Of the three ships that accompanied Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the New World in 1492, most people remember the Santa Maria. I do not think that is a coincidence. I’d rather think of it as a “Godincidence.” As Christians, we always thank God for giving us the author of salvation through the Blessed Virgin Mary 2,000 years ago. As a Hispanic people, when we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15), we also give thanks to God for the priceless gift He bestowed upon the American continent 500 years ago: the Catholic faith.
Without denying the difficulties and regrettable mistakes that were made throughout the noble task of evangelizing the inhabitants of the New World, we must also recognize that the new vision of man — whose perfect image is Jesus Christ — and of the world which was brought over by the religious missionaries marked a before and after moment in the human-spiritual development of the American continent. The first missionaries disembarked on the shores of the New World in the early XVI century and anchored the cross of Christ as the principal sail of the barque of Peter — the Church — into which are all invited to enter.
Nowadays, we can say, with certainty, that the American continent, since the XVI century, has witnessed how the transformative power of the Gospel unleashed a series of events that put an end to atrocious practices that violated the sanctity of the human person and highlighted the inalienable value of every man and woman, made in the image and likeness of God. Unfortunately, we must also acknowledge the inexcusable episodes of violence many of the natives suffered at the hands of those who did not live up to the Gospel values they wanted to transmit. Their great sin was a disturbing incoherence between what they professed and how they lived, which not only diminished the Gospel’s credibility but also made the very existence of a loving and merciful God a difficult truth to accept.
When we celebrate our Hispanic heritage year after year, we acknowledge the fact that we are not the creators of the virtues that adorn our identity as a Hispanic people. On the contrary, we highlight and celebrate the spiritual, cultural, and human heritage transmitted to us throughout history.
As we celebrate our roots and the richness of the cultures that have so greatly enhanced the social fabric and development of our Latin-American countries in general and of this country in particular, we must witness to the fact that we continue to build upon the shoulders of the generation that preceded us, as President Ronald Reagan once stated. However, we must never forget that the great contributions we have collectively made through our presence here in the U.S. find their roots — undoubtedly — in our Christian identity.
The Christian faith has been the moral compass of our Latin American countries for more than 500 years. Nowadays, the faith of more than 425 million Catholics has imbued every aspect of public life and has even managed to bring down totalitarian regimes that have threatened to bring many of our countries to their knees under the yoke of violence and poverty. Moreover, the Christian faith has been the cornerstone on which the nucleus of society — the family — has been built and the source of the hierarchy of values that make our countries fertile soil for the flourishing of the common good and a source of hope for a better world.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, guide our peoples in the achievement of peace and grant us the grace to always remain within the barque of Peter so that, under the banner of Her Son’s Cross, we may arrive safely at the port of salvation.
