On the cross, Jesus takes upon Himself, all the tribulation, not just of Israel but of all those in this world who suffer from God’s concealment. He brings the world’s anguished cry at God’s absence in their suffering before the heart of God Himself. He identifies Himself with suffering Israel, with all who suffer under God’s darkness. He takes their cry, their anguish, all their helplessness upon Himself - and in doing so transforms it. On the Cross, He stands in solidarity with the poor and all who suffer.  When we gaze on the crucifix, we know that in our trials and tribulations, He is there with us in our deepest despair and pain. His cry on Calvary is the lament of an innocent man who suffered unjustly devoid of all comfort or help, yet trusts in God, that he praises Him for delivering him in advance. By His suffering and death, all of our struggles, our anguish, and pain become His. Jesus makes God present in the very place where He seems definitively vanquished and absent. The Cross now becomes a place of self-sacrifice; from this place of truly divine love, He now reigns as King. Let us, then, bend the knee in humble adoration to Him.