Top Christian Apps for iPhone and iPad

A year ago, on the Clifton Diaconal Formation Blog, I published a list of my favourite Christian iPhone apps. I figured a year on it was time to revisit that post and update it. I have added a couple of new apps and commented on some of the new functionality particularly functionality for the iPad.

Confession: A Roman Catholic App

Universalis

Catholic Calendar

iRosary

PocketSword

Free Candle

StationsoftheCross

As I am known in my Christian circles as a geek and my geek circles as a Christian, I am often being asked about Christain Apps. In fact last year even Radio Bristol asked me to come in to talk about the new Confessions App that was in the news a lot, so that's where I will start.

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A Confessions App, it's called Confession: A Roman Catholic App.

It's one of several confessions apps available I it's one of the better ones I think. It is very easy to use both in preparation for confession and if you choose to in the confessional with the Priest. I typically use this app on my train journeys from Bristol to Leeds, which I have to make every 3-4 weeks for work. I can spend a quiet hour using the app to help me examine my conscience and plan what I want and need to talk about in confession. The app contains a list of questions against each of the 10 commandments that really help me examine my conscience. For example “Do I not give God time every day in prayer?” When I read this question I instantly think of the times I have missed, skipped or if I am really honest avoided morning & evening prayer. Then it also makes me consider the times I did pray but didn't give the time to God, when I just ran through the prayers.

There is a tick box next to each question and if you check it, it will appear in the next set of screen that you can use when confessing. There is also an option for adding your own items that aren't included but you want to talk about in confession.

The second part of the app allows you to use the iphone to help and prompt you in confession, It really helps me use concentrate on confessing before God and the Priest what I have done wrong and the things that I regret rather than worrying about remembering or getting confused by what I should say and when I should say it. It starts by prompting you with phrase like “Father it has been 3 weeks since my last confession”, it cleverly knows when you last used the app for confession and works out the number of weeks for you. On the next screen it list all the question you checked and on the last it has the text for an act of contrition. It works really easily and for me has been a real help.

The app allows multiple users if you share iTunes accounts, but each user is password protected so your sins and still between you, the priest and God.

The App is also usable properly on the iPad and makes full use of the extra screen size. However for me it much more useable on the phone, just because of where I choose to use it. If I prepared for confession at home more ofter rather than on trains, the iPad size would make things easier. But even then it would be a bigger device to take with you to confession.

Having spoken to a few people about this app, many people have jumped to the wrong conculsion about it. It isn't an app to replace confession, allowing you to confess to the phone. It isn't an app to let you publish your sins on facebook and twitter, someone actually tweeted “The official Catholic Confession app costs $2 and I can't even post my sins directly to Twitter or Facebook.” It isn't an app to automat confession, you can't phone in your confession.

What it is, is a great little app that help you prepare for and enjoy the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

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My most used app year ago was Universalis, and it still is. In the last year it has made many improvements, including being fully updated with the new translation. This is the an amazing App for those wanting quick and easy access to prayers of the divine office and the missal.

It contains the full breviary for the divine office and now full missal. It is very quick and easy allowing you to read and pray the office. It also contains the readings for the day at Mass and a brief but illuminating biography of the saint or saints of the day. For anyone wanting to pray the divine office this is a must have, and by far the best of the small number of divine office apps there are on the apple app store.

The extra space on the iPad makes that a joy to use when preparing for reading at Church or in my case prepareing homilies. It is also very easy to lead prayer direct from the screen. Anyone who has sight problems will appreaciate being able to zoom in on the text with a simple apple pinch of the screen.

There are two versions one which is free (and called Catholic Calendar) and one for about £15. The free version requires a data connections either via wifi or over the mobile network. For your £15 pounds you get everything downloaded on the phone so it can be used anywhere, you also get to use some addition translations most importantly for me the Grail psalms. As an added bonus for your £15 you can also download and use the Web and PC versions which are very useful if you are preparing to lead prayer for a group and need booklets printed out.

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Third on my list is iRosary, it's a lovely rosary application that from my techy perspective is absolutely beautiful. The screen can be configure to show meditative artwork, or the words of the rosary, or both. The beads are shown down the right of left of the screen depending on if your right or left handed. A small stroke of the screen will move the beads on just as if you were praying with beads, and there is a small vibration of the phone each time the beads move on so you can pray easily with your eyes closed. Again this is a train favourite of mine, everyone else in rush hour has there laptop out or the paper open and I am quietly praying the rosary. It's a wonderful way to spend time between Bristol and Paddington.

This app also uses the iPad screen well, with more space for pictures allowing your eyes to guide yor reflection on the mysteries. For me though the iPhone is much more similar to beads as it sits in the hand and would therefore be my prefered way of using it.

