Shikrot Mpwi – Sunday Synopsis
Fr. Justine John DYIKUK
Dear friends in Christ,
On the Seventeenth Sunday of Easter, Year A – 60th World Communications Day (17 May 2026), I bring you greetings and God’s blessings!
Theme: United in Prayer
Introduction
Dearly beloved in Christ, today is the seventh Sunday of Easter and World Communications Day (WCD). In his 2026 message for WCD titled “Preserving Human Voices and Faces,” Pope Leo XIV focuses on ethical AI and digital interaction. He underscores that digital transformation is a “human anthropological” challenge rather than just a technological one, urging that human faces and voices remain central to communication.
Traditionally, the Holy Father reveals the theme for the next WCD on January 24, the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers and journalists. Observed each year on the Sunday before Pentecost, the WCD was established by Paul VI after Vatican II. The celebration draws attention to “the vast and complex phenomenon of the modern means of social communication.” As the only worldwide celebration called for by the Vatican II (“Inter Mirifica”, 1963), WCD is observed in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost.
Overview and Summary of the Readings
The first reading (Acts 1:12) recounts that after the ascension, the apostles, filled with joy, returned to Jerusalem. It noted that while in the upper room, all the apostles, together with some women and the Mother of Jesus, “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer.”
In the second reading (1 Pet. 4:13-16), St. Peter invites all to gladly bear insults as a sign of sharing in the sufferings of Christ. By the same token, he advises the faithful to shun evil.
The gospel (John 17:1-11) presents Jesus’ promise of eternal life to all who believe. He equally prays for the Church. He prays because the Church is in the world, tossed by opposing currents.
Takeaway Lessons
1. Pope Leo urges responsibility and ethical consideration in the use of AI, calls for its governance among tech industry leaders, lawmakers, and journalists to prevent oligopolistic control of algorithms, and urges everyone to cultivate media and AI literacy through critical thinking, which allows individuals to identify misinformation and protect their personal identity.
2. The Holy Father also urges directors of Social Communications, Catholic Media Practitioners and Media Workers to advance the course of human communication as a major component of AI, showcasing the Church’s view of what good communication constitutes.
3. In a world fragmented along gender, racial, religious, and political differences, the heroic example of the early Church, which gathered in unity with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and some women, challenges world leaders to make concerted efforts at restoring the common dignity of all created in the image and likeness of God.
4. Today’s liturgy calls us to a sober reflection on the need to seek unity of the spirit for the good of the Church.
5. The disciples were dedicated to prayer and divine worship. Jesus presents the fullest expression of this by praying for the Church. As such, we are challenged to pray in-season and out-of-season.
Conclusion
Besides ensuring that the human person is at the centre of using AI, we are encouraged to communicate God’s message through mission ad intra and mission ad extra – mission – within the church by preaching and catechesis and engaging Pious Societies in various missionary enterprises and outside the Church by engaging in ecumenism with Christians of other faiths and dialogue with Muslims. Happy WCD!
