But you, O Lord, do not take your help far from me; be attentive to my defense. (Ps 22:20)
וְאַתָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אַל־תִּרְחָ֑ק אֱ֝יָלוּתִ֗י לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃
Tu autem, Domine, ne elongaveris; fortitudo mea, ad adiuvandum me festina.
σὺ δέ, κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν μου, εἰς τὴν ἀντίλημψίν μου πρόσχες.
In the first reading from Palm Sunday, year B, we hear the voice of the suffering Servant of YHWH, who recognizes that God has given Him eloquence so that He “can help the weary with a refreshing word.” At the same time, it teaches Him to listen, or more precisely, to obey, because the ability to listen to the Word gives the Servant strength in the face of everything that happens to Him from those who cause Him suffering. Maintaining confidence in suffering is undoubtedly a source of strength, but the certainty that God is supporting Him (עזר ῾āzar) is the real motive for insensitivity to insults and the confidence that He will emerge from suffering without shame.
The reading is echoed by Psalm 22, in which the psalmist asks God for help in the situation of suffering inflicted on Him: “For many dogs have surrounded me. The council of the malicious has besieged me. They have pierced my hands and feet. They have numbered all my bones. But You, O Lord, do not take Your help (עזר ῾āzar) far from me; be attentive to my defense”. In this context, it is worth quoting D. Bonhoeffer that “God does not save us from suffering, but in suffering; he does not save us from death, but in dying”.
