The State of Communion after 499 Years

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25 ESV)

[image from Flea Snobbery blog]

Yesterday the following headline on Twitter caught my eye:

Lutheran bishop’s reception of communion in Vatican was mistake, says Finnish Catholic spokesman

I was struck momentarily by the notion that a Christian participating in "communion" (with a little "c" in the coming-together-as-one-Body sense, rather than upper case Communion) was a mistake... From a doctrinal standpoint, I understood the headline without even looking at the article; from a wider perspective, this kind of thing makes me sad for Christianity in general.

As I moved through this account of an ecclesiastical faux pas, I couldn't help but smile as I read this particular part (how can anyone of any faith system not like Pope Francis?):

The pope’s own words regarding communion for Lutherans have added to the confusion. Last year, when asked by a Lutheran woman about the possibility of receiving communion with her Catholic husband, Francis acknowledged that “explanations and interpretations” of communion may differ between Catholics and Lutherans, but “life is bigger than explanations and interpretations.” He advised the woman to “Talk to the Lord and then go forward.”

Before you castigate me for being a liberal, or, worse, call me a heretic, keep your flaps down (it's a short landing strip). This post was prompted by the 41,000 Christian denominations in the world that, depending on what (size of) hat you wear and whether you're looking in or out (or left or right or, um, in the mirror), are either orthodox or heterodox... (These Lutherans or Those Lutherans...sigh)

I have heard so many times that Lutheran = Catholic Lite. The only truth in that silly equation is that Martin Luther was Catholic (not Lutheran, in the same way that Jesus was not Christian); clerical vestments aside, Lutherans are Protestant Christians who believe in the inerrancy of Scripture as the sole source 
from
 which all 
doctrines
 proclaimed
 in
 the 
Christian 
Church 
must
 be 
taken 
and
 therefore, too, 
the 
sole 
rule 
and
 norm
 by 
which 
all
 teachers
and
 doctrines
 must
 be 
examined
 and 
judged.
‐‐
With 
the 
Confessions 
of
 our
 Church 
we 
teach
 also
 that 
the 
"rule
 of
 faith" (analogia 
fidei) 
according
 to
 which 
the 
Holy
 Scripture s
are
 to 
be
 understood 
are 
the
 clear
 passages
 of
 the
 Scriptures 
themselves
 which
 set 
forth 
the 
individual
 doctrines.
 (Apology.
 Triglot, 
p.
441,
 Paragraph
 60; 
Mueller, 
p.
684) To wit, regarding the Lutheran (LCMS) Sacrament of the Altar (vis-à-vis Roman Catholic Eucharist)...

We believe: Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of the Altar with these words:“This is My body,given for you.This cup is My blood of the new testament, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25). The Lord’s Supper “is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink”(Luther's Small Catechism). We believe that the Lord's Supper offers and conveys forgiveness of sins (where there is forgiveness, there is salvation), strengthens faith, imparts power for Christian living, is an act of thankful adoration, and is a celebration of Christian fellowship. What we believe it is not: simply a remembrance or memorial rite, nor is it a re-creation of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. The simple explanation is that Jesus Himself said it, so we do it.

It's hard for me to believe that after 499 years, we've arrived at 41,000 denominations, each with its own interpretation of Scripture, particularly where the Sacraments are concerned. The Roman Catholic understanding of Communion (from the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, my underlining):

The Eucharist is the memorial of this sacrifice. The Church gathers to remember and to re-present the sacrifice of Christ in which we share through the action of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the celebration of the Eucharist, we are joined to Christ's sacrifice and receive its inexhaustible benefits...Jesus' one perfect sacrifice is thus eternally present before the Father, who eternally accepts it. This means that in the Eucharist, Jesus does not sacrifice himself again and again. Rather, by the power of the Holy Spirit his one eternal sacrifice is made present once again, re-presented, so that we may share in it. Christ does not have to leave where he is in heaven to be with us...

...Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 §4).

We Lutherans are surely not Catholic Lite (nor are we catholic lite)... And so long as there will be altar fouls called like the one in the article, the Protestant Reformation must roll on...

...and on. And on.