Laws of Man are not a Moral Compass

Greetings and blessings to everyone!

  We want you to know that each and everyone of you are in our prayers. It has been very heartwarming to receive so many emails from many of you who are worried about us and our situation with COVID here in Peru. The outpour of such kindness and prayers, we recognize as blessings and a gift from God.  Our situation here in Peru with the COVID virus is ever changing as I am sure is the case in the US. In July the government removed, for the most part, all of the military from our area and we were left with the obligation of maintaining the social distancing order and the nightly curfew which mandated that we were to be in our homes between 10 pm and 4 am each night. Although we had been asked by our Bishop and priest not to return to our formal ministries such as sacramental prep classes, youth group and bible studies we found comfort in the new normal of just being open to the Holy Spirit and knowing that soon our churches could open and formal ministries would be allowed to continue as we felt we could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

    However due to the rise in COVID cases, as of August, the 1^st our region, along with many more regions, have now been placed back on a strict quarantine and they have moved our curfew up a few hours making it now mandatory to be in our homes each night at 8 pm until September. With the nightly curfew comes a mandatory stay at home order each Sunday, making the possibility of the Church doors opening here in Peru impossible any time soon, along with halting once again travel between any other regions of the country. Not to mention there is absolutely no concrete idea of when international travel will be allowed to resume which has made it hard for the Peruvian economy as many of the poor here rely on tourism for their family’s income. The government has said that, they are hopeful by the end of 2020 or the 1^st quarter of 2021 being an option of when international flights may return.

    It is surreal to think about what toll and effect this pandemic has taken on so many people’s lives and of the effects caused by the heavy handed governments which have had to take action out of fear rather than faith. I must note that I do not stand on either side of the debate. With one side fussing loudly about the need to wear masks and the other side screaming of the unjust of government overreach by shutting down their lives and meddling in their personal movements and affairs, it seems that picking one of their sides would not solve much when dealing with this pandemic.  It is important to know that with the eyes of the world we cannot combat the virus or its effects on this world; but to see with prudent eyes would be to see it through the eyes of the Lord and perhaps that is the best way to combat this pandemic.

    Knowing are actions must be a mirror image of the Lords merciful nature, and the need to obey the greatest commandment “You shall love...God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength....You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31) it gives a narrow gate to enter but we can be confident that our actions will be aligned with those that Jesus spoke about.

  I cannot help but think of the words of Saint Benedict: “that a person love not his own will nor take pleasure in satisfying his desires, but model his actions on the saying of the Lord, ‘I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”(John 6:38)

 

  With that said I must share with you of my personal struggle during this quarantine, but 1^st I  desire to enlighten you of the familiar story of the two sisters Mary and Martha, which often replays in my head during my personal prayer time. As I recall the many times lately “I” have become a hindrance in Christ’s Mission set before me. I am very much a “Martha”, a planner, go getter, and a worrier, instead of mirroring the wisdom of Mary and her peaceful silence and contemplative nature like I know I should. After all, Jesus told Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. Mary has chosen the best part and she will not be deprived of it.”(Luke 10:41-42)

     Do not get me wrong Martha’s concerned nature and the life she lived of service is not frowned upon by Jesus; after all the Church celebrates ST. Martha and her life of service every July 29^th. However, Jesus addressed the fact that we cannot always live a life of service at all times. We must also have time for prayer and Holy Silence to set before the Lord. To desire to seek His face and the ability to possess a life of contemplation is also a very important role as a Christian and for our own sanctity. 

Although the Martha in me has definitely been challenged everyday during this time of uncertainty,  I have also been very blessed to see the new fruits that have come from living day to day, guided by the Holy Spirit and of contemplating on the face of Jesus in Holy Silence, rather than a “to-do” list.  As I have been reminded of the fact that to follow Christ also means that we should make His cares, wishes, concerns, and loves our own cares, wishes, concerns, and loves, rather than those of our own will. “For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25). But to do this “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.”--Blessed Mother Teresa and it is “In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of Scripture.”--Imitation of Christ

 In keeping this commandment, we obviously cannot live in this world, there is no mistaking that the only way to do so is to realign our hearts to that of our Lords. I know as a Christian I cannot without prudence solely live of what the Government demands of us, and live strictly on adherence to their rules, because their laws are not a moral compass, nor can I live on the liberal view point, with the mentality that I can live as if only my rights matter and are more important than my neighbors. Instead I must be focused more on the universal call to holiness and what that means personally for me and for those souls that I may help bring closer to Christ.

