TO HUNGARY’S BISHOPS

TO HUNGARY’S BISHOPS

“The closest union with Christ on earth,

is realised through the Eucharist.

Through the Holy Communion,

our whole humanity connects with

the crucified and resurrected Christ.”

Cardinal Péter Erdő[1]

Your Most Reverend Eminence Cardinal,

Your Most Reverend Excellence President,

Your Most Reverend Excellence Archbishops and Bishops!

The summit and source of our Holy Mass and life of the Catholic Church, out of which in fact they derive their strength; the fruit of the most Blessed Eucharist is the eternal life giving Holy Communion, The Catholic Church’s biggest treasure, the bread of heaven. The Holy Communion is the most holy gift which unifies our earthly lives for all humanity with Christ. Yet there is a sore point straining within the Catholic faith and it’s piety, also the reducing effect on the gestures of worship due to the differences between the new versions of liturgy and concessions. Amid this confusion the practice of giving Holy Communion in the traditional Latin has also been liquidated everywhere, and replaced by a characteristically protestant actions – elements of worship either partially or completely disappearing – made into a general format.

With faith and trust, by repeating my request submitted on the 15th August 2009, with respect I would once more petition my pastoral superiors for the withdrawal and early revision of the concession for giving the Holy Eucharist to the hand, at the same time I beg of you to: bring back to the Church of Christ the traditional practice of receiving the Holy Communion to the tongue while kneeling.

It is my conviction, that the confession of Sacred Jesus, the obligatory veneration and protection of the Holy Communion in obedience to the Holy Scriptures and the practice in accordance with, requires urgent correction and renewance. The reinstatement of the traditional Holy Communion with the core meaning of the Eucharist would bring a profusion of divine grace to the to the Church, a devotion to God, the starting point for the deepest, most faith-conscious testimony, and substantive manifestation. With grace, all this can be achieved during the forthcoming 52nd International Eucharistic Congress to be held between 13th–20th September 2020 in Budapest.

My petition for the withdrawal and early revision of the concession for receiving the Holy Eucharist to the hand, based on the following verifiable findings:

• There is not one sign of worship to be found in the modern practice of giving the Holy Communion to the hand, it does not realise the homage due to the Eucharist. The believer arriving in the procession, in preparation for the manipulation of the Sacrament, is not required to prepare with the washing of hands, is not required to kneel, and finally does not need to be purified. They just simply receive in their palm the holiest of holies, and with the other hand lift the particle to their mouth, as if giving communion to oneself. Due to the treatment of the Sacrament the gestures are imitating the actions of the priest, while resembling a communal reception of food.
• With the modern practice of giving the Holy Communion to the hand, the full protection of the Holy Eucharist, which is a holy obligation, becomes impossible. During the giving of the communion to the hand the communicant – unwashed – has his palms and fingers in contact with the crumbs of the Holy Body, furthermore the communicant receiving the tiny pieces of the Holy Body has not been purified and is touching the Holy Sacrament with his hands, and the adhering particles are strewn about everywhere. By giving the Holy Communion to the hand, stealing of the Eucharist is made easy.
• The modern practice of giving the Holy Communion to the hand directly weakens the holiness of the Eucharist (particularly in the case of the real presence) and the holiness of the Church order (particularly in the case of the unique relationship between the ordained priest and the Eucharist) in the Catholic faith. Frivolity does not meet the Gospels, does not identify with the practices of the early church, it is not possible to divert from Catholic tradition, it is not as presented by the II Vatican Council, but in reality is related to the Calvinist Communion.
• The modern practice of giving the Holy Communion to the hand, which neglects the obligatory worship and protection of the Sacrament, also defers the physical reality of the Holy Communion. It is in opposition to Catholic ideals and aspirations, that the meeting with the Sacrament should always be with a completeness of our humanity (our body and our soul).

I plead for a return of the Holy Communion received to the tongue while kneeling, on the basis of the following verifiable reasons:

• The traditional method of receiving communion to the tongue while kneeling is in accordance with the worship and religious life of the apostles in the spirit of the children of God, as expressed in the bible, the complete method of worship, which perfectly illustrates and realises the obligatory veneration due to the Holy Eucharist.
• The traditional method of receiving communion to the tongue while kneeling perfectly realises the obligatory protection due to the Holy Eucharist: the crumbs of the Holy Body should not reach the communicants’ hands, and danger of stealing is significantly reduced.
•  Receiving communion to the tongue while kneeling is in complete compliance with the Catholic faith and in particular of our Lord Jesus Christ and his presence in the Eucharist, godliness and piety, an integral part of Catholic tradition, it causes the believer to be more aware and composed, thus facilitating the fruition of the Holy Communion.
• Our whole human state takes part in the meeting with the Sacrament suffused through worship. The gesture of kneeling synchronises the body and soul, so that the whole person is involved in the action of worship. The natural unity of body and spirit is reciprocated, aided by prostration of  the body and composed worship. To receive communion while kneeling at the communion rail is a much more peaceful experience for the communicant.

In support of my petition, first of all I would cite Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s book entitled Dominus est – It is the Lord!,[2] also praised by Pope Benedict XVI,[3] and I also quote from the sermon delivered by the Bishop of Kazakhstan in Sümeg on 5th March 2016.[4] If necessary I am prepared to present my argument in detail, with scholarly thoroughness.

During the forthcoming 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, to be held in Budapest in 2020, is a time of grace for the renewal and confession of the accepted belief of the realisation of the presence of Lord Jesus in the Holy Sacrament. The act of worship means much more than thousands of finely honed sermons and spectacular programmes; which should be practised, especially at the meeting with the sacrament of the Eucharistic Christ, becoming close to Him through worship, renouncing all laxity. Now the Hungarian Catholic Church has a responsible mission, to show a good example to the whole world.

It is my conviction, that Hungary’s renouncement of the concession to receive communion to the hand, also the revival of celebrating communion by receiving the sacrament to the tongue while kneeling would cascade an abundance of God’s holy grace (Mark 4, 35–40), onto our Catholic Church now drifting into deep crisis.  It would be worthy of the Hungarians propitiatory mission, would instigate many acts of repentance and conversion, and strengthen the faith in Christ and the Church.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider said the following to me: “It is such a nice country! I see such beautiful villages and churches everywhere! This trip shows to me that this is a Catholic country. And I hope that the Hungarians will be faithful to Regnum Marianum so that your country can really be ruled by Our Lady. And the reign of Christ is always realised through Mary. So when you are a Regnum Marianum, your should be a Regnum Eucharisticum, too. I wish the love, reverence and defence of our Eucharistic Lord also grew in Hungary.“ [5]

[The name comes from the tradition that the first Hungarian king, Saint Stephen, dying without a heir, offered the Holy Hungarian Crown and the country to the Virgin Mary. Since then the Virgin Mary has been the true Queen of the Hungarian Catholic Kingdom. The name Regnum Marianum was often used for emphasizing a strong connection between Hungary and the Catholic Church.]

With the greatest respect and humble trust I beg of the latin Bishops on behalf of Mary’s Country to abolish the receiving of the sacrament to the hand, to revoke the indultum requested by a section of the Hungarian Catholic Church, also to reinstate the complete action of worship, by receiving communion to the tongue while kneeling in order to refresh the faith, according to Saint King Stephen’s blessed heritage, and then Regnum Marianum could truly become Regnum Eucharisticum.

Please, forgive me, that once again I took the liberty of turning by letter to my pastoral superiors of the Hungarian Catholic Church. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Hungary’s Queen, also the Holy Angels and all of the Saints in heaven be with you at all times, and when considering my petition!

Budapest, 2019, Solemnity of Corpus Christi

In the Eucharistic Christ

Fülep Dániel

R.C. theologian

---

[1] Sermon of Cardinal Péter Erdő at the 10th National Meeting of the Beloved Flame. Spoken on June 6th 2009, at the Jesus’ Heart parsonage in Kispest. Source: Magyar Kurír.

[2] Athanasius Schneider: Dominus est. Szent István Társulat Apostoli Szentszék Press, Budapest 2011, 2014.

[3] Athanasius Schneider – Fülep Dániel: Catholic Church, where are you going? Private press, Budapest 2018, 18–24 p. Hungarian Electronic Libary http://mek.oszk.hu/18600/18638/18638.pdf

[4] Athanasius Schneider – Fülep Dániel: Regnum Eucharisticum / The first visit of Bishop Athanasius Schneider to Hungary. Newman Center, Sümeg 2016, 107–116 p. Hungarian and English language e-book version: http://mek.oszk.hu/15500/15547/15547.pdf (For the English version, see page 77)

[5] Ib. 144 p.