Saturday, April 2, 2011

How Technology Helps Me In My Faith

I would say that I am quite proficient at using ICT... as I synchronize information between my PDA, my handphone, my notebook and my Google account.  I am also able to use word editors, spreadsheet apps, database managers, music & video editors.  Naturally, I also explore technological ways and methods to help me in my faith.  Now I'd like to share those ways with my readers.

e-Sword helps me in my daily Bible reading.

It's free and easily installed.  Just download, double click on what is downloaded and it will install itself.  e-Sword is very useful for anyone who wants to undertake Bible study.

You can specify what Bible you want to read (I personally read the Douay-Rheims bible and the King James bible). 
You can search for a particular scriptural verse or theme. 
You can also download dictionaries and commentaries to use with the Bible you are reading.  They can be viewed in the same page, without having to deal with tiles. 
You can also create a 'parallel' Bible with up to four translations. 
You can create your own commentaries and study notes, which can then be exported.
You can create handouts from the Study Notes editor.

Besides the bibles and other downloads you can get from the e-Sword website (which is mostly Protestant, according to a Catholic Forum user), you can also get other materials from Esnips Catholic Apologetics and Esnips e-Sword for Catholics.  If you wish to download the 'Catechism of the Catholic Church' for e-Sword, just download it from here.

Whatever you may download outside of the e-Sword interface, just copy it into the e-Sword folder and things should run well.  Zip files should be extracted into the same folder. 

Virtual Rosary is a small application I install into my laptop.  Just download and run it.  I like it for four reasons :

I can do my rosary while listening to soothing music and looking at the pictures which depict the current mystery I am meditating on.  Some people find it easy to just visualise the mystery or event in their minds but I find a picture very useful when I focus and meditate.

I can also join the prayer request program which is part of the application.  Praying with others, for their requests and for your own, is a wonderful experience.

I can do the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and its Novena which is also part of the app.

I no longer forget to do my Rosary as it is always on my desktop.  It is easily minimized, in case you have no time for the Rosary at that very moment.

Synodia Holy Rosary for the Pocket PC is a rosary app I installed into my Pocket PC.  Useful for times when you are on the go.  But this rosary does not have the Fatima Prayer that is supposed to be said at the end of every decade.  So I usually need to remember to do the prayer.  On the link, it says the cost is $3.99 but it is freeware.  Trial and full version are the same.

For those how use the Iphone, I read that they can download the iRosary.  Not sure about Symbian users.

Bible Verse Popup is another freeware that can be installed into a computer.  I noticed that the default verses (there are no many) are from a bible I do not use.  So every time it pops up, I edit the verse and replace it with a verse from the Douay-Rheims bible I have in e-Sword.  Very easy, just copy and paste.  I can add my favourite verses.  Over time, the app on my computer should be a powerful one :)

So far, those are the basic apps I have.  I'm not listing the ones I use to help me create my ebooks of prayers and stories of saints that I like to carry in my Pocket PC.  For that, I use Microsoft Reader and Calibre.  I also use Audacity for sound editing (music and prayers) and Free Video to MP3 Converter for all the songs and prayers I have in my Mediafire folder.