Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Rev. Frank A. Majka, S.J.

Was called to eternal life on September 7, 2023 at St. Camillus Jesuit Community. He was 78 years old, a Jesuit for 60 years, and a priest for 49 years. Born on July 5, 1945 in San Francisco and raised in Omaha, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1963 after graduating from Creighton Prep and was ordained a priest in 1974. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University and two master’s degrees in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley. He taught English at Creighton Prep (1969-1971) where he was recognized as Nebraska’s Outstanding Male Teacher in 1971. After ordination he worked at Marquette University as a campus minister (1974-1975, 1977-1978, 1996-2011) and at Marquette High as principal (1975-1977), theology teacher (1978-1985, 1987-1995), and animator of Ignatian spirituality (2012-2021). In 2021 he moved to St. Camillus Jesuit Community to care for his health. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Frank and Ruth (Ryan) Majka. He is survived by cousins who live in the Pacific Northwest.

His funeral will be held at Gesu Church at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 30. Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m. Burial at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Memorials to Marquette University High School.

The Change on the Mountain

For centuries, artists in the Eastern Christian world painted pictures of Christ, Mary, the apostles, saints, and events in the Bible. They were called “icons” and are meant to instill and deepen people’s faith.

One very popular icon was the one of the “metamorphosis” of Christ (which we call his “Transfiguration”.) A version of this event is read on the second Sunday of Lent every year, and commemorates the time when Peter, James, and John saw Jesus changed in their presence. His face and clothing became dazzlingly bright, with God telling them Jesus was his Son and they should listen to Him. They had come to know Jesus as a man, but that day they got a glimpse of his divinity and were overwhelmed.

We may think this event was a once-only occurrence, but have we never had a glimpse of the goodness, love, power and beauty of Christ, perhaps in times when we have needed it most?

The days of Lent, we may want to pray that the experience of Peter, James and John could be ours, that we may truly experience Jesus in a whole new way, and listen to what he has to say to us.

Jesus’ Choices

After his baptism at the Jordan, Jesus is led by the Spirit to go into the desert to be tempted. In the desert, Jesus chooses the identity that will anchor and guide all the decisions of his life, giving flesh and meaning to the title “Son of God.”

What does it mean to be Son of God, and what does it not mean? It means that Jesus accepts his relationship to God as the center of his life. It does not mean using his power to compel the belief of others or to provide only for his own needs and desires.

In the desert Jesus shows that knows where he comes from (God his Father) and what he has been sent to do (bring fullness of life to us). How we formulate our answers about where we come from and what we have come for are certainly two basic questions we can let guide our prayer during Lent.

Important Questions Part 1

We can often think of the Bible as a book of instructions about how to live, but it is also a book of important questions we need to think about.

One such question occurs in the third chapter of Genesis, when one afternoon God comes to the Garden of Eden to walk with Adam and Eve. But they are missing, so God calls out,

here are you?”

As they come out of hiding, dressed in clothing made from leaves, they tell God they’d been hiding because they were naked and ashamed to admit they’d disobeyed God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

We may think this happened many thousands of years ago, but the truth is that God wants to walk with us, too, and sometimes we are hiding because we are ashamed of things we have thought or said or done.

We may feel uneasy about wanting God to know everything about us, fearing that God’s reaction will be to punish us or take away his love from us.

But St. Ignatius Loyola says that when we come to pray, we should place ourselves in the presence of God — our whole selves, not just the things we are proud of, but our whole selves.

For, if we want to show God only the good side of ourselves, we will miss the experience of feeling God’s mercy and forgiveness.

THREE WAYS TO START 2022

This first week of the New Year, many people will make resolutions they want to keep during the coming twelve months.

Some people will decide to ADD something to their lives, like exercising more or reading more or keeping up on the news each day.

Others may decide to ELIMINATE something, like smoking or high calorie desserts or gossiping or complaining. These are resolutions to give up something or other.

There is another kind of resolution, however, and that is the resolution to KEEP DOING something, neither adding nor eliminating something.

For instance, some years ago I began to say a rosary each morning while drinking a cup of coffee and looking out my bedroom window. It was a good way to begin the day. This year I resolve to continue that practice.

If any of these kinds of resolutions appears to you, give them a try, and see if the Holy Spirit is guiding you to one of them