May a Catholic partake of Communion at a Lutheran service?

[ChadS]

I also noticed on that church’s website that they referred to their church as a temple, which if I’m not mistaken is a uniquely Orthodox way to refer to a church building.

ChadS

 

[JonNC]

=heathernoel;5951557]But really, why would a Catholic WANT to take part of a Lutheran communion? At the very heart of it is the fact that the Eucharist exists only through a Catholic church…

Hi Heather,
Even Catholic teaching disagrees with this. But your point is well taken, that the POV of Churches who view their clergy and sacraments in terms of Apostolic Succession are bound to consider the Lutheran Eucharist as, at least, something less than Catholic, or Orthodox, or PNCC, etc. Or course, Cardinal Ratzinger said:

I count among the most important results of the ecumenical dialogues the insight that the issue of the eucharist cannot be narrowed to the problem of ‘validity.’ Even a theology oriented to the concept of succession, such as that which holds in the Catholic and in the Orthodox church, need not in any way deny the salvation-granting presence of the Lord [Heilschaffende Gegenwart des Herrn] in a Lutheran [evangelische] Lord’s Supper

but no one would claim he is offering an equivalence here. He was and is, afterall, a good Catholic.

I don’t mean that as snide, really, I don’t. But having come from the protestant “Communion once a month” tradition, and wanting, but not able to receive the Eucharist, I don’t see how the Lutheran Communion would even compare.

On Reformation Sunday, my parish, decided to not have communion. I was furious, but more hurt and feeling denied. My pastor got a full dose of Lutheran teaching on the frequency of Lord’s Supper, and the fact that it is the center of Lutheran Worship. I understand how you feel.

(please be gentle…LOL)

Gentle enough?
Jon

 

[JRKH]

How about an Encyclical?

Ecclesia de Eucharistia

vatican.va/edocs/ENG0821/_INDEX.HTM

1. The Catholic Church’s teaching on the relationship between priestly ministry and the Eucharist and her teaching on the Eucharistic Sacrifice have both been the subject in recent decades of a fruitful dialogue in the area of ecumenism. We must give thanks to the Blessed Trinity for the significant progress and convergence achieved in this regard, which lead us to hope one day for a full sharing of faith. Nonetheless, the observations of the Council concerning the Ecclesial Communities which arose in the West from the sixteenth century onwards and are separated from the Catholic Church remain fully pertinent: “The Ecclesial Communities separated from us lack that fullness of unity with us which should flow from Baptism, and we believe that especially because of the lack of the sacrament of Orders they have not preserved the genuine and total reality of the Eucharistic mystery. Nevertheless, when they commemorate the Lord’s death and resurrection in the Holy Supper, they profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and they await his coming in glory”.

The Catholic faithful, therefore, while respecting the religious convictions of these separated brethren, must refrain from receiving the communion distributed in their celebrations, so as not to condone an ambiguity about the nature of the Eucharist and, consequently, to fail in their duty to bear clear witness to the truth. This would result in slowing the progress being made towards full visible unity. Similarly, it is unthinkable to substitute for Sunday Mass ecumenical celebrations of the word or services of common prayer with Christians from the aforementioned Ecclesial Communities, or even participation in their own liturgical services. Such celebrations and services, however praiseworthy in certain situations, prepare for the goal of full communion, including Eucharistic communion, but they cannot replace it.

The fact that the power of consecrating the Eucharist has been entrusted only to Bishops and priests does not represent any kind of belittlement of the rest of the People of God, for in the communion of the one body of Christ which is the Church this gift redounds to the benefit of all.

Thanks for the reference. This is most helpful.

Peace
James