An interesting piece of the book of Genesis is the vivid dialogue between God and Abraham (Gen 18,23-33). Abraham is conftonting God on his intention to destroy Sodom because of the wickedness of its people. Abraham draws near to God and asks him whether he would still destroy Sodom if fifty, or even forty-five, or even forty, or down to ten righteous persons are found. And God answers Abraham that he would not destroy the city for those righteous people.

In this dialogue, Abraham speaks and God answers. The dynamics of the dialogue are interesting. The way Abraham speaks to God presupposes a friendship relationship between the two. Some verses before God had said to Abraham: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I wn about to do?" (Gen 18,17). In fact, Scripture recalls Abraham as being "the friend of God" (Jam 2,23; cf. 2 Chron 20,7; Isa 41,8). However, Abraham is well aware of the distance there exists between him, a creature, and God, the creator: "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the LORD, I who am but dust and ashes" (Gen 18,23).

History of Salvation is, in fact, a continuing dialogue between God and the people. It is a dialogue which creates, renews, supports, exhorts, chastises, forgives, saves, redeems. The relationship between God and the people is based on dialogue. An important verb used to bring out the dynamics of such a relationship is "to listen": the people are asked to listen to the word of God and God will listen to the outcry of the people:

"I call upon you, for you will answer me, 0 God;

incline your ear to me, hear my words" (Ps 17,6).

"Depart from me, all you workers of evil;

for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my supplication;

The Lord accepts my prayer" (Ps 6,8-9).

"Hear, 0 Israel!" (Deut 6,4).

"O that today you would hearken to his (God's) voice!

Harden not your hearts" (Ps 95,8).

"Hear the commandments of life, 0 Israel;

give ear, and learn wisdom!" (]3ar 3,9).

Listening to God's word, the human person needs to obey, in the sense of submitting oneself to the Word, being docile to his commands. (In Hebrew the word for "to listen" and "to obey" is the same, shema. See also the Maltese sema'.) This will bring the person both well-being and happiness:

"Hear therefore, 0 Israel, and be carefid to do them (statutes and ordinances); that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey" (Deut 6,3).

The commandments express the profound communion that there exist between God and his people. In the Bible, the commandments are not presented as something which is imposed on the people but an act of the loving initiative of God to which the people respond with aknowledgement and homage, When complying to the commanchnents the believer is cooperating with the plan of God in history.

The metaphor of the covenant constitutes the general interpretative background against which we need to understand the history of the people. It serves us also to define the relationship that each member of the community had with the LORD. The idea of the covenant underlines the love-relationship between God and his people, whom he liberated from slavery in Egypt: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples" (Exod 19,5). Notwithstanding Israel's frequent unfairness to the covenant, God continued to renew his faithfulness to the people: "This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jer 31,33).

The peak moment of this dialogue between God and his people was the incarnation of the Son of God: the Word which was with Cyod and was God became flesh and dwelt among us (see John 1, 1. 14). Previously God had spoken to his people by the prophets in many and various ways, "but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son" (Heb 1,2). The love of God for us is so great that "he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3,16).

It was not only a question of Jesus becoming a human person like, each of us but he wanted to become a slave, obedient unto death on the cross (see Phil 2,6-8). There, on the cross, in the moment of his utmost fragility, Jesus consecrates the dialogue with all of humanity, even those who feel abandoned by God and those who feel God to be far away from them. The Crucified Christ enters into the history of every human person and establishes a saving relationship: "He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (I Cor 1,29).

God wants to continue this dialogue with us through our participation in the same life of Christ. For this he has given us the Holy Spirit as a guarantee (see 2 Cor 5,5), that same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and who will give life to our mortal bodies (see Rom 8,1 1). This Spirit, who dwells in us (see Rom 8,9), helps us enter in dialogue with God through Christ crying: "Abba! Father!" (see Rom 8,14).

Prayer is that privileged moment wherein we enter into this living and personal relationship to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in par. 2565:

In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity... with the whole human spirit" (St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio, 16, 9: PG 35, 945). Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him.

The mark of authenticity of this relationship-dialogue with God remains the ability of the human person to translate it into a healthy relationship with other human persons. Thus it becomes the basis and the source for inter-personal dialogue. John tells his community: "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3,16). It is an invitation to each of us to continue on that path which was traced for us by God himself in Jesus Christ.