From the Greek for the actual name, Kyrie Eleison, which means, "Lord have mercy " The Kyrie comes after the Ten Commandments or the summary of the law in the Rite I Eucharist, to serve as a reminder to us that we cannot, by our own effort, keep the commandments It is a plea for grace by fallen sinners In Rite II, where there is no recitation of the Ten Commandments or a summary of the law, the Kyrie seems out of place, and is, for that reason, often omitted
The first movement of the ordinary of the Catholic mass The complete words of this movement, in Greek, are "Kyrie eleison/Christe eleison/ Kyrie eleison" ("Lord have mercy/Christ have mercy/Lord have mercy")