  In this season it seems that Jesus desires to highlight the Martha in me, as I have often forgotten to be more like Mary.  As I often heavily weigh my worth and how God sees my worthiness by the works of my hand.  The fact that I am always engulfed in the works of my hands rather than just sitting attentively to Jesus with my gaze fixed to his face has indeed been stressed during this pandemic, leaving no doubt that this season for me was meant to be a season  of change and a season of renewal. 

 With that said I have realized that within our vocation and ministry that we must welcome the opportunity to sit in Holy Silence with our Lord. It is a constant balance that we must maintain not to become too much like Martha and not enough like Mary. Since being called to live as a foreign missionary I have often worried if I am doing enough, If I was sacrificing enough for those I serve. So you can see that when the pandemic hit I felt our ministries were hindered significantly and I begged the Holy Spirit to prepare a way for us to show us how best to serve in this time while still obeying the rules of the government. Thanks be to God, through prayer and discernment the Holy Spirit made it clear to us where we could draw the line between following the rules imposed by the Peruvian government that hindered us from being able to keep the greatest commandment to love God and our neighbor.

  So, with that we have been able to make a respectable and holy decision to not actively visit the elderly in their homes. Forgoing our normal home visits that consisted of prayer and friendly conversation, instead we felt it to be more prudent to visit from a distance, so we have been walking to their homes to check on them and leaving food for them. We have also made the super hard decision to not visit the communities up in the mountains. As we felt that they are so many hours away from this crazy mess, secluded in their own world without intrusion from the outside world, we did not want to bring them harm and enter their secluded communities and bring the virus. Instead we communicate with them via telephone and have been able to check on them and pray together in that way.

  Thankfully, we have, yet again, learned new ways to serve as the Holy Spirit has led us to unusual opportunities this past month.  Thank goodness since the government has reactivated the quarantine measures, we have yet seen the military here in our town. We pray that in this round they will not return to restrict our movements any further than what they are. Because at the moment we are able to move around during the day and to buy our provisions as needed for ourselves and for those we have been helping by supplementing them with food.

  Also, without the militaries presence the children can play a lot longer together outside than the allotted 1 hour per day limit. and thank goodness the police next door has not said anything to them overstaying their play time.  And since our formal ministries have not yet been approved to resume it has provided the opportunity for all three of us to spend more time with the children here.

  I must tell you how Gabriel came up with a new way to serve his friends. He designed a water jug holder, complete with cup holders and had a local young man weld it into existence. It was really awakening to us the 1^st day that Gabriel wheeled out the new water jug holder for the afternoon fun and games in the plaza. It is something so simple that we often forget the riches we have while being able to afford to buy clean drinking water. A 5-gallon jug here is roughly 2 US dollars. Clean water here is a luxury and the children feel so honored to be invited for a drink of clean water and to have their own cup to drink from.  Since water is such a sacred symbol in the bible, and I cannot help but pray that Gabriel’s water ministry will be able to bring others closer to Christ in the way he intended.

  Julianna has been taken this time to fix broken statues, a bit of a different kind of ministry you can say. It all started with her fixing a broken crucifix that had been thrown to the side of the church and ever since she has been asked to repair others from people here in our town.

  We also have used some of the of extra time that we have on our hands to bake cookies and homemade chicken pot pies to deliver to our older neighbors in the community.

    Each Thursday night we still have Holy adoration and on Sunday we have a celebration of the word, despite the church doors having to remain closed.  We remain obedient to this time and as a family fervently pray that others may hear us as we proclaim the word of our Lord and rejoice in song.

