Lord, have mercy on Christ!

The phrase “Lord, have on Christ!” may sound puzzling. After all, isn’t Christ the Son of God and the savior of humanity? How could he be in need of mercy? Yet this invocation is a common expression of piety in many Christian traditions, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The phrase is part of a longer called the Jesus Prayer, which goes like this: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The Jesus Prayer is a type of repetitive prayer or mantra that seeks to cultivate a constant awareness of God’s presence and love. It is often said silently or whispered while performing everyday activities, such as walking, cooking, or driving.

The phrase “have mercy on me, a sinner” acknowledges human mortality, weakness, and sinfulness. It is an expression of humility and contrition, a plea for forgiveness and grace. The word “mercy” comes from the Latin word “misericordia,” which means “to have a heart full of pity.” To ask the Lord to have mercy on us is to appeal to God’s infinite compassion and kindness, to trust in his willingness to heal and save us despite our flaws and mistakes.

But why add the phrase “on Christ”? According to some theologians, the expression “Lord, have mercy on Christ!” reflects a profound understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Incarnation refers to the belief that God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. By taking on flesh and , Jesus fully shared in our human condition, including our sufferings, temptations, and mortality. However, Jesus was not just any human being. He was also the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who had existed for all eternity.

The combination of being both human and divine in one person is called the hypostatic union. In the hypostatic union, Jesus’s humanity and divinity are not mixed or confused but united in a unique and mysterious way. Jesus was fully human and fully divine, with two natures (human and divine) and one person (the Son of God). The unity of the incarnate Christ allowed him to experience everything that we experience as humans, including pain, grief, and death, while also revealing to us the face of God’s love and mercy.

So when we say “Lord, have mercy on Christ,” we acknowledge that even though Jesus was sinless and divine, he still faced the challenges and limitations of human existence. He was born in a stable, grew up in a small town, and worked as a carpenter. He suffered hunger, fatigue, and rejection. He wept over the death of his friend Lazarus and in the garden of Gethsemane. He was betrayed, mocked, and crucified. By praying for God’s mercy on Christ, we recognize the humanity of Jesus as a crucial part of his identity and mission.

At the same time, we also acknowledge the incredible love and sacrifice of God in sending his Son to save us. The mercy that we ask for ourselves is the same mercy that God has shown to us in Christ. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus reconciled us to God and gave us the hope of eternal life. His mercy is not cheap or arbitrary but costly and transformative. It requires us to turn away from sin and to follow him with faith and obedience.

In conclusion, “Lord, have mercy on Christ” is a powerful expression of our faith in the Incarnate Son of God. It reminds us that Jesus was not a distant or aloof deity but a real person who lived and died for us. It encourages us to trust in God’s mercy and to seek his forgiveness with a humble and contrite heart. It invites us to imitate Christ’s selfless love and compassion for others and to share the good news of salvation with the world. May the Lord have mercy on us all, through the intercession of Christ our Savior!