FATHER GINO SPEAKS ON THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA We continue below, the article which begins in Issue Number 9-10, which gives some practical ideas on how to live the message of Fatima today, as explained by Father Gino Buressi, O.M.V., an Oblate of The Virgin Mary, who has built a shrine in honor of Our Lady of Fatima in San Vittorino, Italy. Father Gino's knowledge and understanding of the message of Our Lady of Fatima, and his gift for teaching, have enabled many young people to understand the message that Our Lady of Fatima has for them as individuals, and to answer Our Blessed Mother's call in their own lives. Since 1971, over 200 young men, a majority from the U.S.A., have come to San Vittorino with the intention of becoming Oblate Priests and Religious. Thirty have since been ordained priests and deacons. Eight are professed Brothers. One hundred and thirty others are in various stages of philosophy and theology. About seventy women have joined the Oblate Sisters of the Virgin Mary of Fatima - a group founded by Father Gino in 1979. We give, in this article, in some detail, words of Father Gino himself, on living the message of Fatima, as he has explained in various writings, conferences, talks and interviews. We are publishing this article with the hope that through it, more people will come to have a better understanding of how to put into practice in their own lives what Our Blessed Mother asks of us at Fatima.
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE When asked what place the Sacrament of Penance should have in the lives of Catholics, Brother Gino replied: "I think it should have the first place, because every day we need to convert ourselves and to purify ourselves and to fortify ourselves. Hence, the first place. Because if I do not remove the obstacle, there is never union with Jesus Christ ..." Brother Gino also said that a person who receives Holy Communion while in the state of mortal sin, commits a grave sin, a sacrilege. Saint Paul tells us: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the chalice of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice; for he who eats and drinks unworthily, without distinguishing the body, eats and drinks judgment to himself. This is why many among you are infirm and weak, and many sleep. But if we judged ourselves, we should not thus be judged; (1 Cor. 2:27-31). One must first purify his soul from mortal sin by a good sacramental confession.
HOW TO KNOW YOUR VOCATION In speaking about vocations to a young men's pilgrimage to Fatima, Brother Gino said: "Even before we were born, God had a plan for each of us. Even before we were born, God in His designs had already assigned some particular work for us. We must discover what that plan of God is. How can I realize it in my life? Even if God is calling us to serve Him totally for Himself, we must not be afraid, because He will take care of us.