WE have to be most careful in
handling the truth. We
already have been amply warned that when we play around with it, it
will also make its sweet revenge on us in ways that we may not even
notice.
A quote from St. Augustine’s Confession expresses this
well: “They love truth when she shines on them; and hate her when she
rebukes them. And since they are not willing to be deceived, but do
wish to deceive, they love truth when she reveals herself and hate her
when she reveals them.
“On this account, she will so repay them that those who
are unwilling to be exposed by her she will indeed expose against
their will, and yet will not disclose herself to them.”
St. Paul already made reference to the grave consequences
of deception. “Evil men and impostors,” he said, “will proceed from
bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3,13)
The Book of Proverbs more or less say the same point: “His
own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the
cords of his sin.” (5,22)
It’s about time we review the crucial relationship between
God and our capacity to stick to the truth or to distort it.
Nowadays, with the plethora of data and information, we
have to remind ourselves constantly that truthfulness is not a matter
of simply conforming these data and pieces of information to our own
designs. We need to process these raw data by leavening them with the
love of God and submitting them to God’s will and designs.
To put it bluntly, we can only be in the truth when we are
with God. Outside of him, let’s wish ourselves sheer luck, because the
most likely thing to happen is to slip from the truth. It´s like
chasing the wind. For all the excitement and advantages a Godless
pursuit of truth gives, everything will just turn out to be vanity.
With this new phenomenon about the so-called fake news,
which is actually a rehash of the old evil tactics of disinformation
and misinformation, of giving partisan spins to issues, we should feel
the urgent need to be united to God to be really truthful and fair in
resolving our problems.
Truthfulness therefore starts with our relationship with
God, and with how well we maintain that relationship. This is
something we have to realize more deeply, since very often we get
contented with mere human criteria for truthfulness, that are often
subjective, incomplete, imperfect, and vulnerable to be maneuvered and
manipulated.
When we are not with God, then we can very easily play
around with the facts and data, and pass them around as truth, but
serving some self-interest instead of the common good, for example.
We justify such behaviour as a privilege of our freedom.
But would that be freedom when one is plunging himself to the bondage
of untruth and deception? Would that be freedom when it is exercised
to violate the will of God who is the giver, the pattern and end of
freedom?
already have been amply warned that when we play around with it, it
will also make its sweet revenge on us in ways that we may not even
notice.
A quote from St. Augustine’s Confession expresses this
well: “They love truth when she shines on them; and hate her when she
rebukes them. And since they are not willing to be deceived, but do
wish to deceive, they love truth when she reveals herself and hate her
when she reveals them.
“On this account, she will so repay them that those who
are unwilling to be exposed by her she will indeed expose against
their will, and yet will not disclose herself to them.”
St. Paul already made reference to the grave consequences
of deception. “Evil men and impostors,” he said, “will proceed from
bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Tim 3,13)
The Book of Proverbs more or less say the same point: “His
own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the
cords of his sin.” (5,22)
It’s about time we review the crucial relationship between
God and our capacity to stick to the truth or to distort it.
Nowadays, with the plethora of data and information, we
have to remind ourselves constantly that truthfulness is not a matter
of simply conforming these data and pieces of information to our own
designs. We need to process these raw data by leavening them with the
love of God and submitting them to God’s will and designs.
To put it bluntly, we can only be in the truth when we are
with God. Outside of him, let’s wish ourselves sheer luck, because the
most likely thing to happen is to slip from the truth. It´s like
chasing the wind. For all the excitement and advantages a Godless
pursuit of truth gives, everything will just turn out to be vanity.
With this new phenomenon about the so-called fake news,
which is actually a rehash of the old evil tactics of disinformation
and misinformation, of giving partisan spins to issues, we should feel
the urgent need to be united to God to be really truthful and fair in
resolving our problems.
Truthfulness therefore starts with our relationship with
God, and with how well we maintain that relationship. This is
something we have to realize more deeply, since very often we get
contented with mere human criteria for truthfulness, that are often
subjective, incomplete, imperfect, and vulnerable to be maneuvered and
manipulated.
When we are not with God, then we can very easily play
around with the facts and data, and pass them around as truth, but
serving some self-interest instead of the common good, for example.
We justify such behaviour as a privilege of our freedom.
But would that be freedom when one is plunging himself to the bondage
of untruth and deception? Would that be freedom when it is exercised
to violate the will of God who is the giver, the pattern and end of
freedom?
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