Is it better to be loved or feared? Asked Machievelli in “The Prince”, he said both but when not possible fear is more reliable discipline for people. As death and suffering are fruits of our original sin, so is fear. It is a reaction. Nothing seems more logical or foolish than fear. Nothing is more human than to fear because as human we can know of the pains of suffering, the loss and separation of death. Also, nothing more human than to be brave. .
We are called to “fear no one”, Fear has two actions: there is the adversion from an evil and then a fleeing to a good.
Its not the presence of evils that makes one brave, rather it is our orientation to the good. However, people are more controlled by the adversion of evil or danger that it many times excludes the good they are to seek. It is better to be drawn after and seek a good rather than to shun and flee an evil. Some goods sought after more than some evils shunned. We are called to practice the virtue of fortitude. Since people are unwilling to fight, they continue to have unending disquiet in their hearts.
Peace comes by war, all of us must fight for or suffer something. The Strong must protect the highest good. Only the vulnerable can be brave. Only the vulnerable can be hurt and thus know the choice they must make. People see their littleness and do nothing to try and change or work on it Insecurity of doing or accepting what must be done
“Cowards die many times before their death; the valiant taste death but once”
Noone can evade death of body and the most someone can do is kill the body.
Death and suffering, and adversaries are not to be feared, because they can become an agent of our sanctity, our fortitude because they give us a reason to choose the good.
In the end, we can rely on the fact that all calamities, sufferings and heroism will one day be seen for the value gained. All that we have endured, for good or for bad, will be repaid and revealed
Worse is the death of hell.
Fear is the greatest obstacle of the apostolate: fear of failure, fear of contempt of others, fear of opposition, fear of being hated.
We are afraid of all the wrong things and we are not afraid of all the right thimgs. He who does not treasure something is not afraid of losing it. Are we afraid of losing our immortal soul in hell? Two pigeons are sold for one small coin: one sin can take both body and soul
Hell is a place of eternal death and pain, body and soul together will suffer.
Story of Jose Sanchez del Rio.