Saturday of the 6th Week of Eastertide
Acts 18:23-28
Jn 16:23-28
He was an eloquent man, with a sound knowledge of the scriptures…
A popular joke states that whenever America is at war, it is God’s way of teaching geography to Americans. I am sure everyone now knows where the Strait of Hormuz and Iran are.
Similarly, Pope Leo’s recent visit to Africa (on a mission to promote peace) has piqued my interest in Africa’s geography. His papal tour has taught me the location of Algeria, Cameroon and Angola. Being a history buff, I also researched into the fascinating history of how Christianity came to the continent.
According to church tradition, after Jesus’s Ascension and Pentecost, several disciples went to Africa to spread the gospel. Notably, Mark went to Carthage (now Tunisia), Philip to Aleppo (now in Algeria) and Matthew to Ethiopia. Indeed, Christianity took root earliest in Africa (1st century AD). The faith then grew strongly in the subsequent centuries, under the Roman empire that was the ruling power in Africa. Despite northern Africa subsequently converting to Islam under the Ottoman empire, Christianity continued to spread throughout the rest of Africa. In 2025, it accounts for 60% of the entire population.
Turning to today’s first reading, it recalls the connection of Africa to the first converts. Paul departed from Antioch (now Antakya, Turkey) and went through the country of Galatia, Phrygia and Ephesus. There he met Apollos, a Jew born in Alexandria, Egypt (in North Africa). This man was skilled in the scriptures and being fervent in spirit, spoke and taught diligently about Jesus but only knowing the baptism of John. Apollos then converted many Jews to the faith.
Apollo’s knowledge of Jesus came from the efforts of Mark in Alexandria (Egypt). Similarly, the great St Augustine of Aleppo, who founded the Augustinian order which Pope Leo belongs to, was of an indigenous north African race known as Berbers. His mother was a devout Christian whose faith was the result of the disciple Philip’s evangelising in Aleppo.
I am glad that Pope Leo is visiting Africa in the first year of his pontificate. It highlights the importance of the continent to the Catholic Church, and the fruits of evangelism by the very first disciples.
On a personal note, I am Catholic today because of the missionary efforts of the De La Salle Brothers, who founded St Joseph’s Institution in 1952. My father, who was Taoist, came to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur when he was 19 years old to seek work. He had little money and was fortunate to be given a place to stay in the school. There, he was taught the faith by the religious and eventually baptised as Catholic.
Brothers and sisters, as a cradle Catholic, I will do my best to be an evangelist and talk about my faith willingly.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Andrew Sia)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to spread the gospel to my friends and acquaintances.
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Lord, for giving me my faith in you.
OXYGEN 
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