Sunday, December 6, 2026 — Second Sunday of Advent
Prepare the way of the Lord
Mark 1:1-8
Readings of the day: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Luke 3:4, 6; Mark 1:1-8.
The Gospel
Mark opens his Gospel: the beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah, a voice cries in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John the Baptist appears in the desert, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; people from all Judea and Jerusalem come to him, confess their sins, and are baptized in the Jordan. Clothed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey, he proclaims: one mightier than I is coming after me, and I am not worthy to stoop down and untie his sandals. I baptize you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
Mark begins his Gospel at the beginning, with the voice crying in the desert: prepare the way of the Lord. John preaches a baptism of repentance, and St. Bede teaches that John could preach a baptism which led to the remission of sins, but could not give it; remission is given only by the baptism of Christ. His dress and his food preach with him: camel’s hair and a leather girdle, locusts and wild honey, the marks of a man who did not encourage sinners by flattery but called them to repentance. And when the crowds wonder whether he is the Christ, he points away from himself: one mightier than I is coming, and I am not worthy to untie his sandals. St. Gregory hears in that word a confession: John will not usurp the name of the Bridegroom. Advent asks the same of us: to make the way straight, and then to step aside.
From the Fathers
“It is evident that John not only preached, but also gave to some the baptism of repentance; but he could not give baptism for the remission of sins. For remission of sins is only given to us by the baptism of Christ.”
— St. Bede the Venerable, on Mark 1, in the Catena Aurea on Mark 1:4–8
“Rightly then does he proclaim himself unworthy to loose his shoe-latchet, as if he said openly, I cannot make bare the feet of the Redeemer, for I usurp not the name of the Bridegroom, a thing which is above my deserts.”
— St. Gregory the Great, Homily 7 on the Gospels, in the Catena Aurea on Mark 1:4–8
Saint of the day
Saint Nicholas of Myra, Bishop (c. 270–c. 343). Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, he is remembered for his secret gifts to the poor and his care for children and sailors. According to tradition he died on December 6, and his feast is kept on this day; the Sunday liturgy takes precedence today.
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Sources: the day’s readings follow the Sunday lectionary, Cycle B (USCCB, Lectionary 5). The Gospel text is not reproduced here; read it at the link above. Patristic quotes: Catena Aurea on Mark 1:4–8, compiled by St. Thomas Aquinas, translated by John Henry Newman (1841, public domain).