Home
Click
to
see
the
readings
The
Community
at
Prayer
Reflection
by
Father
Paul
M.
Baca
November
15,
2009,
33rd
Sunday
in
Ordinary
Time
The
First
Reading
from
the
prophet
Daniel
gives
us
so
much
to
reflect
on
as
we
try
to
do
the
best
we
can
to
live
the
life
that
can
bring
us
serenity,
peace
and
joy.
"It
shall
be
a
time
unsurpassed
in
distress
since
nations
began
until
that
time
...
many
of
those
who
sleep
in
the
dust
of
the
earth
shall
awake;
some
shall
live
forever;
others
shall
be
an
everlasting
horror
and
disgrace."
As
we
focus
on
these
words,
I
for
one
am
made
mindful
of
many
great
and
good
people
who
lived
in
years
gone
by
and
impacted
society
in
a
positive
way.
But
at
the
same
time,
it
brings
to
mind
the
likes
of
Hitler
and
others
of
his
ilk.
So
the
question
for
each
one
today
is,
How
would
I
like
to
be
remembered,
or
will
I
be
remembered
by
anyone
at
all?
How
are
we
living
our
lives
and
how
well
are
informing
ourselves
of
the
realities
that
surround
us
on
every
side?
But
I
would
like
to
focus
on
the
last
verse
of
that
first
reading,
"But
the
wise
shall
shine
brightly
like
a
splendor
of
the
firmament
and
those
who
lead
the
many
to
justice
shall
be
like
the
stars
forever."
I
am
a
firm
believer
that
every
one
of
us
possesses
some
wisdom,
but
the
question
is,
How
often
do
we
draw
from
that
wisdom
to
make
our
everyday
decisions?
When
I
stop
to
think
and
reflect
on
what
is
happening
around
me
I
rarely
make
snap
decisions
that
do
not
reflect
my
basic
philosophy
of
life.
When
I
take
time
to
reflect
on
the
possible
outcome
of
the
decisions
that
I
make,
I
draw
on
the
wisdom
I
have
gained
from
my
life
journey.
I
believe
that
all
of
us
make
good
decisions,
and
bad
ones
too,
and
suffer
the
consequences.
For
the
most
part
when
we
think
of
wise
persons,
we
think
of
the
likes
of
Socrates,
Aristotle,
Plato,
Augustine
and
many
others
who
have
left
their
footprint
in
so
many
facets
of
human
history.
It
is
true
that
we
can
learn
from
all
of
them,
but
not
only
from
them
as
we
did
in
our
study
of
philosophy,
theology,
etc.
Basic
wisdom
we
have
learned
from
parents,
teachers,
and
so
many
others
who
have
been
part
of
our
lives.
Hardly
a
day
goes
by
when
I
as
a
priest
recall
areas
where
I
was
very
successful
and
realize
that
many
of
the
things
that
I
did,
I
learned
from
priests
who
are
true
shepherds;
however,
many
of
the
things
that
I
avoided
doing
I
learned
from
priests
who
had
a
different
philosophy
of
life.
I
guess
the
question
we
can
ask
ourselves
in
the
light
of
the
reading
from
the
prophet
Daniel
is,
What
kind
of
a
footprint
are
we
leaving
for
those
who
will
come
after
us?
In
our
first
reading
today
the
prophet
Daniel
assures
us
that
daily
we
are
making
decisions
to
draw
on
our
wisdom
and
live
the
fullness
of
our
Catholic
faith
and
thereby
earn
our
place
with
those
who
lead
the
many
to
justice.
In
this
way
we
can
make
our
decisions
to
draw
on
our
wisdom
or
reject
it
for
another
way
of
life.
As
I
was
preparing
my
reflections
mentally
I
started
to
make
a
list
of
all
the
wise
people
that
have
been
part
of
my
life
and
I
was
somewhat
surprised
to
see
who
I
found
there.
Click
to
send
a
response