31
footing. It remains a beautiful story, the projec-
tion of our deep yearning for happiness, some-
thing capable of satisfying us to the extent that
we are willing to deceive ourselves. Either that,
or it is reduced to a lofty sentiment which brings
consolation and cheer, yet remains prey to the
vagaries of our spirit and the changing seasons,
incapable of sustaining a steady journey through
life. If such were faith, King Ahaz would be right
not to stake his life and the security of his king-
dom on a feeling. But precisely because of its
intrinsic link to truth, faith is instead able to offer
a new light, superior to the kingâÂÂs calculations,
for it sees further into the distance and takes into
account the hand of God, who remains faithful
to his covenant and his promises.
25.âÂÂToday more than ever, we need to be re-
minded of this bond between faith and truth,
given the crisis of truth in our age. In contempo-
rary culture, we often tend to consider the only
real truth to be that of technology: truth is what
we succeed in building and measuring by our sci-
entific know-how, truth is what works and what
makes life easier and more comfortable. Now-
adays this appears as the only truth that is cer-
tain, the only truth that can be shared, the only
truth that can serve as a basis for discussion or
for common undertakings. Yet at the other end
of the scale we are willing to allow for subjective
truths of the individual, which consist in fidelity
to his or her deepest convictions, yet these are
