“God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13 · KJV
Kyrie eleison — Lord, have mercy — is the oldest liturgical prayer of the Christian household. It sits inside the parable of the publican who beat his breast in the temple, and it has been sung in Greek and Latin by every generation since. This chant hymn keeps the ancient words and lets a household today join the old church's cry.
“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” Luke 18:13 · KJV
Companion passages: Psalm 51:1 ("Have mercy upon me, O God") · Isaiah 6:3 ("Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts") · Matthew 15:22 ("Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David") · Hebrews 4:16 ("Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy").
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The Christian household never outgrows the publican's prayer. Every morning begins here: God be merciful to me a sinner. Every evening ends here too. The Kyrie is not a beginner's prayer we graduate from — it is the one true prayer the household will still be singing when heaven opens.
Lord, have mercy on this household. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Thou art holy — Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus — and we are small before thee. Yet thy mercy is our home. Keep us in thy mercy morning and night. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Shorts: A short-form YouTube Shorts clip of this hymn will be published so households can share a verse in a minute. The Shorts placeholder is here so the ecosystem is ready when the video ships.
Read Luke 18:9-14 aloud before the day begins. Sing Verse 1 as the household's first prayer of the day.
Sing the Bridge slowly as the house grows quiet — Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie — the oldest evening prayer.
Teach the children the three words — Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie — and their meaning. Sing them together as a gentle bedtime chant.