As Christians, we sometimes come into
conflict with a fellow brother or sister. Sometimes the conflict could
be a small matter. Other times, it could be a serious matter. But
whatever the matter may be, we should settle issues among ourselves, within our
community. However, some of us are still stubborn and
insisting that we bring such matters, no matter how trivial it may be,
to court, such as the local magistrate, or even high court.
This is why
St. Paul in today's reading admonishes us: "How dare one of your members
take up a complaint against another in the law courts of the unjust
instead of before the saints? As you know, it is the saints who are to
‘judge the world’; and if the world is to be judged by you, how can you
be unfit to judge trifling cases? Since we are also to judge angels, it
follows that we can judge matters of everyday life; but when you have
had cases of that kind, the people you appointed to try them were not
even respected in the Church. You should be ashamed: is there really not
one reliable man among you to settle differences between brothers and
so one brother brings a court case against another in front of
unbelievers?"
The church has got a tribunal which has
priests and lay people as judges and lawyers. Some people think
that the tribunal is only for marriage cases, but it is much more than
that. Cases between Catholics concerning an issue could also be heard.
Why do we stubbornly and vehemently insist in getting unbelievers to
judge our cases, as St. Paul questions us, when we have a tribunal which
could do the same in a Christian way?
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