November 20

After Peter had, in the name of Jesus, cured the man lame from birth, his fame spread like wildfire. The Acts of the Apostles relate that people now brought the sick even to the streets and other public places where he might pass so that at least his shadow might fall upon them (Acts 5:15). If we seek Peter’s shadow, we must first know that Peter says to us now as then “I have no silver or gold …” (Acts 3:6). One who would travel this way must also realize that material goods are neither the highest nor, certainly, the only ones. He will search for the deeper dimensions of life and of reality per se, for “healing” in the true meaning of the word—a “healing” that is more than health of body. The healing of the lame man was not the ultimate goal of Peter’s action; it was and is a symbol of what healing really is. The Greek and Latin texts express the symbolic meaning of this healing, its hidden inner meaning, better than the vernacular text does—“Bases eius consolidate sunt”; that is, his “foundation” became firm. The man, then, was unable to stand because his feet and ankles lacked the necessary firmness. His “foundation” was not adequate. How many there are who, despite their apparently upright carriage, are in reality without this solid foundation, without the ability and stability to stand! In many individuals the spiritual structure has never matured; as a result, they have never acquired the ability to stand freely and firmly on their own. Their lack of such an interior foundation makes them susceptible to all the changing philosophies of this world and to all their false promises: the result is disappointment, hostility toward everyone and everything, loss of hope in God and in the world. How many apparently healthy persons are seriously ill in this deeper sense. But the reverse is also true. How many have discovered in their infirmity the real foundation of their existence; how many, precisely by reason of their infirmity, are genuinely upright individuals and have learned through suffering what it really means to stand and walk. For our story tells us also that the lame man learned to walk correctly. He walked and leaped and praised God.

From: Roman homilies, February 17, 1984

 Ratzinger, J., Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year (ed. I. Grassl) (San Francisco 1992) 366-367.