The Land by the Western Sea and the Heritage Thereof

Of the Shores of the Setting Sun

And it came to pass, in the days of old, that a people did dwell by the coasts where the sun doth go down. The Lord had set bounds for the nations, and to the west He gave the land now called Lusitania — which men in latter times call Portugal.

There the mountains met the sea, and the rivers flowed through valleys rich with vine and olive, and the people thereof walked among stone and soil ancient and full of memory.

Of the People and Their Origins

First came the peoples of the earth — the Iberians, and after them the Celts, who brought with them customs of wood and war. And they did dwell in fortified places called castros, and spake in tongues strange and old.

Then came the Phoenicians from the east, mariners and traders, bringing purple dye and the knowledge of writing. And afterward the Romans, whose legions marched over hills and laid stones for roads that endure unto this day.

They built temples and baths, aqueducts and forums, and taught the tongue of Latin, wherein the Gospel would one day be heard.

Of the Faith and the Cross

In the fulness of time, the Word of God came also to this land. For disciples and servants of Christ did pass even unto the ends of the earth.

They lifted high the cross, and in the land of Lusitania many did turn unto the Lord. And churches were built, and the holy writings were read in the tongue of the people.

And in the centuries that followed, the sons of this land would bear the Gospel across the seas, unto Africa and India, Brazil and beyond.

Of the Heritage That Endureth

Thus the people of Portugal became keepers of a rich inheritance: of Roman stone and Celtic song, of Christian light and Moorish art, of kings and saints, poets and seafarers.

And behold, they preserved their tongue, sweet upon the ear and full of longing, and they sang of saudade, the holy ache of memory and hope.

They kept the feasts of the saints, and built monasteries upon high places, and in their hearts remained a reverence for the past, and a yearning for the eternal.

Let This Be Remembered

O reader, lift thine eyes to the hills of Portugal, and consider the works of old. For the Lord, who formed the nations, hath given each its portion in the earth.

And in the land of Lusitania He hath sown a heritage both rich and enduring — a witness to His providence, and a song to His glory from the western sea.