Peace is a word that has grown thin in our modern ears, worn down by casual use and sentimental hopes. Yet the peace proclaimed by the angels on the night of Christis birth is no soft comfort meant to lull us into complacency. It is a peace that breaks chains, silences accusations, and stills the rebellion that has long raged in the human heart. The shepherds heard a message that shook the heavens, for in the birth of Christ, God declared the end of hostilities between Himself and His wandering creation.

This second week of Advent reminds us that true peace is not achieved by our own efforts but is received as a gift from the One who draws near. Christ is our peace because He brings us back to God, dismantling the great dividing wall that separated us from the Holy One. The early church liturgies understood this well, often calling Christ the Prince of Peace in their hymns and prayers. To light the second candle is to confess that our deepest need is not for quiet circumstances but for a reconciled heart.