How Steve Jobs Made Me a Better Catholic

An odd topic, I know.

But as I read all the articles this week about how Steve Jobs changed the face of music, entertainment, and personal electronics, it dawned on me that he and his products had a profound effect on my religious life. 

For example, because of the iPod, I can carry around thousands of religious songs in my pocket and listen to them whenever I want.  Walks are no longer silent, train rides no longer require me to listen to my neighbors, and plane rides are filled with musical praise.

Thanks to iTunes, I can download podcasts like the Daily Audio Bible and listen to them while driving, doing housework, or pretty much whenever I want to be filled with the Word of God.  I can also stream religious radio stations from around the country right to my desk.

And because the iPhone made apps commonplace, I can get  bible verses, daily mass times, the rosary, and Catholic TV all with the touch of a finger, filling any empty pause in my life with a dose of religion.

I have to admit, I never stopped to think about this until reading all the tributes this week.  

But as article after article touted Mr. Jobs for filling our world with 24/7 entertainment and satisfaction, I realized that he helped me fill mine with God.

So thank you, Steve.

May your soul rest in peace.


God Bless.

My iPod, a Gentle Push from God?

“This year I’m going to start reading the bible.”

That was my mantra year after year. And year after year, I failed to do so. I can’t even come up with a good reason - other than the obvious one. I just didn’t set aside time to do it. I had every intention to do so. Really I did. But I just couldn’t find the time to make it a daily event. (I’m embarrassed to even admit that)

But sometimes God gives us the little push we need to get our priorities straight. In this instance, his push came in the form of an iPod.

That’s right. A shiny, new, sleek iPod. Perfect for storing thousands of songs, and, as I would come to discover, hundreds of podcasts. Initially, I downloaded all sorts of news podcasts so that I could keep up with the world while I drove to and from work.

But then one day, I found the Daily Audio Bible, which is a fantastic podcast run by a gentleman named Brian Hardin. Each day he reads from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, and then gives some brief commentary and inspirational words. I’ve listened to about 120 days worth (which equals about 1/3 of the bible) in the morning on my way to work, and so far and it has been life changing. I see my faith in a new light. I see the world in a new light. And I see myself in a new light.

I am finally making good on my promise to myself.

For those of you that are interested, here is the link to the site, or you can download it on iTunes like I did.

I’ll end this post with a HUGE thank you to Brian and the team at the Daily Audio Bible. Keep up the great work and may God bless you all.