I’m still so confused after reading the original sources. I think both Catholics and Lutherans take communion seriously as the real presence of Christ. But then how do they differ? Why do Catholics do adoration but Lutherans don’t?
In: Other
[deleted]
Full disclosure I am neither Catholic nor Lutheran, and the church i attended practices either Memorialism or Receptionism.
|Transubstantiation|Upon consecration by the priest the Bread and Wine completely changes into the actual body of Christ, and Christ’s presence is in the Bread and Wine (Real Presence). |Roman Catholics|
|:-|:-|:-|
|Consubstantiation|A sacramental union between the Bread and Wine with Christ. Christ’s body and blood is now present in the form of the bread and wine. ELI5: The bread and wine is still bread and wine, but Christ is also present in/with/under the bread and wine. I have seen multiple analogies, but the one that seem to make the most sense to me is one of sponge and water (it’s a bit weak because it implies you can remove the water from the sponge, while in Consubstantiation, it has been joined as one) |Lutherans|
|Divine Lithurgy|Accepts that Christ is present in the elements of the Eucharist but does not attempt to explain how, calling it a divine mystery|Orthodox|
|Memorialism|The bread and wine symbolizes the body and blood of Christ but Christ is not physically (and/or spiritually) present in the elements|most other groups|
|Receptionism|Christ is not physically present in the elements but is spiritually present in the elements|Reformed + Presbyterian|
The Catholic belief is that the bread and wine fully transform into the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, while the Lutheran belief is that Christ is truly present in the bread and the wine, but it retains its form as bread and wine.
Here’s a [really long document](http://faculty.cord.edu/steinwan/nv13_decock.htm), with a lot of terrible formatting, if you want to read it. And if you read it, you will find that it says that there are many points of agreement between Catholic and Lutheran theology. And it says the matter boils down to this as the core point of disagreement:
Catholics believe that the Eucharist is a sacrament, a good work, *that we do* for God and for ourselves and for our relationship with God. It is considered a sacrificial act that earns us forgiveness from God; this is in accordance with their general belief in salvation through good works.
Lutherans believe that the Eucharistic mystery is *something that God does*, for us, and for our relationship with him. This is what makes it a mystery; we do not know how God can perform miracles. This is in accordance with our belief, like [the song we sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6ULNZM0-0A): “For by grace, you have been saved, and even faith is not your own; it’s the gift of God for you, and not the works that you have done.”
This is a very old and fundamental difference between Catholic and Lutheran theology; arguably it is the single point of contention that sparked the entire rest of the Reformation.
—
As for Eucharistic Adoration, I assume you’re referring to the thing where some churches keep a little bit of the Eucharist, and put it on public display after the sacrament.
The general context here is that five hundred and six years ago, *we were thrown out* of the Catholic Church. Moreover, we were thrown out as a minority within Christendom, and our homelands soon became the main battlegrounds for the European Wars of Religion.
It was very important to us that we could practice our faith *simply*. [For the first thousand years](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharistic_adoration#Catholics), nobody in the West did Eucharistic Adoration. So we stopped, and we have never resumed.
[removed]
The Catholics believe that the bread and wine turn into the literal body and blood of Christ.
Lutherans believe that doesn’t happen, but Jesus does have areal presence in the bread and wine.
Basically, Catholics believe the presence is more physical, Lutherans believe it to be more spiritual.
Catholic: the elements literally turn into Christ’s blood and flesh.
Lutheran: the elements are both wine/bread and blood/flesh kind of in the same way that Christ is both fully man and fully God.
Latest Answers