I recently read short story by Carrie Bucalo that appeared on the pages of the worship aid Magnificat entitled Bread Crumbs. Carrie shared that as a child she found herself walking through life’s dark forest. She figured she would be lost forever, cast far outside the reach of family and love. She was afraid and struggled to find her way back.
Carrie spoke of finding a trail of “bread crumbs’ laid out by mother church. She followed these morsels which she found in the lives of the saints, prayers of the liturgy, the Mysteries of the Rosary among others. They became a light under her feet leading her home.
In the gospel today, Jesus is speaking to the apostles and tells them that He would be sending them out like sheep in the midst of wolves, that they would be handed over to courts and punished, that they would be met with scorn and derision, and caught between divided households. Pain and loneliness would be their companions. We know who they were, what they did, and what they endured … and that they persevered.
The challenges the apostles endured and the struggle that Carrie spoke of brought to mind the prayer petitions that come into our ministry every day from across the world. They relate the suffering that is born by countless thousands of people.
Hope can be still be found in the trail of “bread crumbs” laid out by mother church; through the words and actions of contemporary men and women who endured darkness in their own lives yet still brought light into the lives of others.
May family prayer be for us one of those imperishable bread crumbs that will not only enrich our family but the lives of countless millions who continue to endure darkness in their daily lives.
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Father Leo's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
