On 4th July 1997 (American Independence Day), an American spacecraft called ‘Pathfinder’ landed on the planet Mars. The unmanned spacecraft was designed to bounce on landing. The craft later released a moving vehicle the size of a skateboard. It analysed the soil and atmosphere, and then automatically transmitted the results back to earth by radio signals.
Nearly a century earlier, in 1908, the astronomer Percival Lowell announced that he had discovered canals on Mars. He said they were red and seemed to move. We realise now that there are no canals on Mars. The great astronomer actually had a rare eye disease – now known as Lowell’s Syndrome – which made him see the red veins in his own eyes.
Lowell was so famous and such an expert in astronomy that no one dared to contradict him. Older school atlases still show detailed maps that Lowell charted of his supposed ‘canals’ on Mars!
God, our Father,
I can think of mistakes I have made
and the attitude that I have sometimes had.
May I not become so independent that I think I know it all
and no longer need others,
but may I always have true friends around me
who are willing to point me in the right direction.
May I be ready to apologise when things go wrong,
and be ready to learn from my mistakes,
finding humour in my situation
and having the ability and good sense to laugh at myself.
May I grow in wisdom each day.