- “I have had commerce and conversation with knowledgeable people of the clergy and the laity, Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and with many others of different religions. Our Lord has favored my occupation and has given me an intelligent mind. He has endowed me with a great talent for seamanship; sufficient ability in astrology, geometry, and arithmetic; and the mental and physical dexterity required to draw spherical maps…with everything in its proper place. During this time I have studied all kinds of texts: cosmography, histories, chronicles, philosophy, and other disciplines. Through these writings, the hand of Our Lord opened my mind to the possibility of sailing to the Indies and gave me the will to attempt the voyage…Who could doubt that this flash of understanding was the work of the Holy Spirit…? The Holy Spirit illuminated his holy and sacred Scripture, encouraging me in a very strong and clear voice…urging me to proceed. Continually, without ceasing a moment, they insisted that I go on.” Columbus, Book of Prophecies, 67 and 69.
- “Men may doubt this, but there can be no doubt that the faith of Columbus was genuine and sincere, and that his frequent communion with forces unseen was a vital element in his achievement. It gave him confidence in his destiny, assurance that his performance would be equal to the promise of his name. This conviction that God destined him to be an instrument for spreading the faith was far more potent than the desire to win glory, wealth and worldly honors, to which he was certainly far indifferent.” Ibid. 47 (Seven Miracles that Saved America, Page 38)
- “Christopher Columbus died, likely from a heart attack, in 1506. During his fourth and final voyage to the New World, when alone and frustrated, he told of hearing a “compassionate voice” that addressed him, saying, “O fool, and slow to believe and to serve thy God…what did He do more for Moses, or for David his servant, than he has done for thee?” Columbus, Select Letters, 184