Everything in our solar system casts a shadow. The Earth, the moon, and the planets cast a shadow. The only thing that does not cast a shadow is the sun. The sun shines its light on one half of the planets, while the other half is in the shade of its own shadow. All living and non-living things expose only half of themselves to the light of the sun. Their other half remains in its shadow. Plants and animals are born with a shadow, live with a shadow, and must die with a shadow.
Man is born with a shadow; however, he does not have to live and die with a shadow like the rest of the living creatures. He can choose to stay confined within the shadows of earthly things or go beyond the shadows to become something like the sun. But this quest takes a little something extra than most ordinary men seem to look for or even believe is possible to achieve. Early on in childhood, Fr. Peterson wanted to fly. Little did he know that his innocent desire to fly was an extraordinary, shadowless thing called prayer. A real and very extraordinary ear heard his plea. So God's heart, the only one in nature who produces no shadow, was moved to help show him how to go beyond the shadows of worldly things, frightful things, and even deadly things.
