By Michaela Gordoni
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS anchor Tom Llamas has relied on his relationship with God throughout his whole career.
“My wife and I are both Catholic, and our faith is a big part of our life,” he told The New York Times.
His Jesuit education has helped him guide his faith and heart to the right place.
“There are two mottoes that the Jesuits instill in their students. One is ‘men for others.’ The other is ad majorem dei gloriam, or ‘for the greater glory of God,’” Llamas explained in a Guideposts article.
The motto instills a civic duty, to better the world.
“You’re taught to think not just as an individual but also as someone who is part of a larger group. You think of others before yourself. You do as God would do for you,” he said.
“For the greater glory of God” means that in everything, you are inspired by God. Whatever you do, you do it in a profound way, with your heart and mind and soul,” Llamas said.
He saw others who led by this example, and he followed it.
He said, “Sadly, I often meet people on the worst day of their lives. I’ve interviewed kids who have lost their parents and parents who have lost their children. Part of my job is to help tell their stories so they aren’t forgotten.”
“But I get to come home to my family,” the journalist said. “Many of the people I’ve interviewed don’t have such a good option, and that can haunt me long after I’ve gone on to the next story. It is one of the reasons I go to God, to pray for those I’ve met.”
Llamas prays frequently throughout every day.
“If I can take a break, I’ll read the daily devotional Streams in the Desert. Sometimes I’ll go to lunchtime Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, right across the street from the NBC studios at 30 Rock.”
“If I’m far away from my family covering a story, especially something that could be dangerous, I’ll remind myself of one of my favorite Scriptures: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone….”
He reminds himself that God is with him. It gives him hope.
“I believe that no matter what the day brings, God is with us. Nowhere in Scripture or in any religion that I know of does it say that things are always going to be easy,” he said. “Quite the opposite.”
“But as my parents showed me, life is about facing adversity with optimism and strength, doing all that I can do for the love of others and for the greater glory of God,” he said.
Llamas is the son of Cuban immigrants. He has a deep appreciation for his mom and dad.
“When I walk into 30 Rock, it doesn’t leave me that I’m this son of immigrants, two people who came to this country,” he said. “They didn’t know the language, they didn’t have money, and this great, beautiful country gave them a second chance.”
His parents read the paper every day before they left for work.
“So I think my parents really instilled in me and my brother that we had to know what was going on,” he said. “You had to know how the world worked, and you had to be really, really educated in the issues of the day.”
You can watch Llamas on NBC NIGHTLY NEWS weeknights at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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