     I can not help but cringe when the church bells rings, as we know it is not to announce Mass is about to start. Instead the only reason they ring is to announce that another person has died. It has become way to common of a sound. Just this week we had another death, not directly because the person had the illness but because of depression due to losing his job because of the governments shut down to stop the spread of the virus. Mr. Luis leaves behind his wife and 7 year old son. This is a ministry that is very hard for my children and I, we ask that you please keep us in your prayers and all those who have passed since March.

I know it is very possible that as my family has, that the recent times have been riddled with many uncertainties for you and your family as well. We pray that you may be blessed to seek and to encounter the face of Christ, and that within your search you will encounter the most holiest of places where you may sit in the midst of His silence,  far away from the noise. You may find to carve out the time in your day, may be difficult at 1^st but rest assure, that once you open your heart and silence the noise, your appetite for such prayer will increase over time; because during these intimate times in prayer your heart will be inflamed with such love and holy wisdom that you will be drawn more and more to these intimate and holy encounters with Christ. There you will find your moral compass! 

We love each one of you!

Karen, Julianna and Gabriel Del Castillo

We would be honored to receive your prayer request. At anytime you may send them to us through our email address listed below.

We would be extremely blessed if you would pray for us to remain obedient and humble to the will of our Lord.  

We thank you for your prayers and your support. 


Without the sacrifices made by each of you this work would be impossible. 

Prayer request
 Email:  karendelcastillo@familymissionscompany.com

Donations Web Site: delcastillo.familymissionscompany.com

"We want God" They Cried!

1st Sunday of Advent 

Christmas is only a short 22 days away!

This Sunday's Homily given by St. Mary Magdalen's Father Michael Richard left a profound impression on my heart.

Father Richard spoke of when Saint Pope John Paul II addressed a crowd in Warsaw Poland’s Victory Square,  that grew to  a crowd of over a million people, in June 1979

Saint John Paul II,  referred to the people of Poland, he suggested, that they had been chosen for a great role, to understand, humbly but surely, that they were the repository of a special "witness of His cross and His resurrection." He asked then if the people of Poland accepted the obligations of such a role in history.

When they heard those words.Someone shouted, “We want God,” Soon the chant was taken up by the million voices: For over 14 Minutes the crowd chanted.  

“We want God. We want God. We want God.”

We want God. But how is that desire satisfied? How do we have God?

I tend to forget to recognize God within my own life.  It's so easy to become an unclean person and become more like a polluted rag. To allow my self to become a withered leaf and to allow the wind to blow me away from Gods loving grace.  But how wonderful is our Father,  He stands firm in his love for us. When we fall to our knees and beg to see His face he will never forsake us. 

This 1st Sunday of Advent readings sings out loudly the cries of my heart. 

“Lord, Make us turn to you; let us see your face and we will be saved.” (Psalm 80)

I cry out often; “ O Lord you are our Father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands.”  (Isaiah 64:8) 

Please continue to mold me into your likeness.

The people of Poland suffered greatly for a great number of years, yet Pope John Paul II referred to them as Gods chosen people, calling for them to bear witness of “His Cross and His Resurrection”.  We all have our own cross and suffering that we must pick up and carry so that we can follow Christ. We must always remember we are not alone. We should remember that Christ Himself is with us and when we call upon our Lord that He will make Himself known to us. And yes it is very possible that if we beg to see His face He will allow us to look into His loving eyes and to rest our heads on His chest.

St. Augustine said it well, more than 1,500 years ago: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

We want God

This Advent season(the next 22 days) lets us not forget that

We were all created By God

To Know Him To Love Him To Serve Him 

& to Make him Known.

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/project/karen-del-castillo/

I do not know God's plans for my family, but I do know its going to be GOOD! 

The Del Castillo Family will serve in Peru for our 

1st year's mission assignment!

It has taken me a long time to surrender to God's will, but once I let go of my human desires I have been able to see Our Lord’s amazing plan for my family and I. For the past two years He has guided us along a path so amazing that I would have never imagined it for myself. 

