A Feast of Advent Devotions for Busy Folks -- Magnificat Advent Companion 2014 App Review

I was pretty stoked when the opportunity came up to review the Magnificat Advent 2014 Companion app for iOS. I love Advent! I love the spiritual preparation of waiting, but instead of the sorrow of Lent, it's more of a joyous wait. I had been drafting my posts for Advent and didn't know what MY spiritual reading was going to be.

Once I opened it, it was like a breath of fresh air; I hadn't realized how much I missed using the Magnificat!  I'm so excited to use the Advent 2014 Magnificat Companion. I've used the Magnificat in the past, both in print and in their app. I even have several old Lent & Advent print editions. Even so, the app is much more than I expected. Here's why.

It is the print Advent Companion

The app contains the text of the print Advent companion. I was familiar with the short one-page reflections from previous years. It's in the app. I like the one page reflection because it's not religious on the surface, but they tie it into Christ. Sometimes, I just need to relate and these are very approachable. The app is worth it for these alone.

The extra features like the advent wreath and Christmas tree blessings, the O Antiphons and more are also included under Other Advent Features. The Seven Advent Stations were interesting and I'm excited to use the O Antiphons reflections this year!

It is the regular Magnificat

The app also contains the features of the regular Magnificat. That is, the morning, evening, and night prayers, plus the Mass readings and such for the day. I have to admit, sometimes these can feel overwhelming. There is a LOT included and it can take a chunk of time. But it's SO beautiful in Advent and the perfect antidote to the craziness of Christmas preparation.

Besides, no one said you have to do it ALL! If its too much, try the Mass readings or the morning prayers. Or the evening ones if you have time before bed.

You can also access all the different articles and prayers that are in the print version under Other Advent Features. Coming from Michigan, the article about how Native Americans perceived Christmas when the missionaries came was really interesting. I LOVE history and am always tickled to learn something new!

It is an APP!

Which means it has awesome features like being able to set an alarm for the morning and evening prayers as well as reading the days meditation. Um, yes please!

And I always have my phone so I always have this. I don't have to look up anything. It's all right there.

My only wish is that it went through the 12 Days of Christmas, too. I have a slight obsession with that.

BUT it works well on my old iPhone 4S running iOS 6 with only 1 free gigabyte. Can you tell I'm smitten?

Interested in getting your own? For the bargain price of $1.99 it can be yours. We also have five copies in this week's giveaway, so be sure to enter!

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Copyright 2014 Jen Steed