Thursday in the Second Week of Lent

We trace the Kyrie from its biblical roots to its Trinitarian depth, showing how repetition is a summons to real conversion in Lent. We close with personal questions, classic prayers, and concrete next steps for confession and daily surrender.

• meaning of “Lord” in Scripture and liturgy
• why the Kyrie addresses Father, Son, and Spirit
• Christ as Anointed Mediator of mercy
• the Holy Spirit as Lord and giver of forgiveness
• repetition as a call to deeper conversion
• preparation for Gloria through contrition
• examen on prayer to each Divine Person
• practical prompt to return to confession
• devotional closings to Sacred Heart and Our Lady

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith in this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org

Transcript

What The Kyrie Really Invokes

Repetition As A Call To Conversion

Personal Examination And Closing Prayers

Resources And Ways To Go Deeper

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Thursday, in the second week of Lent. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. The Confetor asks for prayer from our fellow sinners, and this strengthens us to ask God for his own mercy, to which we have no right, but which he in his justice has every right and desire to give. The threefold structure of this simple prayer hearkens, of course, to the Trinity, and we beg for mercy from each person of the Trinity, since by our sin we have offended each one. Kyrgios is the Greek translation for the name God gives himself in the burning bush. Lord means God Almighty, and is naturally applied to the Father first. Jesus is Lord, but here we call upon him as Christ, as the anointed one who came to save us. Christ, as a title, relates specifically to his saving mission among us. Sent from the Father and anointed by the Holy Spirit, he is our mediator and savior from whom we beg mercy. The Holy Spirit is called Lord twice in the Mass, here and in the Creed, where He is Lord and Giver of life. This not only reminds us that He too is God, but also that it is through His ministrations that we are forgiven, and we hear in the words of Absolution, God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. All three persons of the Trinity are invoked here, even if not by name, that we can ask pardon from each and receive mercy from all. Having done so, we are ennobled and strengthened to praise God as we will soon do in the Gloria. For now, I would simply like to point out one other aspect of this brief litnik prayer, and that would be its repetition. Any time something is repeated in the Bible or in the liturgy, it signifies a deeper level of calling. It is not meant to stay on the surface level, but rather to go farther up and farther in, as C.S. Lewis would phrase it. You can see this any time a name is repeated in Scripture. God is calling, but not just to get someone's attention. He is calling them to conversion, to change their life, to live for Him. Similarly, here, when we repeat God's name again and again in a petition for mercy, we are asking not for a passing moment of forgiveness, but one that goes deeper, even to the roots and depths of our soul, so that we can be transformed totally from within, instead of only seeming to be transformed on the outside. This is, therefore, a fitting prayer, not only at the beginning of Mass, but also in this Lenten season, when we seek and desire to belong all the more to God, even in our inmost self. Do you have a relationship with each person of the Blessed Trinity? Do you call upon them in prayer, including when asking for forgiveness? When did you last go to confession? Is it time to go again? All that I have, and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus. Through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith in this Lent, consider joining the Cristuros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristuros can be found at theCristeros.org.