—Lord have mercy.
I found an explanation of "Lord
have mercy," as I prepared this post.
"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 that, was used extensively as a soothing
agent for bruises and minor wounds.
The
oil was poured into 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 the sense that we pray "Lord, have
mercy," with great frequency during the Divine Liturgy.”
https://orthodoxtimes.com/the-meaning-of-kyrie-eleison/
In our
prayer, Kyrie eleison, we offer our suffering, our fear, our
pain, and even our anger to God of all compassion. This includes prayer for
whomever caused our pain or despair. "Lord have mercy", is not a
religious mantra, neither is it vain repetition. Kyrie eleison is a heartfelt
prayer to the God who hears our cries and does not turn His face from us.
A
Humble prayer for writers.
Whatever
genre we write in we can pray with assurance, Kyrie eleison, as we write and
send our words into the world of readers. We never know what someone's life
situation is before they read our words. Our humble call as writers may be a
healing balm to the soul of a reader or other writers.
A few
times after reading my poetry or my writing as healing content, readers stated.
"You saved my life." Oh my, how do we as writers respond to such
intimate appreciation? We can fall to our knees with "Kyrie eleison,"
springing from thankful hearts for God's mercy on us.
We
might also take a quiet, intimate pause in our call to write and ask God for
His continued mercy. In prayer, we may say these humble words: "Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
Perhaps,
through our words, we can wipe away the tears from a reader's eyes. Friends,
our words have the power to bring healing to people. With all humbleness, I
encourage our writer family to send words into the world as peacemakers to
express God's mercy. Every letter, word, and paragraph will be more effective
when sent out with this humble prayer by a humble writer, Lord have mercy.
Kyrie eleison
We hope and pray
Lord, pour out compassion this troubled day.
Alan
lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He
contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story
by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter
Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship, 2021. Alan's
current writing project is, "Hidden Poetic Voices: A Reflective Work of
Grief, Faith, and Poetry.
