Yesterday, today, and in the days to come the political world and in many ways the United States will experience, mourn, and cope with the loss of Tim Russert; and perhaps especially in November during the Presidential Election where his presence in the political world will surely be missed. Although I do not know a great deal about him, I do know that for me he came across as a voice of objective reason and responsible reporting in politics in Washington D.C., in a time when such a thing is hard to find. Even more so, any time I watched Meet the Press or heard Tim speak, I always sensed that I was hearing a truly authentic person. Tim reminds me time and time again of the passion and enthusiasm we must all have in life - for faith, family, and others. Tim was not afraid to be himself, he was truly himself through and through, there was no TV-face or TV-personality - you got The Tim Russert on and off the camera, period! He was a strong Catholic and made no apologies for it. He was not afraid to proceed in his own ethical way and he also took the examples and learned from others to become better at his craft. He took his God given talents and made no waste of them. St. Irenaeus, a saint who lived in the 2nd century said, "The greatest praise of God is a man fully alive." Tim gave the greatest praise to God; his enthusiasm was beyond compare.
For us perhaps there are these lessons: be fully alive! Harvest the talents God has given you, learn from those who have gone before you - parents, mentors, collegues, etc. - and strive always to better yourself in every aspect of our life. Don't settle for anything which is less than your best self!
Tim's death coincides in many ways with the messages we heard in the Gospel from Matthew this week in the Sermon on the Mount. In particular Thursday's passage (Mt. 5:20-26) in which Jesus tells us that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees. Which reminds us that while we must observe the Commandments of the Lord, we cannot do them in a perfunctory way but rather, the Commandments of the Lord must draw us into deeper conversion - we must be authentic persons inside and out. We cannot do the right things exteriorly while we lack love, hope, and faith - the right things - interiorly.
The passing of Tim Russert causes me to pause for two reasons: first, because my parents are the same age. Second, in October of 2006 I experienced the loss of a dear friend from high school in a tragic car accident and all of these things remind me how precious and fragile life is. That being said, I wonder, what am I holding back and what more can I do to be fully alive?
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