On Columbus Day, we reflect on the spirit of exploration that led Christopher Columbus to set sail more than 500 years ago. Arriving ashore in the Americas in 1492, he opened a passageway to a new world and carried with it a desire to share the Christian faith.

As Americans, we give thanks for the blessing of living in "one nation under God indivisible, with liberty and justice for all". Our national unity, under God's divine protection, is reflected in our nation's motto: e pluribus unum, "out of many, one".

Together, may we grow in shared loved for our national past and look with hopefulness toward our future. And may we reflect on how to deepen our unity as brothers and sisters who live together in harmony, forging a new and beautiful chapter in our national history.