Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. (Gen 18,27)

Today's man reflects on himself, his destiny, his state of mind and his feelings to a degree and extent unknown in any previous epoch. This is due in large part to the fact that we have been relieved of the burden of struggling every day to provide for basic physical needs (at least in the so-called developed countries). Once upon a time, providing for bare survival burdened man so much that he had little time and energy for other things.

In this we differ from Abraham and his time, and it is good to be aware of this when we read his stories. The Bible maintains that man, at the core of his personality (i.e., in his sinfulness), is basically the same everywhere on earth and in all ages. Even the people of Abraham's day were similar to us in many ways. If we brought them into our time and they had time to understand and process everything, they would behave here years later much like we do. Simply put, their "material" was the same as that from which we are woven, but because it was shaped by different conditions (different influences and forces were at work), the resulting form was different in their case. And yet, how marvelous it is when we realize that in considering Abraham we are looking at events nearly 4,000 years old, and yet they give us inspiration for our present view of life! Certain things about man are true unchangeably, forever.

I have not saved myself this introduction because, following on from the last reflection, I must emphasise that something has happened to our civilisation, which is why I don't think I know of anyone today who would dare to tell people that they are "dust and ashes". (I don't mean that it is necessary to do this as a form of self-flagellation - I simply cannot imagine how people would accept it today). It's not easy for us to look at Abraham, a venerable old man who says this about himself (and believes it), and not at the same time see him as a man without self-esteem who must bow to something higher because he cannot be himself, be internally independent. Today, people need repeated reassurance of the opposite: namely, that they are of immense, incalculable worth to God, and they wish to emphasize "love." But since most of them have not got to known the all-transcending AGAPÉ of God, they imagine it in terms of human love: the love is what makes me feel good. This is then what I expect from God and other people. But the theology which is thereby created in the human imagination makes it impossible to welcome the transformation of one's character through the cross or to love the path upward, which often inevitably leads through thorns.  

Abraham, however, did know God, not by doctrine but by inner revelation, and therefore he could have described himself as dust and ashes and not had to repeat something about his worth to balance it out. Unlike us, he didn't worry about it so much anyway, just as others didn't. But still: though he knew he was but dust before God, he was clearly aware of his value because he was close to God. By communion with God, by the time he spent with Him, he grew in spirit and was inwardly reassured of his true identity.