Parish

by Fr. Jess Ty  |  04/26/2020  |  Weekly Reflection

Dear Family of God,

Do you know what the meaning of the word parish is and where it came from?

It comes from the Greek word paroikias which means “exile” or “sojourn”. And it comes from two Greek words: par and oikoos; the word oikos just means “house.” And par means “next to” or “with.” Someone who is paroikos is literally someone dwelling beside the house—not inside the house, but beside the house, which would be the kind of thing that someone who was a sojourner or a traveler would do.

Peter says to his audience, in our Second Reading this weekend: “...conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile” (1Pet. 1:17). What exactly does that mean? This material world is not our true home; we are all on a journey towards heaven, our true and eternal home. As in every journey we need food and drink. Our true food for this journey is the Lamb of God, the risen and glorified Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.

May we all conduct ourselves with reverential fear and with great confidence in God who ransomed us from this exile, offering us heaven as our true promised land.

In Christ through Mary Immaculate,

Fr. Jess Ty