Second Sunday of Advent 2026: Readings, Prayer and Candle

The Second Sunday of Advent in 2026 is Sunday, December 6, which is also the traditional feast of St. Nicholas (the Sunday takes precedence at Mass). Its readings, from Year B, are a call to prepare: Isaiah’s “Comfort ye, my people” and “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” and the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, where John the Baptist appears in the desert preaching repentance. Families light the second purple candle of the Advent wreath, often called the candle of peace or the Bethlehem candle. Below are the date at a glance, the readings, prayers, Prayers of the Faithful for Mass and ideas for the week.

A short prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent, written for this page:

Lord, make straight the paths of my heart.
Fill the valleys of my discouragement, bring low the mountains of my pride,
and prepare me to welcome you with a humble and contrite heart. Amen.

The Second Sunday of Advent at a glance


Date in 2026	Sunday, December 6, 2026
Liturgical day	Second Sunday of Advent, Year B
Color	Violet (purple)
Advent wreath	Light two purple candles (peace, or the Bethlehem candle)
Theme	Prepare the way of the Lord
Next year	Sunday, December 5, 2027

The readings for the Second Sunday of Advent 2026 (Year B)

Reading	Passage	Theme
First reading	Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11	“Comfort, give comfort to my people”
Responsorial psalm	Psalm 85	“Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation”
Second reading	2 Peter 3:8–14	“With the Lord one day is like a thousand years”
Gospel	Mark 1:1–8	John the Baptist in the desert

The first reading (Isaias 40:1–5, Douay-Rheims):

Be comforted, be comforted, my people, saith your God.
Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her: for her evil is come to an end, her iniquity is forgiven: she hath received of the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.
The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken.

The second reading (2 Peter 3:8–9, Douay-Rheims):

But of this one thing be not ignorant, my beloved, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance.

The Gospel (Mark 1:1–8, Douay-Rheims):

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.
A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
John was in the desert baptizing, and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.
And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all they of Jerusalem, and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and he ate locusts and wild honey.
And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
I have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

Lighting the second Advent candle

A simple prayer for lighting two candles on the wreath, written for this page:

Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, as we light this second candle,
bring your peace into our family and into our world,
and help us to prepare your way by turning away from sin. Amen.

See the Advent wreath prayers and the Advent candles.

Prayers of the Faithful for the Second Sunday of Advent

For Mass on December 6, 2026, or a family prayer. Response after each petition: Lord, hear our prayer.

For the Church, that like John the Baptist she may call all people to repentance and point them to Christ, we pray to the Lord.
For the Pope, our bishops and all who preach, that they may speak words of comfort and hope to God’s people, we pray to the Lord.
For leaders of nations, that they may make straight the paths of justice and bring comfort to those who suffer, we pray to the Lord.
For all who are discouraged or far from God, that they may hear the good news that God is near, we pray to the Lord.
For our parish and our families, that we may prepare our hearts this Advent through prayer, confession and works of mercy, we pray to the Lord.
For our beloved dead, that they may rest in the peace of the Lord they waited for, we pray to the Lord.

See the Prayers of the Faithful for Advent.

This week in Advent

Sunday, December 6: traditionally St. Nicholas Day; many children find small gifts in their shoes. See the St. Nicholas prayer.
Monday, December 7: St. Ambrose. See the St. Ambrose prayer.
Tuesday, December 8: the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation in the United States. See the Immaculate Conception.
Wednesday, December 9: St. Juan Diego. Saturday, December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Second Sunday of Advent in 2026?

Sunday, December 6, 2026. In 2027 it falls on December 5.

Which candle is lit on the Second Sunday of Advent?

Two purple candles: the first and the second, often called the candle of peace or the Bethlehem candle.

What is the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B?

Mark 1:1–8, John the Baptist preaching in the desert.

More Advent pages

Texts and sources

Scripture: Isaias 40:1–5, 2 Peter 3:8–9 and Mark 1:1–8, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain. Reading references follow the Lectionary for Mass, Second Sunday of Advent, Year B.
The prayers and Prayers of the Faithful were written for this page.