A Szentmise rendje nyolc nyelven (Budapest, 2017)

Előszó

FORWARD TO THE MISSAL I wholeheartedly thank the Szent István Társulat for having asked me to present to the Public this Missal which contains the liturgical texts of the Holy Mass in eight languages. After 40 years of priesthood and 35 years of diplomatic service for the Holy See which has given me the opportunity to work in 25 countries, I can testify to the importance of Missals such as this. Very often I would find myself working in a country where various languages are spoken and in order to facilitate participation in the liturgical life of the country, it was necessary to celebrate the Liturgy in a known language. Pocket editions of the Missal, such as the present one, possess significant value in these times given that the movement of people due to tourism, business or political reasons is ever on the increase. Nor should we forget the great convergence of the faithful on those occasions when the Holy Father visits various countries around the world or indeed the International Assemblies of a religious character, which more and more, are being organised around the globe. My Catholic colleagues in the Diplomatic Corps often gladly take advantage of such publications and frequently ask me where they can purchase such editions. The present pocket sized Missal has a further advantage in that it provides a Latin version of the Holy Mass, the language used for the authoritative text of the Holy Mass. All the modem language texts base themselves on the Latin text of the Roman Missal and this dependence gives to the liturgy around the world a certain uniformity. In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis, published today, Pope Benedict XVI places particular emphasis on this point. The Holy Father, in paragraph 37 of the document, says: “Since the Eucharistic liturgy is essentially an actio Dei which draws us into Christ through the Holy Spirit, its basic structure is not something within our power to change, nor can it be held hostage by the latest trends”. The document goes on to underline how “the ars celebrandi is the fruit of faithful adherence to the liturgical norms in all their richness” (N. 38) adding that “it is the responsibility of the Bishop to ensure unity and harmony in the celebrations taking place in his territory [...] that the liturgies which the Bishop celebrates in his Cathedral are carried out with complete respect for the ars celebrandi" (N. 39). This respect and application of the liturgical norms must base itself on the binding liturgical norms stipulated in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the Order of Readings for Mass (N. 40). I hope that the abovementioned Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis will soon achieve the wide circulation it deserves in Hungary. After having celebrated the Eucharist in so many important communities and in the various Cathedrals of the country, I can say that the liturgical documents referred to are not always known and that, more significantly where so, they are not always adhered to with uniformity. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the editors of this pocket sized Missal and I hope that it may contribute to bring about Eucharistic celebrations in Hungary which are more dignified and harmonious with the universal Liturgy. Budapest, 13th March 2007 Archbishop Juliusz Janusz Apostolic Nuncio in Hungary

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