The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-01-05
RENOWNED CITY OF BRIDGES
PRIZES RELIC OF PRECIOUS
BLOOD -PRocEssIoNs IN ITS
HONOR AMONG MOST MAGNIFl-
CENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN
LIFE OF BELGIAN NATION.

Bruges, the city of bridges, the city
the hearts of Belgians, a treasure
round which centers no small part
of the religious life of the nation. 1t
is the relic of the miraculous Blood.
1t is often asked what is this miracul-
Gus Blood, what homage should be
paid to it, whence has it come?
The Miraculous Blood is not the
Precious Blood of Our Divine Saviour
to which supremest worship is due.
Neither is it like the Unassumed
Blood which though separated from
the Sacred Humanity during the
triduo of the Passion, as it lay in
dark stains along the Way of Sorrows,
was yet united to the Godhead of the
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity
and was therefore worthy of the
deepest alteration. Was it for the
consolation of His Blessed Mother
who was to remain on earth for yet
IA years, or was it for the enriching
of His Church, that at the moment of
the Resurrection Our Lord suffered
some of the Precious Blood to remain
unassumed? Such was the Blood upon
the veil of Veronica, on the Holy
Winding Sheet, on the Cross, on the
Scala Sancta and on the Thorns and
Nails; but this Blood which was not
assumed lost Immediately It's union
strictly called the Precious Blood, for
feited it's rights to absolute worship
or latria, and became henceforth only
an intensely holy relic to be veneer
ated with a very high worship, but
not to be worshipped as Divine, and
it should be called hereafter Miracul-
Gus Blood. Some of this Miraculous
Blood was treasured in the Holy City
| by faithful Christians throughout the
long centuries when the Roman eagle
and later the crescent of Islam DOM
mated the ancient and almost ruined
city of Jerusalem, writes a cor
respondent in the Providence Visitor.
The 18th century saw the rise of
the great crusading movement whose
purpose was to restore to ChristendOm
the places hallowed by the Life of the
Goldman during His three and thirty
years upon earth. To the clarion call
| God wills it," the faith and chivalry
of medieval Europe made response in
eight great Crusades, and King and
Prince and knight and Peasant
pledged themselves by vow to draw
| the sword in defence of the Holy
SeDulchre. In the first crusade Jeru-
salem was taken and the brave knight,
| Godfrey de Bouillon, was chosen the
first Christian King of the City of
David, but he refusing to wear crown
of sold in the city where his God had
worn a Crown of Thorns, was content
Ito style himself Defender of the Holy
ISepulchre.
1 Cross and Crescent.
When the encroachments of Islam
again threatened the Holy City Sec
ond crusade, preached by st. Bernard
iof Clairvaux, was organized and was
headed by King Louis VII of France.
Among :he princes who took the Cross
of the Crusaders was Thierry of Al
SAGE and with him went his brave
wife, During the days of failure and
disappointment that followed, the ban,
ner of Thierry of Alsace was borne
ever in the front rank. When the de-
lfeated armies of France returned to
Europe, he pressed on to the Holy
City, where he rendered glorious serv
lee to the Christian kingdom of Jeru
salem, ruled then by the successor OF
Godfrey, his brother, Baldwin the
First. There the wife of Thierry Of
Alsace, the gentle and valiant Coun
tess, spent her days in loving service
tenderly caring for the sick, the
wounded and the dying. When it be
came necessary for Thierry of Alsact
: to return to Europe the people of Jeru
salem would not suffer her who hat
gone about doing good to depar