"Why have you forsaken me?"

This piece is dedicated to the Filipino voters who are always being deceived, pressured, hoodwinked, unduly influenced, and even terrorized by unscrupulous traditional politicians whose greed for money is exceeded only by their insatiable thirst for power. This is dedicated to the forsaken Filipinos who are remembered only during campaign periods.

The evangelists Saint Matthew in Chapter 27, verse 46 and Mark in Chapter 15, verse 34, in their own respective wordings, told of how Jesus felt lonely, sad and desolate, to the extent that he raised his voice to the heavens and exclaimed: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me"?

To be forsaken is to be abandoned, to be left alone especially in the hours of most urgent and utmost need. The Lord Jesus was already abandoned by Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. John, the beloved, was there, but where was James the latter's brother, the sons of Zebedee? Where were Philip and Matthew, Bartholomew and Thomas, James, son of Alphaeus and the rest, including the zealot?

In Psalm 22, the prophet David wrote: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? Oh, my God, I cry every day, but you do not answer me. And by night, I find no rest." The psalms of David proved to be prophetic. In Psalm 22:7, it was foretold by David:" All who see me mock me. This was precisely fulfilled. In Matthew 27:39, it is written: "All those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads.

In Psalm 22: 16 to 18, the prophet David further wrote: "For dogs encompass me, a company of evil-doers encircles me. They have pierced my hands and feet, I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them. And for my clothing, they cast lots." All these words written by King David long, long time ago were fulfilled as narrated by Matthew and Mark.

Well, to be abandoned is really a form of betrayal, and all those who are forsaken are naturally and logically feeling frustrated that the people whom they relied on did not deliver when the rubber hit the road, so to say. To be abandoned and to be forsaken is to be left behind alone in the dark. It is to be deserted in a place when you are alone surrounded by enemies or people who are out to harm you.

In the context of contemporary times, this feeling of being forsaken and abandoned is the natural feeling of a young boy or girl who is left behind by the mother who has to work abroad. This is also the feeling of an OFW in the Middle East who is facing a serious problem with her foreign employer and is left alone by his or her recruitment agency and by the Philippine Embassy.

Being abandoned and forsaken is the feeling of a sick and lonely parent who is alone and not being cared for by his or her children. This includes those who are sent away to a home for the aged, and never visited by family members and relatives. This is also the desperate cry of persons in jails, detention centers, and prisons, or deprived of liberty who have been forgotten by their family.

Also, being abandoned or forsaken is like a wife or a husband who is left behind by a spouse who has found another special person to spend the rest of his or her life with. The children who are left alone to roam the streets and to forage for food in garbage bins and junkyards. Even the newly-born infants who are left behind inside toilets and in garbage cans. Abandonment results in deepest anguish and most painful wounded feelings.

Of course, the Father did not abandon Jesus. He allowed what has been written to be fulfilled in order to accomplish the salvation of man. Today, we pray for all those poor people who have been abandoned by their government, their leaders, and even their church, parents, or communities.