Fr. Frank Majka, SJ - The Bridge

Priest Lessons

Jesuit ordinations generally happen in June, and this year was no exception. I found myself thinking about my own ordination in 1974 and dug out something I’d written twenty-five years later. I doctored it up a bit and want to share it with you.

What have I learned from being a priest? I’ve had lots of experiences and some lessons stand out. The first is that people — myself included — are simultaneously more fragile and more resilient than I’d suspected. I’ve also learned that while sound theology is important, kindness is more important. Along with that, I’ve come to believe that God is much less serious and pays far less attention to human failings than I’d thought.

I’m also learning that I am more connected to the whole human family than I know how to express or live out, that the sacraments are about all our life with God and each other, that Jesus is the only real priest who deserves the name, and that I can be a good priest only if I remember where my calling comes from (God) and who it’s for (the people).

I know there’s more to learn, of course. But I’m thankful God’s been teaching me these lessons. I’ve  discovered that he’s a very patient and forgiving teacher.

The Sky’s the Limit

Marching Orders from Jesus

Jesus sends out the disciples and us. Matthew ch 10

 

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Storm Sky in Omaha, June 2008

Reunion

At my 45th high school reunion a few weeks ago, I discovered that I wasn’t there only to see friends and classmates from almost half a century ago and tell stories about the old days. I was there to let them remind me of who I was when we were all in high school

Their reminiscences about the four years we’d spent together reintroduced me to the various persons I’d been then: an awkward fifteen year old riding the city bus to school, an excited sixteen year old with his new driver’s license, a nervous seventeen year old double-dating to the senior prom with my friend and his date, and that was just the start.

I tend to believe that I’ve stayed much the same through life. Maybe most of us believe that. But we are always a mix of past and present, then and now, and I found it nice to meet the younger me again, if only for a weekend.