Excerpts From the Manual of the
Eucharistic Crusade of the Apostleship of Prayer

1. ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD LIFE.

The Morning Offering demands that a man should live as a good Christian, so that his “life is, in truth, an oblation not unworthy of God” (Pius XII, Letter of October 28, 1951). What concerns a good life is generally dealt with in the ordinary religious instruction in school. The Crusade helps its members to put all this completely into practice. Three things deserve special attention:

1°. All form of “minimizing” should be foreign to the Crusade i.e. demanding of the young people only the bare essentials necessary for the living of a Catholic life. Perfection in the spiritual life is always to be sought. The time of adolescence and youth is a time of idealism and heroism. Except for a few who are given over to bad habits, young people can be spurred on without much difficulty to take up arduous tasks and to undertake labours and make sacrifices for the sake of a high ideal. We must use this natural inclination of youthful spirits to urge them on to perfection.

2°. The perfection of the spiritual life is not however to be sought in extraordinary works, but in motivation of the ordinary ones. The chief and highest motive is always love of God and of Christ, and love of our neighbour for God’s sake. There are also apostolic motives - to save souls, to cooperate with the spread of the Kingdom of Christ in the world, to promote the various monthly intentions of the Holy Father. Nor must we overlook the intention of serving Our Lady, with whom the Crusaders have special ties.

3°. Since good actions as well as good motives are needed, it must be insisted upon that the perfection of life is to be sought in the observance of every day obligations. “Age quod agis.” Whatever we do must be done well, diligently, accurately. All hindrances, such as laziness, comfort-seeking, tendency to evil, must be fought vigorously. There must be special insistence upon charity, politeness, gent1lemanly behaviour. This can involve great mortification but Crusaders should be ready for it. Finally those works of piety which the Crusade recommends, e. g. frequent Communion, regular confession, must be urged.