Project Description

At this point in the Passion story, Jesus is calling out to his father, God, and asking, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me.” I’ve been thinking about these words, and what’s not standing out to me is about the utter hopelessness that Jesus feels here. I could do a reflection on death, abject despair, utter hopelessness, and more, but what’s on my mind is what God must have felt hearing those words. In the biblical story, God is Jesus’s literal father. I’m thinking of how a parent would hear those words coming from their child – why have you forsaken me? Why have you left me alone in my hour of need? Why have you abandoned me?

Hard emotions to feel. And hard emotions hear if you’re being asked the question.   God has his reasons for abandoning his son on the cross. Some Christians would argue that God had to abandon his son to die so all of our sins would be relieved, and in that moment, Jesus took on the sins of humanity. Being a humanist, I don’t particularly draw any inspiration positive or negative from that theological reading. What is sticking with me is how might I have abandoned others in their time of need.

If I were to be asked by someone, why have you forsaken me, why have you abandoned me, my first instinct would be to immediately become defensive and argue that I hadn’t abandoned them. Maybe I did it for their own good, so they would learn a lesson. Maybe I was honestly just too busy to be there for them. Maybe I think that abandoning their specific needs will end up being healthier for the overall community. Maybe I couldn’t be there for them because I was too busy trying to be there for myself. I would surely find some kind of reasons to argue back that I hadn’t truly abandoned someone in their hour of need.

Sometimes we just aren’t able to help someone in their hour of need. It’s just a matter of fact. And if that is the truth, then we shouldn’t feel defensive about it. Sad, yes, but defensive no. I think a lot of times, however, we are able to help someone in their hour of need but we aren’t listening for the question. We aren’t listening to others who are asking us why we have abandoned them. We aren’t truly hearing them.

Or we assume that their question is wrong – we haven’t abandoned them at all, so they should stop thinking we have. Or they are just wrong in thinking that we abandoned them, and how dare THEY ask US this question at all?

Yah, that’s not our place to judge. It’s not our place to judge if someone feels abandoned by what we’ve done or not done for them. Their feelings legitimate and real because they have the right to their own feelings. We have to sit with those feelings and decide whether or not we want to change our behavior knowing that others are feeling abandoned by our actions, thoughts, and beliefs.

How are we listening to voices of those who feel abandoned? How are we making ourselves available to hear the voices of those on the margins who are screaming for help but we’re too comfortable in the center to hear? How are we forsaking others?