That the breath of the Holy Spirit engenders
a new missionary “spring” in the church.
 
This is the Pope’s intention for October.  In his letter on evangelization, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis says that a missionary is a person who “knows the joy of being a spring which spills over and refreshes others.”  Being a missionary should not be a somber or heavy burden.  If the joy of the Gospel truly fills our hearts, we should be unable to contain it.  Like the disciples who received the Spirit at Pentecost, we will burst out into the world, eager to share our joy.  This goes for our church as well as individuals: “An evangelizing community is filled with joy; it knows how to rejoice always.”
 
I love our faith community.  I find joy in our midst.  More and more we are responding to the call of the Gospel to always rejoice in God’s love.  Next Sunday we have a great opportunity to share our joy as we celebrate Mass on the Tybee Pier.  Who will you invite to experience our joyful community?  A neighbor, coworker, a relative, a friend?  After Mass we will head to the Grandview Room of the Hotel Tybee for a continental breakfast.  Tickets are on sale after Mass this weekend and in the parish office on Monday and Tuesday.  Invest $5. in an extra ticket for a person you intend to invite.  Evangelization doesn’t have to be rocket science.  This is an easy way to help others experience the joy of our faith community.  
 
And I find Tybee Island to be a joyful place to live, even when it is crawling with a bunch of pirates.  But I have some sadness about the upcoming elections for mayor and city council.  As I alluded to in my homily last Sunday, the separation of church and state has been falsely understood to mean that we shouldn’t mix faith and politics.  Many people happily live their lives with an indifference to a belief in God and as our country becomes more and more secular, a good many Christians are becoming more hesitant about bringing their faith values into the “public square”.   Such hesitancy is not good for either the Community or the Church.
 
Call me old fashion or a traditionalist, but I’d prefer for our mayoral candidates to practice their faith in the community which they intend to serve, rather than off island.  I think the candidates with a strong faith practice will make the best public servants.  Which is why I am saddened that all the candidates running for city council who were baptized Catholic, don’t seem to have a strong faith practice.  I think they are all good people and could serve Tybee well, but for me their service would be more meaningful if it were rooted in a strong relationship with a faith community. 
 
Calling people out on their faith practice, is probably not the best way to make them feel at home in our faith community.  My apologies but I’m willing to challenge folks a little in order to gain missionary disciples to help build up God’s Kingdom here and now.  I’d love for their good energy to be a spring bubbling up not only for the benefit of our civic community but also in the midst of our faith community.  Hopefully they’ll forgive me and not make me walk the plank when they are elected into office.  Argh!  And double Argh!!!
 
Be Aware that next Saturday we’ll have our normal 6pm Vigil Mass in Church
But on Sunday, October 20^th there will only be one Mass
at 10am at the Pavilion on Tybee Pier
 
Saturday, October 26^th – Fall Clean-up Day
9 – Noon: Grounds, Closets and Boxes of Joy
 
Sunday, October 27^th new Sunday School for Disciples begins
Rediscovering the Saints – All are Welcome
 
Friday, November 1^st -- All Saints Day Mass at 8am and 6pm
 
Saturday, November 2^nd – All Souls Day Mass at 8:30am
Followed by a Morning Retreat on the Mystery of Death
 
 Fr. Jerry Ragan