Until a week ago, I had generally been in total agreement with pretty much everything Cardinal Sarah says. But his remark last week gave me pause: “Perhaps it is very practical to pray the breviary with my own mobile phone or tablet, but it is not worthy: it desacralizes prayer.”  The cardinal also suggested that priests should not use electronic devices even for praying the liturgy of the hours. With the greatest respect for His Eminence, it's worth considering why many Catholics, clerical and lay, find these prayer apps indispensable.