Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

Step into Autumn

The Trees Tell It Well

In the summer, I tend to see trees as a more or less uniform shade of green. But in the fall, that uniform green becomes a mixture of yellows, golds, reds, browns, and even purples. Losing their common chlorophyll coloring, trees, as it were assert their individuality. They seem to say, “You thought we were all the same, but we’re not. Each one of us is different and unique. Take a good luck and you’ll see it’s true, and beautiful.”

Not only that, as fall progresses and the leaves drop off, I become aware of the trees’ “skeletons” behind the leaves. It’s as if the trees were saying, “You thought we were just our leaves, but we’re much more. We are also the hidden structure of trunk and branches behind those leaves. You have to learn to see the hidden parts of us if you want to appreciate what we are.”

To take notice of individuality and what lies behind the surface are two things that fall trees remind me to do. They teach lessons important to keep in mind when it comes to people, too, since each of us is beautiful in his or her own unique ways, and there are things in us that aren’t always seen but which are essential part of us nonetheless and without which we wouldn’t be who we are.

Stylophiles, Unite!

For some people, pencils and ballpoints just won’t do.

A New American Story

The American story has often been told as one of progress: Pilgrims come to a New World seeking freedom and, over the course of decades, America grows to be the strongest and richest nation in the world. Other nations regard it with jealousy and envy for its spiritual and material achievements. It’s a story of achievement, with a large dose of triumphalism added in.

Today, a different narrative is gaining ground, in which America, over-reaching itself and letting its unchecked materialism and arrogance run rampant, starts an inevitable downward slide. The narrative is no longer one of progress but of decline as America moves to second place (or lower) among nations, surrendering its claims to moral, economic, and political leadership in the world.

But there’s another story, which I find more realistic than either of the two above. In this story, America embraces the realization that, when it comes to matters moral, material, or economic, it isn’t the best or the worst of nations and has as much to learn from others as it has to contribute to them. It is a story of a nation learning to be wise, acknowledging not only its potential but also its limits.

In my opinion, this last story fits a complex world where no person or nation has a corner on truth, goodness, or economic savvy. When you come right down to it, it’s more in touch with the way things really are.

Eye in the Sky