On September 8th, 1492 Columbus, 3 ships and 90 men headed West into the Ocean Sea. The weather was perfect; and the Charismatic, devout Christian, Columbus had convinced his men that they were on a Holy Expedition. Peter Marshall said one of the ship’s boys started each day singing:
Blessed be the light of day,and the Holy Cross, we say:
and the Lord of Veritie(Truth),and the Holy Trinity.
Blessed be the immortal Soul, and the Lord who keeps it whole,
Blessed be the light of day, and He who sendss the night away.
Each day they almost flew farther into waters no man had ever sailed. No one had heard of anyone going beyond 300 miles West of shore; and by October 9th, they were 3,000 miles away from home; and fear and talk of mutiny began to spread. Columbus pleaded with the other 2 captains for 3 more days and he would give up his Mission and turn back. He had 2 days of desparate Prayer; and on the 11th of October, they found some floating man-made carvings; and Fear was defeated. Early on the last day, 2 am. October 12, 1942 the ecstatic cry yelled from the lookout: “Tierra! Tierra!”
Around noon, they found a way through the coral reef, anchored their ships and rowed to the Island shore over clear, blue waters to a spectacular sight of lush green foilage, framed by perfect white sand beaches. Columbus in his best dress uniform waded ashore and fell to his knees praising God and claming the Island he named San Salvador(Holy Savior) for Christ and the Spansh Crown while his men erected Flags and a large wooden Cross as they did on every Island they discovered.
Soon the naked Arawac nativs hearing happy laughter from the “strange gods that came in huge canoes pulled along by clouds,” came out of hiding. Columbus said, they were beautiful and peaceful people and he instructed his men to be kind and generous to them as they could more easily be converted to Christianity by kindness than by force. This was how he felt about most of the early natives he met. The charge that he was just a brutal man of plunder and exploitation is False. Missionary Columbus told the King and Queen upon his return that these people are ripe to conversion to their Catholic Faith; as they seem to be without Dogma and Doctrine so he asked Ferdinand and Isabella to send Priests with him on his next voyage.
Trouble in Paradise will be the next topic about Columbus. May God Save Our Republic.
*** Mark “The Freedom Poet” Skogerboe *** is a Life and Liberty News contributor and a lover of American freedom. Mark has authored several books, hosted well known radio talk shows. He has also appeared regularly on the Liberty Today television program. His knowledge of history and our Founding Fathers makes him a popular speaker for conservative groups and rallies.
