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Speaks on Penance
Father Gino Burresi is 55 years old and lives near Rome at San Vittorino
where Our Lady of Fatima appeared to him. She asked him to build a
shrine there in Her honor. He bears in his body, the five wounds of
Christ, like Padre Pio did before him. Many miracles have taken place at
San Vittorino through Our Lady of Fatima's intercession.
We have taken these spiritual counsels on Penance from various parts of Father
Gino's writings. Since he is such a well-known Apostle of Our Lady of Fatima we
thought our readers would like to hear him speak. Here we see that doing
ordinary Penance is an important part of our Christian duty. Father Gino makes
it easy to understand and shows that it is not so difficult to do.
Which Penance?
If we are not able to do extraordinary penances, let's at least try to do the
ordinary ones-- the mortification of the eyes and the mortification of not
following today's styles. "If your eye is pure," Jesus says, "all your body is in the
light; but if it is not pure, your whole body is in darkness."
Like a street sweeper, our eyes take, gather and accumulate all that they see
within ourselves. From these images, wicked thoughts and desires arise and we
fall into the filth of sin.
I shall control my eyes. Light is lovely and the eyes invaluable, but they can
inflict great harm to the soul if uncontrolled.
Another penance is to refuse to follow modern fashions. Already in 1917 Our
Lady warned us, "Certain fashions will be introduced which will deeply offend My
Son."
Dear young women, today you speak much of community life. But, if first of all
we do not live a community life with God, it is difficult to live one with our
neighbor. Our sister, Maria Goretti and other Saints, to not show that which
should not be seen have allowed their bodies to be massacred by the blade of a
knife.
Our Blessed Lord says to us, "Woe unto you if you give scandal. It would be
much better for you if a large millstone were tied around your neck and you
were drowned in the bottom of the sea." (Lk. 17: 1-2).
May the Holy Virgin help us to understand and love the virtue of penance. This
virtue is a cornerstone needed to be Catholics and be known as such. Our Lady
calls us to a certain penance. Which one? Do you know which one?
Above all, do well every day our Christian duty wherever we happen to be.
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