There's an app for that?

My wife Ruth has a so-called "smart" phone which can do anything short of clean the toilet. Perhaps they will develop an app for that, an application which does a specific task. She has one app that lets her hold her phone under the night sky and it tells her what constellations are above.

Now the Vatican has an app for confession. As you probably know, Roman Catholics are expected to attend confession on a regular basis, which involves sharing transgressions ands sins with a priest. Protestants often mock this practice, but the idea is that an individual benefits from the spiritual wisdom of the priest in addressing his or her weaknesses and wrongful acts. We seem to dislike the idea of being required to share any of this stuff with a cleric. My experience is that a fair number of people seek me out to "confess," although they wouldn't describe it that way. On occasion I sense that they are even seeking absolution. Sometimes we need the perspective of someone who has a spiritual background and can maintain confidentality. Mind you, I won't offer to forgive your sins. That is God's purview.

The app asks general questions for reflection, presumably in preparation for the time in the confessional, but some will probably use it is a substitute. I'm in favour of anything that helps people become a little more reflective about their spiritual lives. We tend to barge on and repeat our mistakes.

What do you think about this app? Have you ever been in a confessional? Have you ever sought out spiritual help in times of moral uncertainty? Should we open up our version of the confessional?