On 29th June, we celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. It is a good occasion to revisit the vocation of the apostle par excellence. Although we know Peter well, his figure always exerts a special fascination. He is the great Peter, the enthusiastic and generous man who also experienced our fragility and smallness!

When I think of Peter, I recall what the Acts of the Apostles say about his… shadow! The people of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas would bring out the sick and lay them in the streets on mats and stretchers in the hope that, as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on them and they would be healed (Acts 5:15).

A Mysterious Shadow

What could be more discreet, intangible, humble and silent than a shadow? And Peter’s was particularly alive and active… A mysterious shadow that left behind a trail of light and life! A luminous and beneficial shadow that made suffering humanity dance with joy wherever it passed! It brings to mind Jesus, who “went about doing good and healing all” (Acts 10:38). Yes, that was undoubtedly Jesus’ shadow! There is no shadow without light. The sun of Jesus lit up Peter, enveloped his whole life, accompanied his every step, and made each of his actions fruitful and expansive. It was Jesus hiding in the shadow of his beloved friend.

However, this shadow has a long story, one we can discover in the folds of the pages of the Gospel. Let us follow it—it has much to tell us!

The Shadow of Jesus

It all began just under three years earlier, perhaps during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Taking the route along the River Jordan, Peter and his companions decided to take the opportunity to listen to the “Voice” of John the Baptist coming from the desert. In fact, it seems that his brother Andrew was already one of John’s followers. It was there that they met Jesus.

He too had gone down to the Jordan, drawn by an inner impulse towards that place where the prophetic voice of the Baptist was being heard. Andrew was the first to meet Jesus. Enthralled and convinced that he had found the Messiah, he wished to share the news with his brother. It was a striking encounter! Jesus looked Peter in the eyes, called him by his name, Simon, and due to his solid nature, gave him a new name: Peter, the Rock (John 1:40–42).

It was the beginning of a great friendship. Jesus became a friend of the family (Mark 1:29). But then one day, the “carpenter’s son” surprised Simon the fisherman with a “miraculous catch” that brought him to his knees before Jesus, confessing himself a sinner (Luke 5:1–11). Thus began his great and fascinating adventure as a disciple of the “prophet from Nazareth”. The great Dream of Israel was about to be realised. Jesus spoke of the coming of the Kingdom of God. The wondrous signs performed by his authoritative Word amazed the crowds (Mark 1:27) and raised expectations about Jesus.

Peter became the leader of the group, the Master’s trusted man, closely bound to him, like his shadow. Jesus involved him in a unique way in his mission, conferring his authority upon him—even entrusting him with “the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19). In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Peter appears as Jesus’ preferred disciple and apostle.

A Dark Shadow

At a certain point, however, something no longer added up. Jesus resisted the crowds who wanted to proclaim him King. The conditions he imposed on his followers led many to abandon him. Then something unexpected happened: Jesus began to say that he must go to Jerusalem, where suffering and death awaited him, before “rising on the third day”. The group of Twelve felt confused and almost lost! Peter felt obliged to intervene, to chase away such a shadow! But Jesus’ reaction was unexpected and severe: “Get behind me, Satan, for you are a stumbling block to me!” (Mark 8:31–33).

Peter was stunned, humiliated and saddened. Peter… a stumbling block? Had his shadow suddenly become “sinister” to Jesus? What had gone wrong? Peter thought he was “protecting” the Master by placing himself in front of him, but he forgot he was meant to be his “shadow” and therefore should walk behind him. This act of stepping ahead of him obscured the Father’s plan and reminded Jesus of the tempter who had tried to overshadow him with his gloomy and menacing shadow.

The journey to Jerusalem was difficult for all (Mark 10:32).

The privileged experience of witnessing Jesus’ transfiguration, and being “covered by the shadow of the luminous cloud” (Mark 9:7), dissipated a little of the sadness that had settled in Peter’s heart. But then came the grand welcome in Jerusalem. The Apostles breathed a sigh of relief and cried out with the crowd of Galilean pilgrims: “Hosanna! Blessed is the coming Kingdom!” (Mark 11:9–10).

But they hadn’t reckoned with the determination of the leaders of the Jewish nation, who had already decided on Jesus’ death. Everything unravelled when Judas offered them an unexpected opportunity to seize him at night, in a solitary place, far from the crowds and defenceless.

