The cry of Jesus on the cross—my God, my God, why have you forsaken me—seems to dispute Jesus’ claim (in today’s gospel) that the Father is always with him and has not left him alone. And while we can only speculate on the inner state of Jesus revealed by that heartfelt cry, it can serve as an encouragement for us in our own times of doubt and temptation. It’s a reminder that faith in the abiding presence and fidelity of the Lord is not incompatible with experiencing what feels very much like abandonment and divine infidelity. What is especially notable about the psalmist’s cry is that it’s not an impersonal plea to some god; instead, the psalmist cries out my God and in that very acclamation expresses and renews his love and commitment even in the face of what feels like God’s failure to reciprocate. And yet, as much as this offers comfort at a theoretical and theological level, we know that an essential aspect of this experience is the feeling that our faith is solely an act of the will and one that can thus feel inauthentic and even forced. However, there is little else to do in moments like these when all we can do is cast ourselves upon the love and mercy of a God whose only begotten Son, not only trod this same path of suffering before us, but accompanies us through the darkness and the shadow of death.