Lord, Have Mercy!

When we think of the many ways that God revealed Himself to His people in the Old and New Testaments, we find that the response to these manifestations of God’s presence is always that of reverence and awe.  When God called Moses into His presence while Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, God told him, “Do not come any closer.  Take off your sandals, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Ex 3:5)  We may remember also the narrative of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.  In St. Matthew’s Gospel we read, “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them…Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord it is good for us to be here, If you wish, I will put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice came from the cloud and said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’  When his disciples heard this, they fell face down on the ground, terrified.” (Mt 17:1-6)  We can see that in both instances at the manifestation of the presence of the All-Holy One to Moses and then to the disciples, there is a sense of awe and reverence, a recognition that they were not ready to stand on that holy ground or to stand upright before God Himself.
           
When we come to Mass, we enter into a true manifestation of God Himself.  We are on holy ground.  We come to hear His voice in the proclamation of the Sacred Scriptures and then we find ourselves in His substantial Presence as bread and wine become the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ who is true God and true man.  Ah yes, we come into the presence of God and, through the faith that has been given to us, we know in hearts that we are not worthy to be there.  Yet, God calls us to come.  We know that He is God and we are His creatures.  He is the All-Holy one and we are sinners.  The only response to this recognition of who we are as sinners is to beg His forgiveness.  Then we are delighted to realize that His is overflowing with mercy for us. 
           
The Liturgy of the Mass offers an opportunity for us to ask God for forgiveness in the beautiful dialogue in the Penitential Rite.  The priest invites us to enter into this sacred action by saying, “Let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries.”  These sacred mysteries are, of course, those of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus that become present on the altar in the offering of His Sacrifice to the Father.  It is our moment to humble ourselves before God, to recognize His holiness, and to see with eyes of faith the mysteries into which we are called to enter. 
           
Often the Confiteor follows.  This heartfelt expression of faith is prayed communally by all present offering a beautiful expression of humility and sorrow for sin.  “I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts, and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; and, therefore, I ask the Blessed Mary ever-Virgin all the Angels and Saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.”  The Confiteor illustrates both the individual assuming responsibility for his or her unworthiness and the reality that we are bound together in Christ’s Body the Church both on earth and in heaven.  We confess to God with contrite hearts and then we ask the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints and the heavenly host so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may be prepared to be united with the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.  

This type of confession of sins has been happening since apostolic times.  St James tells us to “confess your sins to one another.” (Jas 5:16)   In the Didache (the “Teaching of the Apostles”) from the fist century A.D. we hear this description of the Mass, “Assemble on the Lord’s Day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make a confession of your faults, so that your sacrifice may be a pure one.”  Even though it is not sacramental confession as the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation is, it is an outpouring of grace that  readies us for the Eucharistic encounter with the Lord Jesus.

The acknowledgement of our sins is not a fleeting thought or a moment in the Liturgy of the Mass that is inconsequential.  It describes what the stance of our hearts must be as we approach the All-Holy God and his altar.  The priest then continues with the Absolution, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life”.  All make this prayer their own by responding with a heartfelt, “Amen.”  We could say that this is the moment when we “take off our sandals” and recognize that where we stand is truly “holy ground” before the presence of the Lord Himself.  It prepares us for what comes next when we explicitly beg God’s mercy.

Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison.  “Lord, have mercy…Christ, have mercy…Lord, have mercy!”   This part of the Mass is so ancient that it is often preserved in Greek which was the official liturgical language of the Church in Rome before Latin was adopted.  This ancient litany is the whole Body of Christ calling out to Christ the Head begging for mercy.  The Church is united in making supplication, “Have mercy on us, You who are the Lord God of All, You who have become flesh like us, in order to take to the Cross that flesh offered in sacrifice for the salvation of the world!”  It is each of us together with the entire Church imploring the mercy of God so that we may be made ready and worthy to enter into the mystery of the Sacrifice of Christ and the glory of His Resurrection that will be made present on the altar.  The priest, who stands in the person of Christ in the liturgical assembly, and all the faithful are crying for mercy as they stand on the threshold of the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary of God, that has been made holy by the Blood of God Himself made flesh.  By His Blood our sins are washed away, mercy is poured out upon us and we are healed from all evil.  It is no wonder that the Church has always placed tremendous importance on the confession of sins and the crying out for mercy at the beginning of Mass.

My dear friends, do not miss the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass.  Enter into it with your whole heart.  It speaks of God’s mercy for us sinners.  It proclaims that, as we approach the holy of Holies, we are held in the company of the Mother of God, the angelic hosts and the saints who intercede for us.  In it our threefold, “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault” is answered by God loving response of “mercy, mercy, mercy”!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid
Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh