Heralds of the Gospel Magazine, Vol. 20, nº 228, October 2026
Heralds of the Gospel Magazine, Vol. 20, nº 227, September 2026
Heralds of the Gospel Magazine, Vol. 20, nº 226, August 2026
Who are the Heralds of the Gospel?
Help of Christians
Christmas Carols
The capture of Granada in January 1492 was the final exploit of the Spanish Reconquest. After eight centuries of war, it would seem that the time had come to rest.1
It would seem so… if, in that same month of January, a navigator from Genoa had not appeared before the court of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella, to present a daring plan: to sail to India by a new and potentially lucrative route. His name was Christopher Columbus.
At first, his proposal was rejected. Later, after respectful discussion, the sovereigns became interested in the undertaking. The only obstacle was that, at the end of such a prolonged war, there was not enough gold to finance a voyage of such magnitude. However, Luis de Santángel, the royal treasurer, intervened and convinced the monarchs to advance the necessary funds. It was a risk – and a serious one!
The monarchs approved Columbus’ plans and granted him everything they could to undertake the voyage… except for a crew. The navigator was obliged to recruit sailors from among the prisoners, promising them the royal favour of freedom. If they returned alive, that is… Several captives accepted the offer. They were not exactly the flower of humanity; but who else would agree to embark on such a risky mission?
With the commander, the ships, and the crew gathered, everything was ready.
The adventure was about to begin…
The immense unknown
Columbus was about to embark on the greatest voyage of his life and one of the greatest epics in history. An adventure across the capricious ocean towards a mystery, along a route uncharted – even by human imagination.
Would he reach the long-expected India? No one knew. The possible consequences, however, were evident: death amidst the unknown, shame among his contemporaries, or a glory that would span the centuries.
On August 3, 1492, the fleet commander gave the order to set sail. The Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Niña, the three stately ships, propelled by the cool morning breeze, hoisted their sails one by one, upon which the triumphant cross spread its benevolent arms. Without a doubt, it was a grand day in Columbus’ life.
He set sail. As the port receded, everything became water. The best of winds was blowing, and the three caravels looked like oaken swans sailing gracefully through the hitherto tranquil waters of the Atlantic. A profound calm and immense hope reigned aboard the vessels.
In the first few days, Columbus began to think about the immensity of his conquest, about what he would achieve if he were successful, or what he would never have if he were defeated by the insidious enemy they call the sea. He knew that everything he so longed for could be coming true at that moment; and what he feared as well.
He hoped that Providence would not abandon him. He also trusted in the veracity of the accounts associated with the East, that is, in the descriptions of the Venetian explorer Marco Polo and in the fantastic narratives of John of Mandeville.
Tragedy knocks at the door
A few days later, Columbus received news that the rudder of the Pinta had broken and that its repair would be prolonged. He then found himself in the predicament – some historians conclude – of making a stop in the Canary Islands. He wanted, it is true, to look for another caravel to replace the damaged one, but, finding nothing, he had to make do with the small ship and the time it would take to repair it. His ardent desire to reach India would have to submit to a month of waiting on dry land. After this delay, they set sail again westward, despite the unfavourable wind.
Many sailors had heavy hearts in such an unprecedented situation: they were completely uncertain of their location, as well as the estimated time to sight land.
It was then that Columbus sought to alleviate the tension with promises based on estimates: he spoke of distances that, according to him, would need to be covered to reach their destination. But daydreams satisfy no one: “As they covered mile after mile, and as they spent day after day sailing across the endless sea, the obsession with glimpsing the Promised Land became ever more impetuous.”2
Therefore, every sign of approaching land that appeared, whether birds or foliage in the water, caused a real surge of enthusiasm… which soon faded. They sailed in an endless desert of water.
When provisions and certainty began to run out, revolt became inevitable. The crew, made up of former prisoners, did not have the requisite discipline for such circumstances…
Columbus had to act firmly against the mutiny that was brewing. He gathered the sailors and reminded them of all the benefits they would receive upon reaching their destination. He also tried to convince everyone that they were very close to it – although, in reality, they were only halfway there. To mitigate the conflict, he even threatened severe measures against the rebels.
How to keep hoping against hope?
Columbus’ nerves were no less tense than those of the rest of the crew. The long wait was disheartening, and doubts kept creeping into his mind.
Would they really find land? What if the “promised land” was just a myth? What if it was all a deception, what to do with the crew? How to return if they were too far from port? And with water and provisions dwindling, how to avoid a tragic end?
Embittered by such thoughts, on September 25th Columbus called Alonso Pinzón, commander of the caravel Pinta, and asked if, according to the map, land should not have been sighted sooner. Pinzón agreed… Even so, neither dared to comment on the matter. The situation was, without a doubt, very serious.
The only salvation was a miracle.
Land Ho?!
At dusk on that same September day, Pinzón shouted from the stern of the ship that he had sighted land. Upon hearing the news, many climbed the masts to get a better look. Others shouted and laughed with joy. Some fell to their knees and prayed to God in thanksgiving.
The admiral gave orders to sail in the direction indicated by Pinzón. After crossing more than fifteen leagues, they discovered that, after all, they had been deceived by a mirage.
Fatal discouragement assailed the sailors. They continued the voyage, but losing one by one the hopes of finding any meagre piece of land. Columbus, despite the setback, remained firm and confident.
A short time later, amidst generalized despondency at imminent death, a booming cannon shot rang out, awakening them from their inner lethargy: another sign that they had sighted land. They raised the flag and sailed as before, in search of what they had so longed for.
It was yet another frustration…
Unexpected Victory
Whatever the case, perhaps they were not so far from a safe harbour. Day and night they sighted birds flying, indicating the proximity of land, thereby bringing a little encouragement to Columbus.
On the night of October 11th, after the crew sang the Salve Regina, as usual, the Genoese explorer gathered everyone and, addressing them, thanked God for the safe crossing and for the “India” they had so eagerly hoped to find. And he wished to spend the night in vigil.
Two hours before midnight, a sailor thought he saw some shape moving on the horizon. He did not dare, however, to comment on it, to avoid false alarms. When dawn broke, he saw what he had so longed for and which confirmed all his certainties.
Land ho! The dry and blessed land they had so dreamed of! They were saved! Everyone rejoiced, singing the Te Deum at the top of their lungs.
Thus, after so many misfortunes, a new world unfolded before their eyes: the Americas.
It was the beginning of a new epic.
When all seemed lost…
The discovery of America is, paradoxically, remarkably famous, yet insufficiently understood in its details. The voyage undertaken by Columbus did not consist only of crossing the Atlantic: it also involved a long sea of trials, uncertainties and disappointments, at the end of which was a triumph clothed in particular beauty because, “when the expected victory arrives, it is very beautiful,” commented Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “but when the unexpected victory arrives, it is even more beautiful.”3
This is the admirable adventure of the discoverers of America. Despite setbacks and even revolts, they knew how to persevere day after day, glimpsing behind each swell the longed-for land. When death, armed with thirst, hunger and plague, closed in on them, “when all seemed lost, victory burst forth like a geyser.”4
This is the story of those who venture into the unknown towards the conquest of an ideal. For this is the divine way of writing the feats that, like Columbus’, change the face of the earth: the greater the ocean to be crossed, the greater the storms tend to be; and the greater the hope sustained by the hero, the greater also is the radiance of the final encounter.
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