A shadow is a dark area on a bright surface. It is caused by something blocking the source of the light. The outline of a shadow is called a silhouette and will have the same shape as the object blocking the light. As we know the sun casts shadows which change dramatically through the day. The length of a shadow cast on the ground depends on the sun’s position in the sky. So near sunrise and sunset we have long shadows and when the sun is directly overhead, especially at this time of year, shadows can appear very small.


At the heart of our Gospel stories is a mixture of light and shadow. As we know, Jesus was such a light of hope for so many people. But equally he did not hide from the shadows and darkness. He met people with all sorts of shadows and helped them to walk forward with their lives so that their shadow was now behind them. The call of the Gospels is to embrace the light and this also means embracing our shadows too. There is no such thing as a perfect world, or having a perfect life. Each day we simply do our best, as best we can. We embrace light and darkness, light and shadows as they come. The words of Jesus give us great hope: “Do not be afraid – I am with you always.”