Advent wreath · Second Sunday
Second Sunday of Advent: Lighting the Wreath (Peace)
Light the second candle of the Advent wreath, the candle of peace, on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2026
On the Second Sunday of Advent, December 6, 2026, the family lights the first violet candle again and then a second, the candle of peace.
This is the lighting of the Advent wreath, for the Second Sunday of Advent. Pray it alone, or with everyone at home. Gather around the wreath, or around any candle.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A week ago the first candle was lit, for hope. Tonight a second one joins it. In many homes, the second candle is called the candle of peace.
Listen to the word of the Lord from today’s Gospel, from Mark, chapter one. It is the voice of John the Baptist: “A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.”
If you have a wreath, light the first violet candle, and then the second one.
Take your time.
Two small flames now. The light is growing.
A straight path is one with nothing in the way. Peace often begins at home, around a table, in the tone of a voice.
In a moment of silence, look at the faces around this light, or think of the people who live under your roof. Ask God for one thing that would bring more peace to this house this week.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace, clear a path in me for You to come. Where there is a quarrel, bring peace. If I am not ready to forgive, make me willing. Where there is a stone in the road, help me move it. Give peace to this house, and to everyone we love. Come, Lord Jesus, and do not delay. Amen.
Let us make the sign of the cross. May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
Below is the AngelGuard app’s own prayer for lighting the wreath that evening, printed in full: the Sign of the Cross, John the Baptist’s call from the Sunday Gospel (Mark 1:3), a short silence to ask God for peace at home, the Our Father and a closing prayer to the Prince of Peace. It takes about four minutes.
Go deeper
Second Sunday of Advent 2026: December 6, the candle of peace
1 min readThe Second Sunday of Advent is December 6, 2026, and the candle added tonight, the second violet one, is the candle of peace in many homes; some call it the Bethlehem candle.
The Second Sunday of Advent is December 6, 2026, and the candle added tonight, the second violet one, is the candle of peace in many homes; some call it the Bethlehem candle.
The Gospel at Mass, Mark 1:1–8 in Year B, is the opening of Mark’s whole book. John the Baptist appears in the desert in a garment of camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey, preaching a baptism of penance, and telling the crowds that someone mightier is coming after him. The wreath prayer quotes the words of Isaiah that John fulfilled: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” Then it brings that road indoors, where the things that block it are often small: a sharp tone, a grudge, an argument no one has settled.
The same Sunday is also the feast day of St. Nicholas. In 2026 the Sunday Mass takes precedence over his feast, but at home the day can hold both: shoes found filled in the morning, the second candle lit at night. Two days later, on Tuesday, December 8, comes the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation in the United States.
Praying for peace at home around the wreath
1 min readAt the center of the second wreath prayer is a short silence, in which each person looks at the faces in the candlelight and quietly asks God for one change that would make home more peaceful this week.
At the center of the second wreath prayer is a short silence, in which each person looks at the faces in the candlelight and quietly asks God for one change that would make home more peaceful this week.
- Keep the silence short. Twenty or thirty seconds is plenty with children. Whoever leads can close it with the next line of the prayer, “Let us pray as Jesus taught us.”
- Let it be honest. If there was a fight this week, the prayer has room for it: one of its last petitions asks Jesus to make us willing to forgive even before we feel ready.
- Light both candles in order. The first candle first, then the second, so the children watch the light grow. On weeknights, light both again at dinner, with the Advent prayer for each day.
- Praying alone? Pray by name for the people you live with, or for someone you would like to make peace with this Advent.
The wreath prayers for the rest of Advent
1 min readEvery Sunday of Advent has its own wreath prayer, and each adds one candle to the ones already lit.
Every Sunday of Advent has its own wreath prayer, and each adds one candle to the ones already lit.
- First Sunday, November 29: the blessing of the wreath and the candle of hope.
- Third Sunday, December 13: Gaudete Sunday, when the rose candle is lit for joy.
- Fourth Sunday, December 20: the candle of love, and all four flames at once.
For the order of the candles, their colors and the meaning of each, see our Advent wreath guide.
Questions
What is the prayer for the second Sunday of Advent?
A family lights the first two violet candles of the wreath and prays for peace. The prayer on this page, for December 6, 2026, reads John the Baptist’s words from Mark 1:3, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” keeps a moment of silence for peace at home, and ends with the Our Father and a prayer to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
What does the second Advent candle mean?
Peace, in many homes today; others call it the Bethlehem candle, for the town where Christ was born. It is violet, and it is lit after the first one, so two flames burn through the second week.
What are the themes for Advent 2026?
Hope, peace, joy and love: those are the names many families give the four candles, one for each Sunday. In 2026 the Sundays fall on November 29, December 6, December 13 and December 20. The Sunday Gospels add their own thread: stay awake, prepare the way, the one already standing among you, and Mary’s yes.
Why is John the Baptist in the Advent Gospels?
Because his whole work was getting people ready for Jesus, and getting ready is what Advent is for. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a relative of Jesus, and he appears in the Gospels of both the Second and the Third Sundays of Advent.
Can you light the Advent candles on weekdays?
Yes. Many families light that Sunday’s candles again every evening of the week, usually at dinner, with a short prayer. In the second week, that means the first two candles.
A prayer from AngelGuard · the app’s wreath lighting; Gospel in the Douay-Rheims
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See the full liturgical calendar — every feast this year, and an embed for your parish site.