James Talarico’s invocation before a Texas legislative session and online reactions have resurfaced, highlighting religious language, a controversial line associated with labor syndicalism, and sharp criticism from opponents who say his words reveal a political agenda.
Now that the Texas Senate matchup is set, Republican Ken Paxton will face Democrat James Talarico, and Talarico’s past remarks are attracting fresh attention. Reports point to a pattern of statements on religion, abortion, and environmental views that critics call radical. That scrutiny intensified after an invocation he delivered before the 2021 legislative session drew notice online.
The invocation post circulated widely on a subreddit and quickly became a talking point for conservatives. The post reproduces the full invocation and highlights language many on the right found striking. Below is the invocation as it appeared in that post.
https://x.com/reddit_lies/status/2060029600302862567
Holy Mystery: you have so many names. The Torah calls you Creator; the Quran calls you Peace, the Gita calls you Destroyer, the Dharma calls you Truth, and the First Epistle of John calls you perhaps the most beautiful name of all: Love.
You are the strange love uniting all things. The love that drew elements together after that Big Bang, the love that drew life itself from those primordial oceans, the love that drew us all to this exact moment.
The love we were born of, the love we exist in, and the love we will one day return to.
In my faith, you expressed yourself through a barefoot rabbi who embodied your perfect love. crucified carpenter who gave only two commandments: love God and love neighbor. Because there is no love of God without love of neighbor.
Help us love not just in word, but in action. Help us honor not just the name of Jesus but the way of Jesus.
Help us … free the oppressed, feed the hungry, house the homeless, heal the sick, release the prisoner, welcome the stranger, forgive the enemy and, above all, protect your creation.
The word of God is love. Let us not be hearers of your word, but doers of your word — in our families, in our communities, and in this chamber. Not just with prayers but with policies.Not just personal love, but political love.
Because democracy is not just a constitution, democracy is a covenant.
Holy Mystery, open our minds, open our hearts, open our hands so that we may build a new world in the shell of the old. A world that is more just, more free, more whole, and more in love with you.
Conservatives immediately pointed to one line in particular: “may build a new world in the shell of the old.” That phrase set off alarm bells because it carries historical baggage. For many on the right, it sounded less like pastoral prayer and more like political rhetoric with leftist roots.
The wording has a clear origin that critics cited when pushing back. One commenter pointed out the phrase appears in the IWW Preamble from 1905 and linked it to syndicalist labor movement language. That observation fed a narrative among opponents that the line signals an ideological sympathy incompatible with conservative Texas voters.
Other reactions online dug into how that language sits beside Talarico’s broader record. Conservatives who follow him noted previous comments about God, the Bible, and social policy and said the invocation fits a pattern. They argue the pastoral tone is a vehicle for policy priorities rather than a strictly religious moment.
Critics framed the invocation as another example of a broader leftward tilt in which spiritual language is used to push political solutions. From their perspective, mixing scripture-sounding lines with calls for sweeping change blurs the line between faith and policy. That approach, they say, plays well to some audiences but will not sit well with many Texas voters.
Responses on social platforms were blunt and often personal. One lengthy reply quoted Jesus’s exhortations from Mark while accusing Talarico of selectively citing scripture to match political goals. The reply argued Talarico focuses on commands that align with leftist priorities while avoiding moral teachings that conservatives stress.
You see, Talarico does believe that Jesus gave more than two commands. He just only talks about the commands that fit with leftist politics.
Consider some of Jesus’s other teachings. Here, from Mark 7:
“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.”
Mark 7:21-22 NIV
You will never hear Talarico talk about sexual immorality. (That would be unloving.) Or condemn lewdness like drag queen story hours for kids (unloving!).
And indeed, you will hear Talarico teach ENVY in every political speech.
Other readers praised that critique and amplified it across conservative channels. The invocation and the reactions it provoked now form part of the talking points Republicans are using on the campaign trail. Expect both sides to keep hammering that theme in the weeks ahead.
Talarico’s supporters will say the invocation expressed inclusive faith language and humanitarian aims, and his campaign will likely defend both the intent and the context. Republican critics will keep calling attention to the wording and argue it reveals much about his political commitments. The dispute over a few lines of prayer has become a proxy fight for larger questions about faith, politics, and who best represents Texas values.
