Pillars of Fire In My Soul

10. Several things should be noted about the Reverend Professor Rozycki’s statement here: — By “second Baptism” Prof. Rozycki does not mean a repetition of the sacrament, or some kind of additional baptism (as though an eighth sacrament), but a renewal of grace in the soul akin to that enjoyed as the result of the reception of the sacrament of Baptism. That this is Rev. Rozycki’s meaning, is clear from the theological analysis of the contents of Sr. Faustina’s spiritual Diary that he was requested to make, as a required step in canonization processes, to ascertain the integri- ty of the Catholic faith and Christian morals in the writings of a candidate for the honors of the altar. —According to Jesus’ promise, a person obtains the extraor- dinary grace of the complete remission of sins and of the pun- ishment due to them by the worthy reception of Holy Communion on Mercy Sunday. It is not an extra-sacramental grace; it is intimately bound to the reception of the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ—the Eucharist. This is clearly implied in the professor’s theological analysis mentioned above, as also in his text presented here, where the statement is made explicitly several times. Thus, when Rev. Rozycki declares in this shorter treatise on the Essential Features of the Devotion to The Divine Mercy : “The exceptional grace of Divine Mercy Sunday is also greater than the graces of the other sacraments, with the exception of the Sacrament of Baptism,” he does not mean to imply that the exceptional grace comes to us other than through the reception of Holy Communion on that day — rather, he is simply saying that ordinarily only the sacrament of Baptism effects in the soul the “complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” Reception of the Eucharist in the state of grace ordinarily remits only venial sin, while strengthening the soul against both venial and mortal sin ( Catechism , 1394-1395). But on Mercy Sunday, according to Rev. Rozycki, based on Our Lord’s words to St. Essential Features of the Devotion to The Divine Mercy 127