Looks like John the Baptist is on his way to Denver…
Recently named one of the top 10 most sinful cities in the United States, Denver must be poised for an Advent visit from everyone’s favorite locust and honey eating saint-prophet-preacher. “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” might be the new rallying cry on 16th Street Mall, at Empower Field at Mile High, or at Ball Arena…
WalletHub, with the help of a panel of experts, analyzed 182 cities across seven dimensions: anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vice, greed, lust, vanity, and laziness. Metrics in these categories included violent crimes, thefts, obesity, casinos per capita, smoking, tanning salons per capita, adult entertainment establishments per capita, and more.
Through the analysis of these experts, the City of Denver claimed the number seven spot, ahead of Chicago, Baton Rouge, and Phoenix. The honor of the top three spots belongs to Las Vegas, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, respectively.
All that said and before John the Baptist — or even worse, Jonah — arrives in Denver, it should be noted that Advent is traditionally a season of penance, reconciliation and sacrifice to prepare for the great joy of Christmas. Similar to Lent, this season was once looked at as penitential and preparatory, getting our hearts ready for the arrival of the Christ-child, as Lent prepares us for his resurrection.
Lucky for us, neither John nor Jonah have arrived and we still have two weeks left of Advent! This is the perfect time to run to Confession — many parishes have even expanded their offerings to accommodate us during this holy season.
During this Advent, may we examine our hearts and beg the Lord’s mercy, compassion, and love so that we may be best prepared to receive Him this Christmas. The good news is that God wants to give all of that to us!
For more information on Confession times and availability, check your parish’s bulletin and/or website, the Archdiocesan parish finder, and/or Masstimes.org. You may want to arrive early, though!
