Here is the text of Father Costanza's homily:
Late Friday night, a knock was heard at heaven's door.
St. Peter called out, "Who is
it?"
The answer came: “It’s Jim
Taricani."
Just then, every cardinal, priests
and bishop up there yelled: “Everybody run! Hide! Don’t open that door!”
Of course, we know the Lord well
enough to realize that his door is never locked –
it always opens when we knock.
Our God is a Father who sits and
waits by that door, watching for us, keeping vigil,
until we all make it home safely –
especially after a journey like the
one Jim took: long. Winding. Rocky. Steep. Tough.
But tough roads and tough journeys
make for tough people, and that’s why so many people admired Jim:
he stayed the course in the face of
adversity – he was tough; he was a fighter.
And for that reason, you always wanted
him on your side …
and that’s exactly where Rhode
Islanders found him: on their side... in their corner,
giving meaning to the phrase “the pen
is mightier than the sword.”
Jim had no fear.
He wasn’t afraid of the mob, he wasn’t
afraid of the feds, he wasn’t afraid of judges or prisons;
he wasn’t afraid of the sacrifices –
he wasn’t even afraid of dying.
He carried his crosses with courage –
always with courage.
Professionally, fear would have cost
Jim his reputation; personally, it would’ve cost him his life.
So for Jim, fear wasn’t even an
option –
there was too much at stake; too many
precious things would be lost, especially the trust that he built up.
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| Father Costanza |
More than telling stories and
breaking news, Jim used his passion to build trust –
his work and dedication allowed him
to build relationships with the community, and it was a SACRED trust –
what a privilege that was for Jim –
such an incredible opportunity ...
but such a great responsibility – a
responsibility that Jim took so professionally, so seriously.
He knew his audience, and he trusted
his audience.
We can think back to Jesus, who used
parables to teach –
Jesus trusted his audience to look
deeper, beyond the surface meaning of those stories, right?
Journalists inspire their audiences
to look deeper into social issues and to grow; change; reform;
to become better, greater – more aware,
more unified, and thus better equipped to work out our problems
and respond to the opportunities we
get to make a difference,
contribute to the community, and
advance the common good.
Jim’s many gifts, blessings, and
talents, for which we give thanks at this Mass, were not used selfishly;
Jim used them in service to others –
so many others, who looked up to him
as a guide, a teacher, a mentor, a big brother, an advocate –
because he challenged people to
become more;
he inspired them to discover their
own blessings and strengths,
and to engage them in order to reach their
potential to be great.
Jim believed that journalism is a
service industry: it’s a service to the community; it’s a service to the truth,
And, when it’s considered a privilege
and used responsibly,
it has the power to bring about
change for the better –
change to help common folks and the
common good,
by uncovering the truth, which is so
often beneath the surface, beyond the boundaries, and behind barriers,
but wherever it was, Jim wouldn’t
quit until he found it, and his passion helped to form public opinion.
Of course, Jim had some opinions of
his own, and he wasn’t afraid to let you know about them.
Scan his Twitter page, and you will
come across gems like these:
(*) “The way many Rhode
Islanders rush to get milk and bread at mention of a snowstorm
is THE most ridiculous
thing I've seen in my 44 years in RI.”
(*)
“Why ANYONE would believe ANYTHING in ANY campaign ad is beyond me.”
(*)
Commenting on a story about how Rhode Island is ranked #1 in structurally
deficient bridges,
Jim said: "At least
we're #1 in something!"
(*)
And my favorite of Jim’s observations:
“The state should have
let mob bookies run the [sports] gambling... they know how to make it
profitable.”
Surely, the many crosses that Jim
carried through this world were made lighter by his sense of humor!
Then, on a more serious note, on
August 22, last year, the 22nd anniversary of Jim's heart transplant, Jim said:
"Thank God for my organ
donor."
Jim was very humbled and thankful
that his life was saved and very much extended –
far beyond the time that he was told
that he would have – and that overwhelmed him; it humbled him.
It began with a young man named
Alvaro (AL-vah-ro) Leveron,
whose parents allowed his heart to be
harvested and given to Jim.
Because of that spirit of
thoughtfulness, selflessness, and generosity,
the tragedy that took Alvaro’s life
was not the end of him – it wasn’t the end of his story.
Instead, his spirit would live on,
his story could be told and retold in the new lease on life that Jim received.
And Jim wanted to honor Alvaro by
being honorable and living honorably because he felt so greatly blessed.
It reminds me of the story of a boy
who was swimming at the beach,
got caught up in the riptide and
began to drown.
After his friends hadn’t seen him
surface, they became to scream and shout for the lifeguard.
The lifeguard jumped from his chair,
ran across the beach, and swam as fast as he could to reach the child.
He found him, carried him back to
shore, and performed CPR until the boy was revived.
