" Love You Forever."

I would like to share with you from a book called ‘Love You Forever, ‘by Robert Munsch, an author of children's books. This is one of those books that appeals to adults as well as children.

Love You Forever begins with a mother holding her new baby. She rocks him and sings a little song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.

As the years go by, of course, the baby grows. He becomes a toddler, and get into everything; and his mother says: This child is driving me CRAZY! But at night she still sings him their special song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.

The baby grows some more; he is nine years old, never wants to take a bath, and says bad words when his grandma visits. His mother feels like selling him to the Zoo. But still, at night, she sings their song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be. 

The boy becomes a teenager, and, of course, that's the worst! He has strange friends and he wears strange clothes, and he listens to strange music. His mother feels like she lives in a Zoo! But guess what? At night, when he is safely asleep, she still sings to him:

I'll love you forever.
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be.

 

Finally, the boy is all grown up and moves into his own house. But sometimes, on dark nights, the mother drives across town to his house, creeps into his house, and sings--well, you know what she sings:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be. 

At last, the mother is old and sick. She sings to her boy, but she isn't able to finish the song. Her son, however, has learned his lesson well. He knows what to do. Holding his mother close, he rocks her in his arms, and sings to her:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My Mommy you'll be. 

And when he returns home that night, he stands for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then, going into the room where his own new baby daughter is sleeping, he takes her in his arms and sings:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My baby you'll be. 

And we can see the cycle of love between parent and child beginning all over again.

In this Sunday’s gospel reading, Jesus gives the Apostles and us a new commandment: that they should love one another. This commandment is so important, Jesus says, that it is the hallmark of being a Christian. Jesus' commandment is that we must love one another. We will find him in the love that we share. We will find him whenever the love of our brothers and sisters becomes a sign of God's love for us.

Most of us first experienced love in the arms of our mothers--of both of our parents. The effect of a parent's love on the growing child cannot be overestimated. If we grew up in a loving environment, then we are fortunate. If we didn't receive the kind of love we needed when were young, it is never too late. God's love is always available. God does indeed say to us, "I'll love you forever, for always--my child you will be." And God calls us to be instruments of God's love for our brothers and sisters.