I have said already that, if we please, communion with our Lady may be unbroken throughout the day. This may be affected by offering all the actions of the day to our Lord by the hands of His Blessed Mother. Such is actually the custom of the tens of thousands of members of the Society, spread throughout the Catholic world, and known as the Apostleship of Prayer, whose characteristic devotion consists simply in consecrating all the thoughts, words, deeds and sufferings of that day to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is the Catholic doctrine that all things are lawful to me (they may not always be expedient, but they are always lawful), unless I know that they are certainly forbidden by the law of God or of the Church. Most of the everyday actions of life are what is called " indifferent " in themselves, neither good nor bad. Such, for example, are reasonable amusements. Games played deliberately and consciously, not merely for relaxation, but because they are judged to be useful for the health of the body, are, in the natural order, good and praiseworthy actions. When a man performs these " indifferent " actions without any reference to God, he will receive the reward which he sought— the fun of the game, or the vigour of bodily power which he experiences—but he can expect no super natural result. The stream cannot rise above its source. Let him, however, only consecrate them to God, and they are at once super-naturalised and raised to a different order. " Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do," writes the Apostle, "do all for the glory of God." This offering of the common acts of the day by what is known to Catholics as The Good Intention is a heavenly alchemy which turns all that we do, which otherwise would be without merit, into finest gold. And we can offer to God everything, excepting only sin—that which is for bidden by His law. It is obvious that the good intention, if honestly made, will be a great safeguard against offending God. If a man who in the morning has made the offering of all his actions to our Lord be tempted to sin, he will say to himself: " How can I dare do this—I who have offered to the Sacred Heart of Jesus every action of this day ?" Now this consecration of the whole life, with all its episodes, to our Lord is surely more acceptable in His sight when it comes to Him through Mary, His mother. What we poor sinners do is too often tainted by our imperfections—it is purified in the hands, or if you will change the figure, in the most pure heart of Mary. If we prefer to simplify our offering still further and offer it all directly to our Lady, it will be safe—she keeps nothing that is offered to her for herself, she will hand it on to God.
