"My God, my God, why did you abandon me?"
by Fra Mark Vertido Palafox, OFM
It was a fine normal day in Jerusalem, excited to attend the solemn profession of one our friars. Yet that morning of October 7, 2023 suddenly became different. The war broke between Israel and the Hamas terrorists of Gaza. When these terrorists attacked the neighboring villages around the Gaza strip, 1,195 civilians and soldiers were brutally murdered, many of them were just starting their Shabbat routines in their homes. And they kept a total of 251 hostages. As the Israeli army retaliates, the civilian death toll in Gaza started also to rise (now around 50,000, according to some estimates) and it continues until this day as both sides are not giving up.
Among those murdered that day were four Overseas Filipino Workers who have chosen to stay with their sick old patients to look after them and to protect them from danger. Later that day, we have seen the atrocities, the burned bodies and even beheaded persons just because they were perceived as enemies. Then, the war started, innocent lives lost because the terrorists hid themselves under civilian buildings. Propaganda from each side starts to roll and the one who controls the narrative wins the information war. Every war is complicated and no one really wins, and the innocent are left dead or badly injured.
At the sight of this tragedy, one could ask, “My God, my God, why did you abandon us? Why should the innocent suffer from all of these things? Why could we not just live in peace and harmony with our neighbors?” In the same manner, the innocent cries and suffers with the Lord Jesus Christ who hangs in the cross: “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”
Hanging on the cross, the Crucified Lord is shown as fully divine and fully human. He divinely forgives those who repent and who have wronged him. However, he also displays the weight of bearing the sins of the world in the cross. Indeed, Jesus is God but at the same time He is also human who have experienced betrayal, suffering, abandonment and being forsaken. Jesus Christ bridges us to God for through Him we know that God is not that abstract and detached Being who doesn’t care at all. He became a pilgrim among us to show us who the Father is, but also to show God’s mercy and compassion through his solidarity to the human condition.
Jesus’ cry on the cross to the Father quotes the Davidic Psalm 22, which actually contains a parallel to the crucifixion: piercing of the hands and feet, dividing the garments, and mockery and wagging heads. Although this Psalm captures the suffering of the Just and his sentiment of abandonment, in the end there is hope for God heard his cry and have answered him (vv.18-32). Lamenting becomes praising God for his goodness and announcing it to all.
During times of distress and problems, to whom do we turn to? We have witnessed many bitter events in our lives which sometimes just crushes us not only externally but also inside. We might question God’s presence in all of these. Sometimes, many mistakenly accuse God of allowing all the evil in the world to take place especially when the innocent suffers. The problem of evil remains a mystery, however, the Son of God came to take part of our sufferings. Jesus Himself became the victim of injustice! His participation in the sufferings of humanity may not have changed the fact that humanity will still suffer, however, He showed us the Way to handle our sufferings by remaining fully in communion with the Father. And he did not delude Himself in trusting to the plan of God. His passion on the cross was not the end, it was only part of the bigger picture of His glorious resurrection.
As pilgrims of hope, we are reminded that our journey towards God is not a one-way pavement, rather it is very dynamic, full of challenges and also brings suffering. However, life has its ups and downs and that makes it livelier and demands our creativity and faithfulness in making the walk. What we actually trod as pilgrims of hope is our very own Via Crucis, for to follow Jesus is to take up our daily crosses with Him.
The world still suffers with wars, violence, natural catastrophes, corrupt politicians, and all. To feel lost and abandoned is a valid emotion, if we need to cry to God, we should do it. Confronted by the sufferings of the world, we are called to be instruments of making it a better place for all. Yet, sometimes it’s just too heavy to bear, but God is our refuge, and with Jesus we can also cry: “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”
Prayer
My God, my God,
In the silence, I feel lost.
In the darkness, I feel alone.
But still—I call out to You.
Even when I don’t feel You near,
Even when my heart is heavy with sorrow,
I remember that You were there—
On the cross, crying out just as I do now.
So, hold me in this moment.
Do not let go.
Even when I feel abandoned,
Remind me I am never forgotten,
That You are with me.
Amen.
Fra Mark Vertido Palafox, OFM, is a friar minor of the Holy Land since 2017. He was ordained priest last June 29, 2024 in Jerusalem. Currently, he resides at the Basilica of the Nativity and serves as the Formator of Aspirants of his religious province, helping young men discover God’s call to them.