One of the best things I've done for my faith is learn about the nuances in the original meaning of "Kyrie, eleison."
It's almost always translated as "Lord, have mercy," and while this made sense in the way the word "mercy" was used centuries ago, it doesn't really line up with the contemporary English meaning. Today, "have mercy" feels pretty solely like pleading to a judge to be pardoned for a crime and can make the church feel like a courtroom rather than a hospital for sinners.
However, the original English (and Greek) meaning was far broader and quite far from this legalistic meaning. "Eleos" was the Greek translation in the Septuagint for the Hebrew word "חֶסֶד," or Chesed, which refers to a steadfast love grounded in the covenant. Furthermore, while we now know they aren't actually etymologically related, "eleos" sounds a lot like "elaion" (olive oil, used for light and medicine), and the Church Fathers (like St. John Chrysostom) associated the two deeply.
When early Christians prayed "Kyrie, eleison," what they meant was something closer to: "Lord, pour out Your healing grace unto me and soothe me." They weren't so much pleading for a mitigation of punishment as they were pleading for God to hold to His Covenant with His people, which entails the treatment of sins and comfort through distress.
So mentally, when I hear or say it, I translate it internally to "Lord, heal us," or "Lord, be gracious." This really helps me genuinely mean it and put my heart into it when I say "Kyrie, eleison" during the Divine Liturgy, or another liturgy.
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