, and of every spot rendered dear to
Christians by Our Saviour's life and labors there. They persecuted the
Christians who went to visit the Holy Land, and put many of them to
death. When the news of these dreadful crimes reached Europe, the
Christian kings and princes, at the request of the Pope, raised large
armies and set out for the East to war against the Saracens and recover
the Holy Land. Eight of these expeditions, or Crusades, as they are
called, went out during two hundred years, that is, from 1095 to 1272.
Those who took part in them are called Crusaders, from the word cross,
because every soldier wore a red cross upon his shoulder.

Some of these expeditions were successful, and some were not; but, on
the whole, they prevented the Saracens from coming to Europe and taking
possession of it. Many of the Christian soldiers and many of the
pilgrims who visited the Holy Land were taken prisoners by the Saracens
and held, threatened with death, till the Christians in Europe paid
large sums of money as a ransom for their liberty. To free these
captives was a great act of charity, and is one of the corporal works of
mercy. Ransom means to pay money for another's freedom. Even now there
are sometimes captives in pagan lands.

A pilgrim is one who goes on a journey to visit some holy place for the
purpose of thus honoring God. He would not be a pilgrim if he went
merely through curiosity. He must go with the holy intention of making
his visit an act of worship. In our time pilgrimages to the Holy Land,
to Rome, and other places are quite frequent. "To harbor"--that is, to
give one who has no home a place of rest. A harbor is an inlet of the
ocean where ships can rest and be out of danger; so we can also call the
home or place of rest given to the homeless a harbor. "Sick," especially
the sick poor and those who have no friends. "To bury" those who are
strangers and have no friends. All Christians are bound to perform these
works of mercy in one way or another. We have been relieved to some
extent of doing the work ourselves by the establishment of institutions
where these things are attended to by communities of holy men or women
called religious. They take charge of asylums for the orphans, homes for
the aged and poor, hospitals for the sick, etc., while many devote
themselves to teaching in colleges, academies, and schools. But if these
good religious do the work for us, we are obliged on our part to give
them the