December 6
2nd Sunday of Advent
Year B
The Second Sunday of Advent is part of the Church’s liturgical preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. During this period, Catholics are called to reflect on the themes of hope, waiting, and renewal, as seen in the readings and prayers of the Mass. The Gospel for this Sunday often features John the Baptist, whose life and mission point the faithful toward repentance and openness to the arrival of the Messiah. The violet liturgical color signifies both penance and anticipation. Historically, Advent developed as a distinct season by the 6th century, providing the faithful with a rich spiritual rhythm of longing and preparation for Christ’s nativity, as well as for His eventual return in glory. This Sunday especially encourages deepened prayer, the practice of charity, and greater awareness of God’s promises. By observing the Second Sunday of Advent, the Church invites all to a renewed sense of readiness and hope, echoing the prophetic voices that heralded the coming of Jesus.
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Questions about 2nd Sunday of Advent (Novus Ordo Missae)
The liturgical day
Mass readings
First readingIs 40, 1-5.9-11
Comfort, comfort my people,
– says your God –
speak to the heart of Jerusalem.
Proclaim that her service is fulfilled,
that her sin is expiated,
that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double for all her sins.
A voice proclaims:
“In the desert, prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight, in the arid lands,
a highway for our God.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be made low!
let the rugged ground become plain,
and the heights a broad valley!
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see
that the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Go up on a high mountain,
you who bring good news to Zion.
Lift up your voice with strength,
you who bring good news to Jerusalem.
Lift up your voice, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah:
“Here is your God!”
Here is the Lord God!
He comes with power;
his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd, he tends his flock:
his arm gathers the lambs,
he carries them close to his heart,
he leads the ewes with care.
– The word of the Lord.
Psalm84 (85), 9ab.10, 11-12, 13-14
I listen: what will the Lord God say?
What he says is peace for his people and his faithful.
His salvation is near to those who fear him,
and glory will dwell in our land.
Love and truth shall meet,
justice and peace shall kiss;
truth shall spring from the earth
and justice shall look down from heaven.
The Lord will give his blessings,
and our land will yield its fruit.
Justice will walk before him,
and his steps will mark the way.
Second reading2 P 3, 8-14
Beloved,
there is one thing you must not ignore:
for the Lord,
one single day is like a thousand years,
and a thousand years are like a single day.
The Lord does not delay in keeping his promise,
as some claim that he is slow.
On the contrary, he is patient with you,
because he does not want any to perish,
but he wants all to come to repentance.
Yet the day of the Lord will come, like a thief.
Then the heavens will vanish with a roar,
the burning elements will be dissolved,
the earth, with all that has been done on it, will not escape.
So, since all of this is going to dissolve,
you see what kind of people you ought to be,
living in holiness and piety,
you who await,
you who hasten the coming of the day of God,
that day when the blazing heavens will be dissolved,
when the burning elements will melt.
For what we await, according to the promise of the Lord,
is a new heaven and a new earth
where justice will dwell.
Therefore, beloved, while you await this,
do all you can so that you may be found without stain or fault,
in peace.
– The word of the Lord.
GospelMc 1, 1-8
The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus,
Christ, the Son of God.
It is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I send my messenger before you,
to prepare your way.
Voice of one crying out in the desert:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Then John, the one baptizing,
appeared in the desert.
He proclaimed a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
All of Judea, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
went out to him,
and they were baptized by him in the Jordan,
confessing their sins publicly.
John was clothed in camel's hair,
with a leather belt around his waist;
he ate locusts and wild honey.
He proclaimed:
“After me is coming
one who is more powerful than I;
I am not worthy to stoop down
to untie the strap of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org