A Paralysing Shadow

At the Last Supper, Jesus announced that his hour was near. A cloud of sadness and unease once again descended upon the group. Peter, who had regained his self-confidence and was fired with zeal, declared himself ready to fight for Jesus, to lay down his life and die with him. The shadow would remain closely united to the Master, even through the night!

But when Jesus, with a sad smile, foretold that all would abandon him, and that Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed (John 13:36–38), that dark spectre stealthily crept back into Peter’s heart, freezing his enthusiasm. Could the Master be doubting his friendship and faithfulness?

Then came the events we all know. An insecure and clumsy Peter attempted once more to defend the Master with a sword (John 18:10–11), but ended up fleeing like the others. Then came the fateful moment around the fire, in enemy territory. That fire, filling the night with ghosts, cast into Peter’s heart the paralysing shadow of fear—an alien shadow, not that of the Master: “I do not know the man” (Luke 22:56).

It was Jesus’ gaze that abruptly awoke him from his stupor. He then heard the cock crow and remembered Jesus’ words… “And he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62).

Thus, the great dream of “freeing Israel” (Luke 24:21) came crashing down. That Passover, which should have celebrated long-awaited liberation, turned into a nightmare. Evil had triumphed once again, and the tyranny of the “pharaohs” continued to reign! The dreams had vanished, and the world went on as before! Perhaps it would never change.

A Luminous Shadow

The risen Jesus went in search of his scattered flock (Mark 14:27). With special attention, he sought to free Peter from the paralysing shadow that had fatally gripped his heart and ministry. Jesus intervened in a manner both elegant and discreet.

In an intimate moment, around a fire in the morning after the miraculous catch of fish, Jesus led Peter to profess his friendship three times and confirmed him, three times again, in his ministry. The “third time” stirred up the sadness long hidden in Peter’s heart, but had a healing effect: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (John 21:17).

And Jesus, who only days earlier had told him that he could not follow him immediately, now invited him with a solemn: “FOLLOW ME”! More than that, he announced that Peter would share the same destiny and martyrdom (John 21:19).

Peter would again become Jesus’ faithful shadow! When crucified, in time, like his Master, he would ask to be placed upside down—so as to be nothing more than the shadow of his Lord on the cross.

I wonder how Peter could have lived peacefully with the shadow of his martyrdom, which, to us, would have loomed as a constant threat! Only his deep friendship and identification with Jesus could have made that shadow appear luminous. It was the shadow of the Master (1 Peter 2:21). That is why it worked the same miracles (Mark 6:56), doing good wherever it passed!

And Our Own Shadow?

Like Peter, we have been called—through baptism—to allow ourselves to be enlightened by the Light of Christ: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:14). He will drive out the “dark shadows” of “demons” and the “paralysing shadows” of “ghosts” hidden in our hearts.

Like Peter, we are invited, by vocation, to live in the shadow of the Lord: “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand” (Psalm 121:5). A refreshing, protective, friendly and discreet shadow, embracing you without suffocating you. It is not like that of Alexander the Great, who stole the sun from Diogenes.

Those who do not live in the shadow of the Lord will easily fall prey to malevolent and tyrannical shadows, like that of Abimelek’s bramble (Judges 9:15).

Like Peter, we are called to be the shadow of Jesus. A beneficial shadow that offers coolness and shelter: “like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2); like the apple tree under whose shade the bride desires to sit (Song of Songs 2:3).

There are so many people who feel defenceless under the scorching sun of hunger, injustice, anguish and loneliness. Grand speeches or flashy gestures will not bring them comfort and hope, but rather the discreet and friendly shadow of someone who stands beside them.

This consoling shadow is filled with the Spirit and overflows with fruitfulness, like the shadow that covered the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:35). May the Lord grant us to be his blessed shadow!

In conclusion, we ought to ask ourselves: What is our shadow like? What is it doing behind us? It’s worth sneaking a glance at it from time to time, just to catch it in action. Is it sowing good, or is it destroying behind us what we try to build in front of us? Is it luminous, like a projection of the risen Christ? Or is it, on the contrary, darkened by the gloomy cloud of selfishness, greed, thirst for power, or enslavement to pleasure?

We all know from experience how dreadful such clouds can be. Nothing grows under or around them.

We missionaries often witness how they are real monsters that, with their many tentacles, constantly suck the lifeblood from the poor and weak, sowing slavery and death around them, leaving entire populations to languish.

Look at the trail your shadow leaves behind and you will know whether the sun of Christ illuminates your life—or whether your heart has become a black hole that relentlessly swallows every ray of light.

Fr. Manuel João Pereira Correia, mccj