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The last on my list right now is PocketSword. I have been using this in various forms for years. There are versions for the PC and most smart phones. In it's simplest form it allows you to carry a bible around with you, but that's only a small part of this app. It's links to sites that allow you to download many different translations as well as commentaries and bible dictionaries. For anyone wanting to study the bibles this is great. When I am preparing homilies or lectures this is always used. I use it most though on a Thursday evening, when I sometime teach at church. If I get asked an awkward question I have an opportunity to look up the answer while everyone else is having a cup of tea in the break. Great app and Free.

The iPad version of this is great. Much more room on the screen and it now becomes a real study tool when you want to spend time with scripture. When I am preparing homilies and courses you will find my typing on my laptop but using books and the iPad as resources. Pocketsword is one of the best.

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A new and really simple app is Free Candle. All it does is show a candle on the screen and while it's a long way short of a real candle for prayer or meditation, it is usable in a car or office where you wouldn't be able to light candles. It has a few different types of candles depending on your mood, and because the iPhone has a microphone it detects when you blow the candle out.

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When leading the stations of the Cross last Lent I used the StationsoftheCross app for one of the sessions. It has lovely artwork and a simple scripture reading and prayer for each station. This app is ideal for both personal and group devotions.
The app isn't iPad enabled but is useable as an iPhone app on the iPad. It's a shame really as the picture are wonderful and it would be nice to be able to show then off on the iPad screen.
The app is only £0.69 and is very similary to the many £1.99 little books you can buy at the back of churchs, so good value in my opinion.

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About the Author - Deacon John Scanlon

I am really interested to know what you think of the iPhone apps and which ones you like using. please drop me an email with your favourites john@deaconjohn.co.uk

Homily – 2011 Remembrance Sunday- 33rd Sunday Year A

Homily – 2011 Remembrance Sunday- 33rd Sunday Year A

Readings
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Psalm 127:1-5
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Matthew 25:14-30

Here dead lie we because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;
But young men think it is, and we were young.

This poem is called “For the War Dead” and it's by A.E. Housman. He wrote it for the dead of world war 1, but it could so easily have been written for the soldiers of any war, in any time. I read it on the Underground this time last year and it has kind of stayed with me. It speaks of loss, loss of life, loss of youth and loss of shame. It honours those who choose to fight, while painting a bleak picture of war. Today we remember those who have lost their lives in war and the families they didn't return to.

By buying a poppy we give money to help those returning from war and the families of those who haven't returned. And by wearing the poppy we remember. As we remember, think why did they do this for us? Their lives were lost, so ours may be lived. That's worth remembering every day of your life. What will you do with your life today, tomorrow, this week, this year. How will you use your God given talents?

Talent is a word we have already heard today, do you know where it came from?

Interestingly, the way we use the word talent today, to mean the gifts and skills we possess, came from today's gospel reading. Back in the days of Jesus a talent was a unit of measure, it was the volume of an amphora. One of the Greek clay jars you see in museums and biblical drama. About this tall, and about this wide. If you filled it with silver it would hold about 32kilos of silver. That's about £25,000 worth of silver. So in today's gospel when the man gave his servants five talents, two talents and one talent of silver he was in fact trusting them with a very large sum indeed.

This gospel reading, if you just think about people making money, is confusing. But if you start to ignore the large sums of money start to think of what you do with the talent God gives you it makes much more sense.

Are you like the first servant. Are you blessed with many talents? Are you a musician, an accountant, a teacher, an artist, an athlete, a carer? Do you use your talents well? Do you practice, do you strive to get better?

Are you like the second servant? Blessed with a couple of talents? Maybe you are a doctor, a builder, a carpenter, a reporter, a parent? Do you work hard making the most of your skill, challenge yourself daily?

Or are you like the third servant? You have one gift, one talent, one something special that you can do. Can you sing, can you bake or cook, can you programme a computer, can you kick a football? Do you use this talent for others? Do you use this talent at all? Do you hide it where no one can see it?
We all have talents. This parable teaches us we are supposed to use them. Take risks with them, improve the lives of those around us with them. When we use them they will grow, practice makes perfect. When we use them, more talents will be given us.

Can you play an instrument? Can you sing, why not join a group or choir, find others who are musical, go carol singing, teach singing, volunteer to play at church, spread the joy your talent inspires. Your talents will grow, who knows the next step could be X-Factor.

Maybe your talent is parenting? Is the Lord saying to you, good and faithful servant, look how well you bring up your children. I give you another talent to teach, or to lead, or to coach. Should you now look to use your new talents at school or in children liturgy, maybe scouts or guides, or the football team. Think about your calling, your talents, your vocation.

