James Talarico

Again, sometimes on both sides of the aisle.

And I think people are ready for a politics of love, a love not just for the state of Texas or for this country, but a love for our neighbors, a radical love, especially for our neighbors who are the most different from us.

And that kind of politics I think could transform this country.

If we actually treated all of our neighbors

as bearers of the image of the divine, how would our discourse look?

How would our public policies look?

To me, that is the primary question that we should all be asking.

And I don't know, because again, this kind of politics is not what we've had.

But I do think people are searching for it.

Have you ever seen a politics of love in the real world?

Oh, of course.

First, I think we should define what we mean by love.

Because I'm not talking about a sentimental feeling.

I believe love is a force as real as gravity.

The force that drew elements together together.

in the Big Bang, the force that drew life from those primordial oceans, the love that drew you and I to this exact moment and this exact conversation, you can call that the logos, you can call it the Christ mystery, you can call it God.

In fact, our scriptures say that God is love.

And love to me is the most powerful thing in the universe.

It is not weak.

It is not neutral.