This last week here in General Cepeda Mexico, has been so incredible. We've been living here among the poor and having a chance to encounter Christ in each of them. I have been given a great confidence, God is running through my very veins. Feeling His presence among us each day gives my family and I the strength to do the impossible. Up to now, I often challenged our Lord. I ask why He chose my family to a life of foreign missions. He has gently called us deeper each and every day to be obedient by becoming his faithful servants. I know now that all the sufferings of my life were meant for the Glory of his Kingdom and I realize there is no need to question the plans of our Lord.

We are so excited to announce we will be going to Peru as our 1st mission assignment. You see, with the little bit I have learned about the country of Peru, it seems as though God knew exactly why He created me and my family. The suffering we have endured cannot be looked at as a short coming or in a negative way. It is human nature to look at our own sufferings and struggles as something that is bad but Pope Benedict says, "The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness."

I have found out that the small town of Shimbillo, Peru we are assigned to has a very high rate of single mothers struggling to raise their children. I have spoken with a few missionaries that have served around the small town of Shimbillo and have found that the area is greatly plagued with a high rate of sexual abuse against children and young women. Prostitution has been a source of income for women in the area in the past. I have come to understand the importance of answering God's call with a YES! Answering His call for us to leave everything behind and solely rely on our intimate relationships with our Lord Jesus Christ to direct us, to provide for us, and to humble us. As my family and I continue to pass away from ourselves, we are reborn as vessels of His love for those He is sending us to. 

I can relate so closely to these women. These women that feel unworthly, unloved, and unwanted. It is very hard to comprehend that He chose my family and I to lead others to know His undying love for them but in this place it makes sense.

In the book, A Call to Mercy, Mother Teresa spoke of “the physical situation of my poor left in the streets unwanted, unloved, unclaimed. This feeling of being rejected, abandoned, let down, or  not belonging anywhere, or not having a reference point or a safe haven while passing through life’s struggles was a real suffering that she wanted to remedy along with providing physical shelter.”  It's hard to believe that God has chosen us to help the women of Shimbillo find where they belong, which is in the arms of our savior. 

There is so many unknown practical questions that run through my family's minds about Peru like...  Where will we find a house? What's the food like? What's the weather like? What is the priest like?  Who will we be serving? Who will hear the call and become our financial mission partners? How long is the flight?  Even though the list seems never-ending and  we cannot answer any thing on this list of questions, we can confidently say IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD! Simply because its God's will!

There are so many unknown practical questions that run through my family's minds about Peru like...  Where will we find a house? What's the food like? What's the weather like? What is the priest like?  Who will we be serving? Who will hear the call and become our financial mission partners? How long is the flight?  Even though the list seems never-ending and we cannot answer any of these questions, we can confidently say IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD! Simply because its God's will!

Saint John Paul II wrote in his Encyclical Letter Mission of the Redeemer

“Living the Mystery of Christ, "the One who was sent"

88. An essential characteristic of missionary spirituality is intimate communion with Christ. We cannot understand or carry out the mission unless we refer it to Christ as the one who was sent to evangelize. St. Paul describes Christ's attitude: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:5-8).

The mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption is thus described as a total self-emptying which leads Christ to experience fully the human condition and to accept totally the Father's plan. This is an emptying of self which is permeated by love and expresses love. The mission follows this same path and leads to the foot of the cross.

The missionary is required to "renounce himself and everything that up to this point he considered as his own, and to make himself everything to everyone."¹⁷² This he does by a poverty which sets him free for the Gospel, overcoming attachment to the people and things about him, so that he may become a brother to those to whom he is sent and thus bring them Christ the Savior. This is the goal of missionary spirituality: "To the weak I became weak...; I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel..." (1 Cor 9:22-23).

It is precisely because he is "sent" that the missionary experiences the consoling presence of Christ, who is with him at every moment of life - "Do not be afraid...for I am with you" (Acts 18:9-10) - and who awaits him in the heart of every person.

https://www.familymissionscompany.com/project/karen-del-castillo/

The Del Castillo Family's Mission