Near the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” that is, “My God, my God, why did you forsake me?” (Ps. 21(22):1).
This cry, spoken on the cross, expresses not despair, but the fulfillment of a prophetic word and a testimony to perfect humanity. Jesus quotes David’s psalm (Ps. 21:1), which begins with a cry of abandonment but ends with victorious confidence. This word reveals the mysterious depth of the cross: Christ had borne the sin of the world and at that moment felt the weight of all humanity’s separation from God. He did not cease to be the Son of God, but fully identified Himself with the condition of sinful humanity, so that through Him a person might be reunited with the Father. This word, spoken on the cross, bears witness to His perfect obedience and the prayer of His heart: even in the darkness of abandonment He addresses, “My God,” continuing to trust in the Father.