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“Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary
things, but in doing ordinary
things extraordinarily well.” This
quote by Angelique Arnauld sums up
neatly everything I want to say in this
editorial about Tim Russert and what
his legacy can teach us. But as was witnessed
by the hours of television tributes
following his death, Russert
deserves much more than a one-line
sendoff.
When Russert, NBC News Washington
bureau chief and the moderator of
NBC’s Meet the Press, died from a heart
attack four months ago, the country
was stunned. Tributes swamped the airwaves,
recalling Russert as a wonderful
father, husband, son, colleague and
reporter.
Words like integrity, fair, tough, loving
and devoted were repeated over and
over again by friends and co-workers. It
was the type of remembrance for which
we all hope, but all too often fail to
achieve.
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While Russert’s legacy is one which
speaks to all of us, I think for those of
us in the Catholic press, his death hit
particularly close to home. In many
ways, he was one of us. We too are
journalists, Catholics, parents, children.
In fact, in October 1994, this
magazine featured Russert in a cover
story by Jim Arnold.
Every day, we also strive to walk that
line between reporter and believer. It is
a constant dance among informing,
debating and believing. Sometimes
those lines are not clearly defined, leaving
us one step away from a crisis of
faith.
But they are also the lines that each
of us walk every day as Catholics. It is
the dance between faith and ordinary
life. Some, like Russert, seem to walk
that line effortlessly. Others struggle.
How do we meld what we believe into
the world around us?
In the days following his death and
throughout the following weeks, a few
major themes seemed to emerge whenever
people spoke of Russert. They were
not only themes that encompassed
his life, but also ones we can all carry
into our lives. Those themes are his
legacy.
Be prepared. Guests on Meet the Press knew that Russert was going to come
into interviews well prepared and hold
their feet to the fire on the issues. It was
one of the things for which he was
renowned.
After appearing on Meet the Press in
2006, Republican presidential candidate
John McCain ended their interview
on the Iraq war by telling Russert,
“I haven’t had so much fun since my
last interrogation.”
One of this magazine’s goals is to
help our readers be informed Catholics.
And while not every article, column
or editorial we print will appeal to
everyone, it’s our job to try to present
issues that affect Catholics and
society.
On the flip side, we must all be willing
to educate ourselves in our faith.
Sometimes that means listening to
voices from all sides of an issue,
whether we agree or not.
Be informed. Few of us can forget
Russert’s stripped-down explanations
and dry-eraseboard demonstrations
during the 2004 election. Remember
him scribbling “Florida! Florida!
Florida!” during the election?
It is in that same spirit that I sit every
November in the press room at the
meeting of the U.S. bishops, so that I
can report back what is going on within
the Church. It is also why this magazine
covers topics such as the clergy
sex-abuse crisis, the election of Pope
Benedict XVI or the upcoming Synod
of Bishops on the Bible. Politics was
Russert’s beat; the Church is ours.
Keep the faith. When Russert’s son,
Luke, was born, Tim promised God that
he would never miss Sunday Mass if his
son was born healthy. It is a promise he
kept. Throughout his career, Russert
wore his faith proudly.
In fact, just before he died, Russert,
his wife, Maureen Orth, and son, Luke,
were in Rome celebrating Luke’s college
graduation. While they were there they
had lunch with Cardinal John Foley,
who had known Tim for years. After
hearing of Russert’s death, Cardinal
Foley, who baptized Luke 22 years ago,
said Tim Russert “never tried to hide his
faith but never forced it on anybody
either.”
In 2005, the Catholic Academy of
Communications Professionals honored
Russert with the Gabriel Personal
Achievement Award. In presenting him
with the award, the academy said that
he exemplified the essence of the
award. And few interviews passed without
Russert mentioning his Jesuit education
or Sister Mary Lucille Socciarelli,
R.S.M., who first started Russert on his
path to journalism.
All of this raises various questions
for us: Do we wear our faith proudly?
In what ways do we embody and live
our faith?
During Russert’s funeral Mass on June
18, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick,
retired archbishop of Washington, D.C.,
said, “All that remains is to say thank
you to the good and gracious God who
gave us Tim Russert for 58 years and to
pray that the beloved anchor of Meet
the Press is now sitting at the large table
of the Lord to begin a conversation
which will last forever.”
As we move closer to the election
season that Tim Russert held so dear, it
is a perfect time for us and our readers
to reflect on these lessons from Russert’s
life, and try to put them into action.
That would be the most fitting tribute
of all.—S.H.B. |
