There are moments in life when God seems far away. These moments occur at different times in our lives. Sometimes they occur when we are in the midst of suffering and pain. Other times they occur when we experience the death of someone we love. They can even occur at times when it appears that all is right with the rest of our life. At such moments we complain “where is God?” We ask if God has withdrawn from our lives.
If you have ever experienced such a moment you are in good company. The Book of Psalms is filled with laments in which the Psalmist complains to God. The saints speak of “the dark night of the soul.” And, of course, Jesus at the moment of his death, cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
These words of Jesus can be disturbing. Why does Jesus cry out in this way? What does he mean? Did Jesus despair at the last moment? Although these words are harsh, they are not the words of someone who has lost faith in God. They are the opening words of Psalm 22, a psalm of complaint. In this psalm someone one who is suffering unjustly complains to God because God seems to be so far away. But if you read through the whole psalm, you will note that it alternates between complaint and hope, concluding with a hymn of praise.
Jesus cries out the opening words of this psalm as a righteous sufferer; that is, as someone who is suffering even though he is innocent. Jesus does not die in despair, but he does experience what so many people experience every day—the seeming absence of God. Where is God in my moment of trial and distress? Where is God in the moment of my suffering?
Although Jesus experiences the seeming absence of God, he continues to pray and believe. Although he has been abandoned by all, and seemingly even by God, he continues to trust in God.
Faith in the midst of trial and distress, this is the great lesson Jesus teaches us from the cross. Faith in God, even when it seems that God is absent from our lives, this is the great lesson we learn from the cross. Faith in the midst of death, this is the great lesson Jesus teaches from the cross.
God is always present to us, but there are moments when we do not experience God’s presence. God is ever in our midst, but we are not always aware that God is present to us. God is always near to us in Jesus Christ, but there are moments when God seem far away. There are moments when, like Jesus, we must cry out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
The challenge of faith is to trust and hope in God who is ever present to us. The challenge of faith is to believe when it appears there is no reason to hope. The challenge of faith is to trust, especially during the dark night of the soul. Such faith teaches us that the God who is far away is always near to those who trust in him. Father Matera