After the child came to, he caught
his breath, and wiped his tears away, and finally looked up at the lifeguard
and said, “Mister, how can I repay you, you saved my life!”
The lifeguard said, “It’s okay kid.
Just make sure your life was worth saving.”
Jim made sure his life was worthy of
being saved – worthy of another’s sacrifice and goodness.
What honor Jim brought to his donor
by living an honorable life.
Today, we give thanks to the God who has
given us a heart to live and to love; to forgive and let live.
We remember that our heavenly Father
is the divine donor who gives us a mind to think; a body to act…
passions to inspire us; He gave us a
mouth to speak and pass on blessings and encouragement to others;
He gave us eyes to see, to notice the
needs of others; ears to hear the cry of the poor and marginalized;
He gave us a conscience to follow.
What honor we bring to our Creator
when we use those gifts He has given to us for the benefit of others.
Jim’s priorities often centered
around others.
And Jim was always able to recognize
the goodness in people – he could spot a con artist, for sure –
he once referred to his “con artist
antennas,”
like radar I guess for con artists…
and… artists of a… similar kind, we might say.
But more importantly, he could also
spot the goodness in people; in the community; in you.
Even when, sometimes, you couldn’t
see it in yourself, Jim could see it and bring out the best in you.
And all that goodness he saw inspired
him to hold out hope –
even in the darkness, brokenness, and
confusion of our world, there’s always light.
There needs to be more, and Jim did
his part to shine the sunlight where it needed to go,
in more ways than one.
Ask him how he was feeling, even on
his most difficult days, and he’d say: “Good!” “Great!”
That’s how grateful he was to be living:
That’s how grateful he was to be living:
his experience gave him a fierce
determination to live and to make the best out of life, and to enjoy life.
And when life is good, you have no
room or time to complain about your struggles, and he didn’t.
There’s no use cursing the darkness
when you can light a lamp and be light for others in the darkness.
As a light himself, Jim was certainly very grateful for
the many honors, award, and recognitions he received for his work,
but he was more interested in
honoring the work of others:
congratulating you for your
accomplishments, stories, awards, and hard work in those news rooms –
“Great scoop!” he’d say… “Great
insight!” “Great instincts!” –
And if you were a journalist? And you
heard that from Jim?
That meant everything to you; it
inspired you, because you knew Jim was legit –
you don’t become a legend like Jim
without having experienced what it takes –
the risks, the hours, the sacrifices,
the commitment, the patience …
staying the course even when others
doubt you or discourage you.
Jim acknowledged and appreciated this
when he saw it in others; he was so quick and generous to offer praise
to those whose work was truly solid
and inspiring and changed things for the better:
especially teachers, veterans,
nurses, firefighters and EMTs…
He praised organ donors, ALL of you…
journalists, MOST of you... politicians, SOME of you…
and clergy … okay, NONE of us! But he
was fair, he was honest…
Nothing was personal, but no one was
above the fray or beyond reproach,
and this is why he’s being remembered
the way he is, and why we respected him:
he had a job to do, people to serve,
and a truth to uncover,
and he would stop at nothing to serve
that truth –
he would have given his life for free
speech and a free press,
and if he had, he would have joined
some 34 journalists who were murdered throughout the world in 2018.
Another 60 were killed on the job,
having put their lives in danger covering violence, corruption, and war.
More than 250 are sitting in jails
today, just for doing their duty.
People have the right to the truth;
and it’s a journalist’s obligation to find and report it.
We take that for granted – even here
at home,
where we see them belittled,
demeaned, dismissed and targeted
by those whose power is threatened by
honesty and transparency.
“Keep digging!” Jim would say, “Keep
digging!” and the legal protections will come, freedom will prevail,
truth will prevail, and your work
will continue to bear fruit for the world; it will speak for itself.
We’ll be amazed by what we find when
we “keep digging” through life, as Jim did.
We will find the strength to overcome
obstacles.
We will find a deep appreciation for the
people in our lives and the freedoms we enjoy.
We will discover and rediscover our
meaning and purpose in this world,
and learn to be satisfied and at
peace with who we are, what we have, and where we’re going.
We will experience the support of so
many good people in the community we share.
We will learn to appreciate the value
of life and the time we have left in this world.
We don’t know how long we’ll have, so
we’ve gotta make it count,
and embrace every day, every
opportunity, with Jim’s attitude and courageous spirit –
a spirit too powerful, too pure to be
bound inside of a box or a grave.
Open the door, Lord God, and let the
spirit of your servant Jim abide with you, and rest in you,
for you are the way, the truth, and
the life.
Amen.
Afterward, some of Jim's friends, Providence Journal staffers past and present, members of a many-media honor guard, gathered to chat. If I may (with a single, over-used word) describe everyone's reaction to the service it would be: Wow. Thanks, Jim, for all you did for so many.
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