ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Have you given up something for Jesus lately?

Have you given up something for Jesus lately?

Published Mar 9, 2024 04:12 pm

THROUGH UNTRUE

https___mb.com.ph_wp-content_uploads_2020_07_FrRolandoDelaRosa.jpg

Jesus promised a hundredfold reward to His disciples if they gave up everything to follow Him. Why should they be rewarded for doing what seemed easy to accomplish? For instance, what did Peter give up? A tattered fishing net, a dilapidated boat, a sickly mother-in-law.  It appeared that he was not giving them up for Jesus. He was getting rid of them. 


A "hundredfold reward" is not to be understood in a transactional or prosperity-driven sense. The benefits of faithfully following Jesus are not to be measured mathematically. Many of us think that if we donate ₱20 to the poor, God will multiply 100 times what is left in our wallet. We treat God like a lotto machine or the sweepstakes. We bet ₱300 and we expect a cash bonanza worth millions.


The reward Jesus offers is simply this: a loving and satisfying relationship with God whose generosity is boundless. When we follow Jesus, He relativizes the absolute value that we put on people, things, power, and prestige. This helps us appreciate the transformational power of sacrifice and we realize that our true treasure lies in loving God wholeheartedly and loving others selflessly.


Giving up things for Jesus is a question of priority. In our world of fast food, live-streaming and social networking platforms, sports and beauty contests, politics and business, it is easy to get entangled in a web of trivial things accessible through high-speed internet. These often lead us to excessive social media use, mindless consumption, or serial and shallow relationships that numb our yearning for lasting fulfillment. Prioritizing our relationship with Jesus above all else can make letting go of such trivial things effortless.


It is also a matter of decision. We may be tempted to ask: "Am I doing the right thing?" We hesitate to let go of something that may prove valuable in the future. We are anxious that we might be wasting the time, money, or effort that we invested in obtaining it. Evaluating the cost of the trade-offs can be emotionally draining and discouraging, making discipleship a daunting task.


But perhaps the most crucial matter in giving up something for Jesus is our motive. Every act of sacrifice or renunciation must be an answer to Jesus’s question: “Do you love me?” If we truly love Jesus, what seems like an act of sacrifice is actually a gesture of profound generosity, driven by an innate desire to nurture and protect the bonds that unite us with Him. The sense of loss generated by giving up something turns into fulfillment and joy.
In this regard, God Himself is a model to emulate. The gospel reading today tells us: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that Christ had to die on the cross, not because our sins were too great, but to show us the breadth, height, length, and depth of His infinite love for us. 


Appropriately, today, the fourth Sunday of Lent, is called Laetare Sunday (Sunday of rejoicing.) It seems ironic that we are expected to rejoice during a penitential season. But Laetare Sunday reminds us that giving up things for the one we love is not a burden but a privilege and a source of joy. It is an expression of our gratitude to Him who makes our lives richer and more meaningful by His sacrificial and enduring love.
So, have you given up something for Jesus lately?

Related Tags

Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa O.P. THROUGH UNTRUE
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.