Psalm 22: 8-9, 17-20, 23-24

For Palm Sunday our responsorial comes from Psalm 22, a deeply prophetic psalm that begins with anguish but ends in hope and trust in God’s deliverance. Its forceful imagery is so realistic that it’s difficult to distinguish factual description from poetic metaphor.

Jesus cried out the first verse of this psalm while nailed on the cross (Matthew 27:46). In that moment, he revealed the full depth of his humanity. Though he remained fully divine, Jesus was also fully human. He willingly experienced the darkest depths of human suffering, including the sense of abandonment. His cry is not one of despair but of solidarity: a God who suffers with us and for us.

Many Church Fathers and scholars have understood this cry as more than a personal expression; it is also a deliberate reference to the entire psalm. In the first-century Jewish world, Scripture was not organized by chapter and verse; instead, passages were commonly referred to by their opening line. By invoking Psalm 22 in its entirety, Jesus calls to mind its full arc: from desolation to deliverance, from agony to praise.

All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: 

Our responsorial begins with the speaker being publicly humiliated. These spectators are not identified as enemies; they are probably bystanders who might have offered compassion but instead offer contempt.

Jesus was treated similarly at the Crucifixion: Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads… (Matthew 27:39).

“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.”

This derision is directly paralleled in Matthew 27:43, where Jesus’ enemies say: He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him.

This underscores the messianic significance of Psalm 22 and also deepens our understanding of the Passion: the insults Jesus endured had long been voiced in the Scriptures.

Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;

The bystanders are described as as encircling dogs or some other type of predatory pack ready to tear him limb from limb.

they have pierced my hands and my feet; 

This is often read as a prophetic image of crucifixion.

I can count all my bones.

Some scholars view this as a reference to emaciation, suggesting the speaker is so physically depleted that his bones are visible beneath his skin. Others interpret it as the result of bodily trauma, where the bones are exposed by wounds or dislocation, aligning with the brutal imagery of violence and persecution.

Both interpretations are valid. Together, they underscore the full weight of affliction borne by the speaker.

They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.

Nothing is safe from their savagery, including the speaker’s possessions. They strip the very clothes from his back. The casting of lots for his garments is a chilling detail that directly foreshadows the Crucifixion (John 19:24).

The psalmist’s humiliation is comprehensive: he is stripped naked, physically tortured; his integrity has been challenged and his trust in God ridiculed.

But you, O LORD, be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me.

In the face of this extreme suffering, the psalmist clings to hope in God.

He does not believe his predicament should separate him from God. Suffering and devotion are not incompatible.

I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:

This sudden change of tone shows the psalmist’s confidence that God will respond to him. In gratitude, he vows to make a public declaration of praise in the midst of the assembly (qāhāl). 

Since one’s name holds part of one’s essence, to proclaim the name of God is to recognize and praise the greatness — in this case, the graciousness — of God.

“You who fear the LORD, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”

The psalmist calls others to worship, anchoring his praise in Israel’s shared identity as a covenant people. This suggests that either the psalmist’s entreaties have been heard and he has been granted relief from his suffering, or he is confident it will happen and rejoices in anticipation.