The interesting thing about our talents according to today's gospel is that they must be used. If they are used they will grow. If they grow you will be rewarded. The reward is more talents, more work. Our life in Christ is a life of service to others. It's not a life of luxury and riches, not for us anyway. It's a life where we provide the luxury and riches, not in money but in love, care and service. Our reward my fellow, good and faithful servants, is in our Lords delight in our service, and in an eternal life with Him after this one.

Today, wear you poppy with pride. Remember the lost talents of those who died. Be thankful for their service. Now think about your talents, think about how to use them, talk to God and ask him if you are using all the talents you have been given.

Don't bury your talent as the third servant did, get out there and use it.

Thank You Tom & Fiona

It was a wonderful evening at a beautiful location, and it was so nice to see old freinds from the last ten years of formation there. For me it was an honour to Deacon the Mass, and the current students did us all proud with a lovely presentation afterwards. The speaches can be seen above.

Homily - 11th Sep 2011

24th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year A

Ecclesiasticus 27:30 – 28:7
Psalm  102
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35
These readings can be found at  Mass Readings from Universalis

Do you remember where you were 10 years ago? The day was Tuesday the 11th of September 2001. Can you remember how you felt watching the pictures from New York? Did you know people who might be in Manhattan? Were you shocked, hurt, angry, confused, frightened?

When in the last ten years did you forgive the people that carried out the attack, that planned the attack, that paid for the attack? Have you in fact forgiven them at all? And if you have how do feel about them now?

How did you feel in 2002 when the bombs went of in Bali? Did you forgive them again? What about the train bombing in Madrid in 2004? Did you forgive them again? And then the London Bombings of 7th July 2005? Did you forgive them again? How many times would you forgive them? Would you forgiven three times which was the teaching at the time of Jesus. Or would you double and add one as Peter did, and forgive them 7 times? Or would you always forgive as Christ teaches?

I wanted steer away from using 9/11 as an example today. It's a huge subject that is emotional and painful for us all to think about. But when I started to think about today's readings and the hard challenge we face as Christians called to forgive, forgive even the worst of crimes, I can't ignore the example that will be all around us this weekend. But forgiveness isn't about forgetting, so it's right this weekend that we pray for those that lost their lives, were injured or who lost friends and family. But as we pray, think on today's readings about forgiveness, re-read them, and seriously think about how you can forgive.

Jesus tells us a story today about a servant who owed 10,000 talents to his master, and of a man who owed 100 denarii to that servant. Now I always get interested at details like 10,000 talents and 100 denarii. You guess that 10,000 talents is bigger than 100 denarii, but do you know how much bigger. Well 100 denarii is probably about £100 in today's money. You can understand someone wanting it back, but how much is 10,000 talents. It's actually about £500 million pounds, that's more than the £479M annual budget of South Gloucester County Council. And considerably more than the 300 talents that Rome took in taxes from the areas around Galilee where Jesus was teaching. The sum is huge, why would Jesus name a figure this high. He wanted to make the point that God will forgives us anything, He will forgive us everything. But he also taught that as we are forgiven we have to forgive. The injustices we have to forgive may be smaller but we still have to forgive.

If we don't forgive we allow anger and resentment to grow in our hearts.

Our first reading today called these emotions foul. They can lead to vengeance and certainly to sin. Think how you act when you are angry? How kind are you to a person you resent? This is difficult teaching, on the surface it seems simple, but in practice it's hard.

When I looked honestly at my life over the last few weeks I realised I have had a very difficult time at work. Many of the people around me didn't do things that I needed done. As a result my team have had a difficult time. I resented this and have been been quite angry about it. Then I come to prepare this homily and I realise how poisonous that anger has been. If I want to help my team I need to forgive those who are letting us down and find ways to explain to them what's happening and to work with them to improve things. I will probably find I have been lettering them down as well. Anger doesn't let me do Christ's work in this world, forgiveness clears the anger away, lets Christ back into my life, and allows me again to do his work.

As Christian's we are called not just to church on a Sunday but to do Christ's work in the world. In a few moments, to strengthen us for that work,  we will celebrate the Eucharist. In preparation for that gift we offer each other the sign of peace.  That gesture is symbolic of the forgiveness you are offering your sisters and brothers for any offence they have caused. By forgiving them you have cleared away the anger and resentment and started doing Christ's work, a work that the Eucharist will strengthen you to do. A work that you will take out into the world after Mass.

As you go about your busy lives this week, can I ask you to find a little time to re-read today's first reading and  gospel reading, and to think about who you need to forgive. It doesn't matter if it is your boss at work or the terrorist behind 9/11. Today's teaching is simple. If someone does you wrong, forgive them. God promises forgiveness of our sins, the things you have done wrong, and He expects you to forgive others.

Ordination

Some photos from the day

Clifton Diocese Website

BBC News Article