Each Sunday during Advent, we’ll share a reflection to help you deepen your spiritual experience and contemplate the mysteries of the season and the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Want to receive spiritual reflections during the Lenten and Advent seasons?
Second Sunday of Advent
Today’s Gospel finds John the Baptist “preparing the way” for the coming of Jesus Christ, preaching a message of peace and lasting forgiveness.
Paul Mariani
Boston College English Professor Emeritus
Professor Paul Mariani has published over 250 essays and 21 books, including biographies of William Carlos Williams, Berryman, Lowell, Hart Crane, Hopkins, and Wallace Stevens, nine volumes of poetry, and Thirty Days: on Retreat with the Exercises of St. Ignatius. His awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the John Ciardi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry, and the Flannery O’Connor Award. From 2000–2006 he served as Poetry Editor of America.
Read past reflections
First Sunday
“[This Advent], don’t let your daily anxieties overwhelm you. All of those things count as nothing, finally. No, your job is to be ready to stand before Him, with open and ready arms.”
C21 Advent Calendar
Celebrate the season with the Church in the 21st Century Center’s 2024 Advent Calendar! A different resource will be revealed each day through December 25, so bookmark the page and check it daily.
C21 Pray It Forward
Join BC alumni, family, and friends on Zoom as we gather to pray, reflect, and offer support—every Wednesday, 4–4:15 p.m. (EST).
C21 Prayer Intentions
Do you have a prayer request? Send us your prayer intentions, and we will remember them in our weekly virtual Pray it Forward session.