The Community at Prayer
Reflection by Father Paul M. Baca
November 6, 2011, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
I enjoy reading and reflecting on the passage from the Book of Wisdom that is our first reading for the liturgy today. Who is really wise and what does this mean when translated into our lives? There are some people that are truly wise but hardly do you find anyone that has not done something wise. It seems to me that when someone is recognized as wise, that that person is expected to be wise in all decisions. But the fact of the matter is that there are some wise people who are very capable of doing at times unwise things and also rather dumb things. Who has not heard of Solomon and his wisdom and how he manifested that wisdom. However, I remember a student in scripture class asking the professor why Solomon in all his wisdom did so many dumb things later in life.
Wisdom is not a special gift found in some people and never in others. You might ask, How do you detect wisdom in a wise person? The response to that is found in our first reading, "Resplendent and unfading is wisdom as she is readily perceived by those who love her and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed for he shall find her sitting at his gate."
Unfortunately, there are some who equate wisdom with education and a high IQ. That would make it difficult to explain why some highly educated and brilliant people are capable of doing dumb things. At the same time, why is it that so often very simple folks who have not had the opportunity of a great education show so much wisdom? It has been my experience as our first reading tells us, that you can find a lot of wisdom in people of any walk of life. I myself was amazed time and again in finding very wise people where I least expected to find them. I found wisdom in very poor people and the many hard decisions they had to make, sometimes for their survival or to provide for their loved ones.
And of course, there is collective wisdom which has always inspired me. This type of wisdom was certainly to be found in the early settlers who came to New Mexico. I remember hearing stories how the people forming a community would see their little church as a very center of it. They would gather stones, make adobes, bring vigas down from the mountains, and together build a church and made themselves responsible for its upkeep. Through years of drought and sometimes flooding along the river and streams they were always there for each other. Their faith was not merely a philosophy of life, but much more than that, a way of life to be lived and enjoyed. Wisely these people would choose a patron saint for their chapel that they could identify with. You find so many of these chapels dedicated to St. Isadore the farmer, St. Joseph the worker, St. Anthony, the worker of miracles, etc. Even in the toughest of times they would celebrate the feast with everyone attending the Mass and preparing and sharing their best food in their homes. For them the Mass was never an obligation, but a very special opportunity not to be missed. In those small missions the people would share their joys together with some kind of a celebration at the time of weddings, baptisms, First Communions, etc. However, they were not only there to celebrate with each other but also at times of illness and deaths. I remember how friends and relatives would come from near and far to be with a family at a funeral. Even the digging of a grave would not be left up to the family, but I even remember joining the people in digging the grave. In all of this I perceived wisdom at its best, shared and celebrated by everyone. Wisdom made the presence of God a reality in their midst, in the very best and worst of times.
When you take wisdom out of the equation is when you find selfishness, self indulgence and greed becoming a way of life. You may not see wisdom this way but this has been the way I have experienced it throughout my life.