The great commandment is not thou shalt be right. The great commandment is to be in love.

Life is all about practicing for heaven. We practice by choosing union freely—ahead of time—and now. Heaven is the state of union both here and later. As now, so will it be then. No one is in heaven unless he or she wants to be, and all are in heaven as soon as they live in union. Everyone is in heaven when he or she has plenty of room for communion and no need for exclusion.

Life moves first toward diversity and then toward union of that very diversity at ever higher levels. It is the old philosophical problem of "the one and the many

So long as we all cling to our prejudices and identify with our preconceived views and feelings, genuine human community is impossible. You have to get to the point where you can break free from your feelings. Otherwise in the end you won't have any feelings; they'll have you.

Human life is about more than building boundaries, protecting identities, creating tribes, and teaching impulse control.

Love should be your top priority, primary objective, and greatest ambition. Love is not a good part of your life; it's the most important part. The Bible says, "Let love be your greatest aim.

Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature. That's why we're given a lifetime to learn it.

God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.

Jesus said our love for each other—not our doctrinal beliefs — is our greatest witness to the world. He said, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples."4

The very nature of marriage means saying yes before you know what it will cost. Though you may say the "I do" of the wedding ritual in all sincerity, it is the testing of that vow over time that makes you married.

Only Christ could have brought us all together, in this place, doing such absurd but necessary things.

Our only hope lies in the power of our love, generosity, tolerance and understanding and our commitment to making the world a better place for all.