There is no courage without fear.
Courage does not mean that we aren’t afraid. In fact, our actions are not courageous unless we are afraid. The courageous hero always does the right thing, even though he’s afraid to do so.
As a brief sidenote for superhero fans, this raises the question of whether Superman is in fact courageous. Afterall, with his superpowers, does he have anything to fear?
But, in a similar way, we might think that living a holy, virtuous life means not being tempted. We might think that some day on this earth, we will outgrow temptation. That’s also not true. Spiritual growth only happens in the face of resistance or temptation. And, the Saints are a testament to this truth.
We must recognize that not only are we being tempted every day, but we will continue to be tempted until our final breaths. The question is, what will we do in the face of temptation? Will we courageously strike with a virtuous act, or give in to the vices that poke and prod us?