Reflections
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
David writes this psalm almost
as though these verses are to be
part of the Passion of Christ.
The psalm even becomes the
prayer of Christ at the time
of His crucifixion and speaks
of the suffering that our Savior
experiences on our behalf.
People are the same today as they
were back then, when Jesus was being
led to the cross. We scoff at Him;
we mock Him; we wag our heads;
and hurl insults at Him.
Why? Because He became sin; He took our
sins upon himself and become contemptible
in our eyes. He reminds us that we are a sinful
people; He convicts us; He catches us in the lie;
He embarrasses us; He exposes us; He accuses
us of being hypocrites. The truth hurts! We who
are mired in the pit take a perverse delight in
seeing our Lord suffer for our sake.
sins upon himself and become contemptible
in our eyes. He reminds us that we are a sinful
people; He convicts us; He catches us in the lie;
He embarrasses us; He exposes us; He accuses
us of being hypocrites. The truth hurts! We who
are mired in the pit take a perverse delight in
seeing our Lord suffer for our sake.
Christ holds us to a higher standard; He remains
above sin; He speaks directly to God; He claims
to be God's Son; and we reject Him for this; and
mock Him. We do not move to assist Him;
let God rescue Him.
above sin; He speaks directly to God; He claims
to be God's Son; and we reject Him for this; and
mock Him. We do not move to assist Him;
let God rescue Him.
As our psalmist says, “He relied on the Lord –
let God deliver him; let God rescue him, if He
loves him.” These are the same words used by
those who conspired against Jesus when He was
dying on the cross. They did not realize that the
suffering and death of an innocent servant would
restore life for sinful man. The words they spoke
were to be fulfilled, not by Jesus coming down from
the cross, but by sinful humanity like us being
delivered, forgiven, and lifted up with God’s Son.
let God deliver him; let God rescue him, if He
loves him.” These are the same words used by
those who conspired against Jesus when He was
dying on the cross. They did not realize that the
suffering and death of an innocent servant would
restore life for sinful man. The words they spoke
were to be fulfilled, not by Jesus coming down from
the cross, but by sinful humanity like us being
delivered, forgiven, and lifted up with God’s Son.
We are reminded by St Paul in today's second reading
that Christ takes the form of a slave, obedient even to death
for our sake. (Philippians 2:7) And the prophet Isaiah in our
first reading speaks about the Messiah long before his birth
and predicts that He will be beaten and His beard will be
plucked. (Isaiah 50:6) But the suffering servant does not rebel
(as Isaiah tells us). He knows that He will not be put to shame.
The Father is not far off, even when Jesus lies hanging on the cross.
that Christ takes the form of a slave, obedient even to death
for our sake. (Philippians 2:7) And the prophet Isaiah in our
first reading speaks about the Messiah long before his birth
and predicts that He will be beaten and His beard will be
plucked. (Isaiah 50:6) But the suffering servant does not rebel
(as Isaiah tells us). He knows that He will not be put to shame.
The Father is not far off, even when Jesus lies hanging on the cross.
We know that what seemed like a moment of weakness for Christ
became a source of strength for the rest of us. As our psalmist says,
“You Lord do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me.”
became a source of strength for the rest of us. As our psalmist says,
“You Lord do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me.”
Amen
Discussion Questions for Reflection
1. Our psalmist says, "All who see me scoff at me." Are you one of those
who mocked Christ? Can you identify with those who wagged their heads
and shouted, "Let God deliver him; let God rescue him." Explain.
2. The verses of the Psalm are a plea to the Lord, "Be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me." Give an example of a time when you have
called out to God to hurry and rescue you.
Psalm 22 is astonishingly relatable and familiar. I may not have dogs surrounding me in a state of pierced hands and feet. But I know spiritual darkness. I understand the cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" These words of King David in his time of trouble prefigure so perfectly Christ's Passion on the Cross. Even Jesus, suffers in his humanity... and feels the depths of despair for a moment, before he ultimately tastes victory over death.
ReplyDeleteAs a well-versed teacher, Jesus would have known Scripture well, and understood that he was fulfilling Psalm 22. As for David, he was Spirit-led in writing these verses, hundreds of years before Christ.
Does our Abba Father ever really abandon any of us? Surely, the answer is no. But when walking through a difficult time, we can temporarily lose our footing and call out to God to "... be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me." (V.20)
Spiritual warfare is real and the battles in my life seem to appear suddenly. Everything seems to be fine. But then, in a moment, a child of mine needs help in fighting off the demons of discouragement and depression. Another child shares disillusionment with work. In a fleeting second, I am plagued by misunderstandings with family members, who then pick a fight with me. Within minutes, my husband speaks of colleagues who have just been diagnosed with terminal illnesses. I look at my bank account and wonder how to budget better. I have not reached my Lenten goals. Yet more school shootings dominate the news headlines. My heart is torn in different directions and I fall into a pit. Fears grip me. Paranoia rules in my mind. I attempt my usual prayers and rosaries, but do not always feel the consolations that should come. At such times, I cry out because I need the Lord's swift rescue.
In his most painful moments on the cross, Jesus meditates on and voices Scripture out loud. What a powerful example that is to me! I should find Biblical passages that speak to me, know them well, and be able to say them aloud, when needed in desolate episodes of life.