those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Death was not meant to be a part of the human story.
because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living (see Wisdom 1:13).
Yet death was the inevitable consequence of humanity choosing self over God. Man was meant to be mediator between God and creation. But when he tried to usurp God's role for himself the chaos he introduced was inevitable. In turning from God he lost his connection to eternal life, because God himself is that life. That is not to say humans would henceforth simply cease to exist, but rather that, apart from God, something worse, eternal death, was the only remaining possibility for immortal souls emptied of the life for which they were intended.
through fear of death
Most people in the world don't think of themselves as being particularly afraid of death. They sometimes take risks that fly in the face of it, imagining themselves to be at peace with it as an eventuality. But this is an illusion. They fail to see just how much of their behavior is motivated by a deep fear. The ego will do anything to assert itself, to distract itself, and to convince itself that it is so important that death cannot hurt it. Even paying lip service to being OK with death is usually something of this sort, the ego trying to prove itself, laughing in the dark.
Even Christians, who need not fear death, often live lives marked by that fear. This sort of fear is completely distinct from a prudent desire to make the most of the life we have been given, which may give rise to prudent fears that in turn help us to flee from danger. It is instead something existential, that can take forms of both paralysis and addiction. It shuts us down because we are unwilling to face it. Or we become addicted so that we are too busy to confront it.
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil
As Christians we believe that Jesus triumphed over death by dying. But we still hate to look at or be aware of the dying part of the Paschal mystery, rushing past to Easter, and to the resurrection. But Jesus became like us in all things, because he himself was tested through what he suffered, is able to help those of us who are being tested. We need him to enter into those areas of our own lives that are still governed by fear and to face those things together with him. When we carry our cross together with him it becomes easy and the yoke becomes light (see Matthew 11:30). With him we can move through any difficulties we face and past them to the resurrection that awaits. The power of fear can be broken, not by denying it, but by living it together with the one who is already victorious over fear, death, and the devil.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
When fear no longer has a place in our lives it is not the case that we no longer care about life in this world. Rather, we are able to embrace it more completely, realizing that it is both precious and short. We are able to make the most of it, to live it fully, unhindered by fear. We do seek healing and prolongation of life in accord with God's will, because we love the life we have been given. But we become ready, more and more, for the day when it will end. As true appreciation for this life grows greater, as our stewardship of the gifts of this world which we have been given grows, so too does our desire for heaven, and the vision of the one who is the source of these gifts.
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.
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