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Daily Scripture Passage: Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And are so far from my cry and from the words of my distress?

— Psalm 22:1

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?”
The voice of one, crying out from the edge of life,
an ancient lament of suffering and despair,
echoing through the history of human struggles for justice,
now a despairing cry of the Beloved on the cross,
ringing hollow in the sheer silence of God.
The cries of the forsaken fill the silent hell of hopelessness;
their lives, offered up as living sacrifices,
crucified on the cross of salvation for the privileged few.
The arc is cut short and bends toward chaos.
A moral universe is not given but won by struggles for justice.
Hope cannot be imposed but be born of faith.
From the baptismal rebirth to the resurrection new life
the Beloved walks a road less traveled by,
driven by the Spirit of love and faith.
The crown of his life is a crown of thorns,
a mockery of all that is good and just,
a mockery of love itself.
Is this how the way of the Lord is prepared?
Is this how his paths are made straight?
How cruel that love must be crucified for the salvation of the world!
Salvation without justice is an empty promise.
A life without love is a hollow shell of despair.
Yet death is not bitter to the soul that loves.
The love crucified is the seed of resurrection.
The hope of salvation is with the crucified.