the crucified orator 714 THE FOURTH WORD OF THE CRUCIFIED ORATOR “My God, [M]y God, why have [Y]ou forsaken [M]e?” (Mt 27:46) The Power of Prayer Restores the Sinner to Communion with God. Just like wicked Calvin smells of blasphemy in the entirety of his teachings, he likewise reveals himself as exceedingly impious and blasphemous, — as Cornelius à Lapide observes — in his explanation of the eternal Word’s sigh to the eternal Father. For he [Calvin] affirms that Christ the Lord uttered a cry of despair; and — as it was allegedly true — being stripped of His omnipotence, He was not able to do anything for His own salvation. For this the Jewish priests mocked Him, saying: “He saved others; [H]e cannot save [H]imself ” (Mt 27:42). What an abominable blasphemy! What a foolish and heinous interpretation of Sacred Scripture! Indeed, St. Leo the Great comments on this word of our Lord more wisely and venerably. He says “That cry is not a complaint but a teaching.”69 For when His Incarnate Son uttered in torment a sigh to God the Father, namely to the Father with whom He is always equal, He is not so much complaining of having been abandoned, as He is teaching us: When it seems as if we have been abandoned by God, zealously persevere in prayer so that He will return; insistently beseech Him so that we may be reconciled with Him. I will now prove this [statement] at length. God loves to take Himself away from man for two reasons. Firstly, when He wants to test what the man is capable of by his own strength, or at least what the man who counts on his own strength wishes [to be capable of ], even though he knows that he 69 Leo Magnus, Tractatus 67: De Passione Domini, CChrL 138A, p. 412.
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