The person who finds a new way to fix an old problem is usually not welcomed with open arms, much less rave endorsements. The new and novel is typically viewed first with suspicion, perhaps even hostility.

Take the notion that the earth orbited around the sun, not the other way around. That scientific “advancement” brought Galileo a boatload of trouble - even though it was true. It took 350 years for the Vatican to admit that Galileo was right, and that his 1633 trial as a heretic was a “mistake.” In mid-October of this year, the Vatican rather cheekily opened a “Galileo exhibit” to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s telescope and to support the UN designated International Year of Astronomy (the exhibit runs through 16 January 2010). Within the lifetime of some of our parishioners,…