Today in the Church, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For Christians, Jesus’ Heart symbolizes God’s merciful and infinite love for every human being. No matter where we come from, God’s love knows no borders, makes no distinctions, is given to all, and brings us together in unity. #ApostolicJourney
Pope Leo at Sagrada Familia: “We cannot believe in Jesus and make war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent. We cannot believe in Jesus and abandon those who suffer, those who weep, those who flee from misery.”
Im not 35 yet but I love the idea of cosmic justice, purpose & radical surrender
I also like how I turned out, I like my coping mechanisms, I like my community, I like my temperament, my blessings and my spiritual opium. The same way ppl would dread being me, I dread being them
Many Africans are proud of Ethiopia for being the only African nation that was never colonised.
However, they rarely say anything about how when Ethiopia defeated European colonial invaders at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, the Ethiopian army was actually marching under the banner of the Christian Orthodox Church.
This was not even a result of modern European colonisation either, as Ethiopia converted to Christianity 1200 years before transatlantic slavery and 1500 years before Africa’s colonisation, around the same time the Roman Empire was only just beginning to tolerate the faith.
In fact, Coptic Christianity in Ethiopia and ancient Egypt developed entirely independently of European colonial influence.
The Nubian kingdoms of Sudan converted to Christianity in the 6th century AD, influenced by Egyptian Coptic and Ethiopian Christian missionaries. The resulting Nubian Christianity persisted for nearly 1000 years, only gradually giving way to Islam after the 13th-14th centuries.
It was actually Islam that prevented Ethiopia and Egypt from spreading Christianity across the Sahel and into West Africa.
It’s true that Western/Protestant Christianity spread through colonial missionary activity in Sub-Saharan Africa. In places like Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, the modern religious landscape was shaped by European missionaries and colonial institutions. But that doesn’t take away from 1500 years of indigenous African Christianity.
So, while Christianity is not originally African, it’s also not originally European, having originated in the Levant in West Asia. In fact, large parts of Africa were Christian before many parts of northern and eastern Europe were.
So, when we focus on just one screenshot of Christianity’s spread by European colonisers as the whole story, it erases a rich chapter of African history while attempting to defend it.
The bigger picture is that there was a continuous tradition of African Christianity that existed for centuries as an African phenomenon, completely independent of Europe.
Precisely. Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus experience anguish, sorrow, and distress. Yet He never abandoned His purpose because of it.
If the most perfect man to ever walk could feel deeply and still fulfill His calling, why do you believe your emotions disqualify you?
you have to believe me when i tell you that going out and experiencing life is really the best medicine for improving your art and writing and restoring your passion