It sounds almost wrong to suggest we can “hack our prayer life,” but if the tools are available to help us grow in our faith, I think we should use them! I use the four apps below on my phone to help me on my journey. What apps do you use?
Prayminder
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, RSVCE
This app has to be the largest “hack” I can think of to pray constantly. It is easy to use and also free! Once you have the app, you open it and add all the prayer intentions you’d like to be reminded of during the day. In the settings you tell it how often you want to be reminded. Then it pings your phone randomly during the day with something from your list to pray for. Mine is connected to my watch, so I get a pop up there too. I look at it and say a quick prayer, and it often arrives at just the perfect time to remember to focus on others.
Hallow
You’ve probably seen ads for Hallow on Instagram or Facebook. It has a free version, but also a subscription for more content. There’s all the expected stuff like the Rosary and other prayers and the Bible, but you can also listen to the daily readings, daily reflections, and even some books like the Imitation of Christ. Speakers include Bishop Barron, Father Mike, Mark Wahlberg, Jonathan Roumie, and more. You can access the Bible in a Year and the Catechism in a Year. There’s even music. This app also includes notification features to remind you to pray.
iConfess
This one is what it sounds like – an app to prepare for confession. There are several types of an examination of conscience, general information, the prayers, and some readings on the sacrament. You can check specific sins off you’d like to take to confession, and it has them in a “for confession” tab. You can also log your confession dates so you know when you last went. There is an option to set a password as well, so nobody else can access it if they have your phone.
I have used it during confession once, and I do have to admit it was a little weird having my phone out at the time. It was very convenient though, and I had a lot less worry I’d forget something on my list. This app is free.
Universalis
There are many ways to access the daily readings, including the Hallow app above and the daily readings on the USCCB site. Universalis is also free on the internet. I’ve always enjoyed the app, though. In addition to the daily readings, there is information about the saint of the day and the Liturgy of the Hours. You can also add a subscription to have the audio version of all of that.
Leave a Reply