Copernican Self

The Mission of St. Clare, composed by James Kiefer, honors Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) today.

Kiefer writes that the notion that medieval scientists believed the earth was flat is a hoax; it was the notion of an unmoving earth that formed the basis for scientific calculations. "The geocentric model had been interwoven with other theories in chemistry, physics, music, natural theology, and other disciplines, into one unified theory of nature, so that it seemed that rejecting any single part (such as the stability of the earth) imperilled [sic] the whole theory. However... it became an increasingly awkward theory. Copernicus proposed to simplify it by supposing that the sun, not the earth, was at the center."*

It doesn't surprise that Copernicus figured it out so much as that for thousands of years we got it wrong; especially the patching together of scientific theories to fit the incorrect model. Don't we do that with our narcissistic selves. Does not my psyche insist that I personally, and our own nation and our own species stand at the center of things? We continue to experience the world this way in spite of scientific observation to the contrary.

This is where faith comes in. My own experience continues to inform me that the sun rises in the east and moves across the sky. But we moderns believe the scientists, and acting on this belief has changed our experience. In ultimate reality, God is at the center, and if we continue to behave as if we don't grow towards God, our beliefs and behaviors will get increasingly skewed. If we base our behaviors on belief in God's way we shall be "like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season..." (Ps 1:3). In fact, if our Lord tells us, "...As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me" (Jn 15:4b).

I want to make a parallel about the Copernican basis of astrophysics and astronauts viewing the beautiful earth from space, and our discovering our true place in God's creation, but let any commentator fill it in.

*www.missionstclare.com/english/May/morning/24m.html