LAETITIA IN CARITAS ET GRATIA
castleofsaints.com
Welcome to Castle of Saints!
This website is dedicated to the
online ministry of Fr. Sunny Castillo,
a diocesan priest ordained for the
Diocese of Joliet-in-Illinois. Please feel
free to navigate the site and find
helpful tools and resources in your
spiritual journey, and opportunities
to discover the grace of God at work
in your life.
This website is a resource on Catholic spirituality and the ongoing dialogue within the church. Thank you.
castleofsaints by Fr. Sunny Castillo ® 956 S. 10th Avenue, Kankakee, IL 60901
castleofsaints.com
THANK YOU
"I would like to thank those who encouraged me to unify all my online activities in one website. I never mean this to be anything but an avenue for ministry, to make myself available to others. These are not mine to begin with, and so I feel the need to share them to others - these thoughts, ideas, creative things, for whatever they're worth, may you find them somewhat helpful. God bless you."
- Fr. Sunny Castillo -
RESOURCES FOR SPIRITUAL REFLECTION
Catholic reflections by Fr. Sunny's teacher, Bishop Robert Barron
Catholic World, themes, teachings and reflections offered in various multimedia formats.
A weekly reflection on the Sunday readings.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers daily video reflections on the readings of the day given by different priests and monks.
Online resource for Liturgy of the Hours and reflections
Various themes in Catholicism, from catechism to spirituality to current events.
PRAYER FOR MERCY
Heavenly Father, you look at us your children in their time of great distress, with mercy and compassion, desiring that we may find You as the light in the midst of our darkness.
Be merciful, O Lord, as you are Mercy itself, to your people lost in sin and isolation. Look upon me, in my weakness and ignorance, and see deep within my heart that I desire You and only You, my one true happiness and peace.
Increase the longing in my soul for a profound sense of the Good and the Beautiful, and manifest to me your untiring love, that I may be moved to the core of my being to respond to You with fervor and devotion.
Be merciful, O Lord, for I am unworthy of Your love. Help me to never let go, as You never let go of me in your divine grace. Amen.
GOD IS GOOD
For out of His love for us, He creates
the universe by the sheer power of
Word. He desires this loving
relationship with his creation, but especially with every human life, endowed with the ability to love Him back. It is because of this that your
life and mine and all sacred, that all human life is precious in His eyes.
By the same loving initiative, God
visits our human condition and dies
for us on the cross - the stupendous mystery of God's desire to heal us
and keep us in his Divine Sustenance,
in Jesus Christ.
What marvelous love indeed! The questions is: how do we respond to
such divine love?
(Fr. Sunny Castillo)
PILGRIMAGES IN 2018
Fr. Sunny is looking forward to another year of pilgrimages. This year, he will go back to his two favorite pilgrimage destinations:
Marian Pilgrimage
to Portugal, Spain and France
September 25 - October 5, 2018
Holy Land Pilgrimage
November 5 - 14, 2018
FR. SUNNY'S TEN THINGS TO DO TO ENRICH ONE'S FAITH
1. Participate at mass regularly. There's no better place to draw life then from the Eucharist, where the entire Church comes together to celebrate Word and Sacrament, and to be sent out again to live out the faith we profess.
2. Have a prayer life. Whatever it is that you are comfortable praying, hone it, keep it consistent and grow more with it. Explore the many prayer forms in the Catholic Church; it is one of the rich parts of our tradition as the original Christians.
3. Read the Scriptures. We put it together, we compiled it, and we introduced it to the world through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Benefit from it, because it is the Word of God!
4. Know the lives of the saints. Part of our Catholicism is our communion with the saints and angels in heaven. They are our friends and allies to Jesus. When we know their stories, we develop a special bond with them, and they inspire ur and pray for us to grow in our love of God. We have many supporters in our journey to God, let's not ignore them.
5. Participate in ministry. In your local church communities, there are many ministries of various kinds. Involve yourself, and find a positive environment where you can collaborate with fellow Christians. They actually do exist and it can be a joyful, enriching experience to build healthy friendships with people who share your faith.
6. Read Catholic literature. Don't waste your time with superficial readings; you only have so much time in your life. So read some really amazing Catholic readings, including the classics like "Story of a Soul" and "The Interior Castle." Don't forget the papal encyclicals!
7. Learn the joy of silence. In a world where there is too much noise and stresses around us, silence centering prayers, and moments of simply pausing to breathe and acknowledge that God is present in you, can do so much for your spiritual wellbeing.
8. Have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is after all given to us by Jesus to be our mother. There are many devotions to Mary, and there are many ways to deepen our devotion to her. Her example is an inspiration, and her intercession is very powerful.
9. Develop a penitential disposition. Be aware of the sinful patterns of your life, seek forgiveness through the sacrament, and really work on them by using tolls and strategies available through the Church. There is nothing more peaceful and joyful than a clear conscience.
10. Practice random acts of kindness. They don't have to be big things. They can be as simple as smiling at someone, or talking kindly and gently, or greeting someone sincerely. These little pearls of the day can multiply and grow, one little deed at a time.
