Hopeful Solidarity

A Reflection on the Psalm for April 5th, 2020:
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

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Psalm 22

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver; let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shrivelled; I can count all my bones. 

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! 

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

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In the psalms we find solidarity in our human experiences. They brim with emotion and can guide our prayer when we are living through joy, gratitude, peace, anger, fear, longing, hope, discouragement, and sadness. Even when they begin with the psalmist expressing frustrations about the sufferings of life, the writer eventually acknowledges who God is and expresses hope and trust in Him and in what He will do amidst, and through, difficult times.

Psalm 22 is one of the most heartbreaking psalms — it describes the separation between God and man, originating from sin. Palm Sunday gives it further context when we hear Christ’s cry echoing it from the cross: “Why have you forsaken me?” sounds like pure despair. Jesus, the Son of God, willingly opens and receives the consequences of sin — which He had no part in —and intimately knows our human separation from God in the most real and raw way. He becomes one with the brokenness of fallen humanity.

However, Christ is not despairing when He says these words. Look closer and you will see that paired with His emotional outcries are clear and willful acts of placing His trust in the Father.
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Scholars attest that the ancients would cite one line from a psalm to convey the meaning of the whole. Reading further, the psalmist exclaims, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.” He remembers who God is — one who never abandons or breaks His covenant.

After the words, “All who see me mock at me,” he also asserts, “Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast… since my mother bore me you have been my God.” (Psalm 22:9-10)

After, “I can count all my bones”, “But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!” (Psalm 22:19)

In the end, “…[B]efore him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him…. future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.” (Psalm 22:29-31)

In these times where we may feel separation, or even abandonment, may we remember that our Lord has already walked all paths of suffering we face, but with perfect faith — placing all His trust and hope in His Father. May we not hold back from expressing our hardships to Him when we are hurting, but may we also imitate Christ and ask the Holy Spirit for all the graces we need: to give ourselves in Love to one another and to Himself, to remember our deepest identity, and to willfully and willingly place all our hope in Him.




Kendra L.

Photo by Cuma Umaç on Unsplash

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