Turns out there wasn't an app for quite everything yet... Little iApps recently made confession easier by creating a mobile app - Confession: a Roman Catholic App. As if that isn't enough to blow your skirt up (sorry, probably need to go download that app now), the Roman Catholic Church has actually given the app their blessing. But, to their defense, Pope Benedict XVI did admonish the denomination to "embrace the digital world" *commence front hugs* (just looked up the app... it's $1.99, which could be a bargain or a rip-off depending on your "usage"). The app, affectionately nick-named "the pocket priest", will track your admitted sins and will even allow you to examine a customized conscience (something everyone needs from time-to-time, right?!?).
What I found really interesting about this app is the user must still go to a priest for absolution. Though it may be a great tool for confessing and tracking your sins, it doesn't appear as though confession booths will be phased out any time soon. Here's why, per the Pope, "It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives."
Even as evangelicals (or protestants, as the liturgical world calls us), we must be diligent to avoid substituting virtual contact for true contact. It's great to listen to podcasts, watch Christian TV (sort of), and read inspirational books... but to engage, discuss, emote and confess with real human beings is the beginning of appreciating the complex beauty that is the Body of Christ. Even more, if we will be diligent to engage, discuss, emote and confess with the real, living God, we will discover Life: joy, peace, freedom.
And all this can be yours, no app needed (unless you're using it to read your Bible... or listen to a podcast).
And all this can be yours, no app needed (unless you're using it to read your Bible... or listen to a podcast).
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