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“Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give” (Mark 10:8b). Gratitude. Humility. Thankful. Sacrifice. Share. Prayer. Authority. Heal. These are all words that come to my mind as I read the Gospel. And I ponder what I have received without cost. 

And then it hits me. Everything I have I have received without cost. How can I say that? On the surface it does not seem to make sense. I, like most people, regularly trade my time and talents for money; it is called work, career, or ministry. Our talents and time though, are gifts that we received from God Most High. We can choose to put those at His service and for the good of others. 

I often find myself at odds with the second part of the verse, “without cost you are to give.” In fact, I can spend lots of time thinking about how much it costs me to give. How much does it cost me to give love, care, concern, kindness, mercy? It costs as much as I want to believe it costs. 

When I remember that all I have received has been without cost then I can give without counting the cost. But when I start to tally up when I have given and what I want in return, I am not the person God created me to be or the person I want to be. Does that ever happen to you? 

During this season of Advent, it is a good time to reflect on what we have received. Make a list. It can include intangibles like faith and hope, people you love, your talents, material goods, where you live. Try not to judge your list. Then, each day, pray for a few people from your list, ask God to help you grow in a talent or use material things for His glory. 

It is not easy to give without cost but that is what we are asked to do. The Incarnation, which is upon us, is the beginning of Jesus giving to us. By virtue of that gift, we receive salvation. My prayer is for us to embrace the gift of salvation that we have received and share it with others by the way we live our lives without counting the cost.

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The imagery in today’s readings reflect the joyful promise of what is to come at the end of Advent.

The reading from Isaiah tells of the deaf hearing, the blind seeing, no more tyrants, the arrogant gone as well as those who want to do evil. The people who make errors in spirit get understanding and others who point out faults receive instruction. What a wonder-filled world this would be!

The Gospel has two blind men asking Jesus to heal them. The men are healed, their eyes opened according to their faith in Jesus as Lord. Yet Jesus warned them not to tell about this miracle.

The two previously blind men literally and physically experienced an epiphany. The First Reading also describes an epiphany. The text illustrates how divine insight obliterates darkness. It brings light to the prophet Isaiah’s vision of dwelling in the house of our Lord.

I am also reminded however that a sudden burst of light or insight can also create blindness. My eyes or mind need time to adjust to the brightness. How many times have I stumbled into something right in front of me or into situations where my awareness had been shrouded in the dark. Then all of a sudden l find that I am smack dab in the middle of something that is potentially destructive to myself or worse yet, in a ripple or tidal wave effect to others.

The season of Advent allows me the time to adjust to the coming of Jesus’ divine light. I need to be intentional as I reflect during this Advent time of preparation and waiting. I must try to become aware of the things my eyes, my conscience and thought process don’t, can’t or refuse to see.

O Divine Light, please fill my mind, my heart, my subconscious. Illumine the situations I need to see. Help me let go of each area to be enlightened with your love and guidance. Allow me to adjust to the obstacles before me so that I may have nothing to be ashamed of when I come before you. Grant me the grace to be a light for others to come to know the glory and joy of your kingdom. Amen.

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Every now and again, we hear something in Scripture, as in our Gospel today, that reminds us to not just listen, but act. We need to be doers of the Word, not just hearers, as St. James says (James 1:22). Easy, right? It seems that way, but we have to recognize that this is something Jesus thought was worth emphasizing to His own listeners. It would be worthwhile to look at exactly how we can carry out this admonition.

We first need to listen. Notice that Christ praises the one who “listens to these words of mine and acts on them” (Matt. 7:24). There is a difference between listening and merely hearing. I noticed this recently in my own life. I had been preventing myself from listening. While engaged in conversation, I found myself either passively doing something else, like listening to a podcast, or paying just enough attention to be able to repeat what the other person said, but no more. I heard what was being said, but I did not internalize, process, or integrate it.

For me, this was because I was not paying enough attention, dropping both my external and internal distractions in order to be a true listener. As part of this process, I have begun to return to conversations in my down time, reflecting on what was asked of me and how I can implement it. For example, if my spouse or friend expresses a desire to go camping soon, how can I take concrete steps to make it a reality, rather than simply agreeing before moving on with my own concerns?

Christ asks us to listen. That means during Mass and while meditating on the Word, we must eliminate those distractions within our power: our thoughts of errands, our cell phones, noise. With distractions minimized, we can be receptive and attentive, which takes its own kind of energy. Then, we ought to return to the Word throughout the day, perhaps during the time that we’d normally be scrolling social media or letting our mind wander. What does it really mean, and how can we carry it out in our lives?

This will help us to listen, but then we need to act. How do we do God’s will? It’s a good step to do our own reflection on the readings at Mass and read Scripture consistently. Things like the Homily and the lives and writings of the saints can be helpful here as well. It’s good to see how others are making God’s Word practical, especially when those others are now praising Him in heaven.

Once we have listened to and reflected upon the meaning of the Word, we should actually do it. Understanding what to do is not quite doing God’s will; we need to make a practical plan. What concrete things will we do, today or this week, to make Christ’s words a reality? How will we turn the most significant resolutions into consistent, lasting practices? Who can help us do this?

The only thing left, then, is to start doing. Let us pray that the Lord will give us the grace to listen, understand, and act.

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