It's roughly two years now since the Times circulated a bit of a rant on a purportedly proposed rehabilitation of Luther by Benedict XVI, as you all might recall. Of course you can trust the Times reportage on Roman Catholicism, or Lutheranism for that matter, like you can trust a leprechaun on waymarks to the pot of gold. Not that any of this should be scandalous. It's a news-paper for goodness' sake. But anyhow Catholic watchdogs at the time were quick to offer a corrective. As watchdogs do. Whatever. More helpful, I found, was this informed response by Carl Olson who is somewhat clued-in on Ratzinger's actual theology and approach to Luther.
What I really enjoy about the Olson piece, beyond its principal function of directing people to some sources for Ratzinger's actual theology, is the quotation from Fr. Aidan Nichols' (my nearly next-door neighbour; rumour has it that they do a good Mass there but, not being a monk myself I find 7:30 am a bit to early and so I can't verify this) The Theology of Joseph Ratzinger (more recently is this offering):
[Ratzinger] "finds two figures within the Wittenberg Reformer. First, there is the Luther of the Catechisms, the hymns and the liturgical reforms: and this Luther can be received by Catholics whose own biblical and liturgical revivals in this century reproduce many of Luther's own criticisms of the late medieval Church."
This ought to cause Lutherans to take notice. Think about what Nichols is saying here (though whether it is defensible is another issue, obviously). The Luther which can be received by Catholics is the Luther of the hymns, the catechisms, and even [!] the liturgical reforms. (The last striking assertion perhaps especially calls for scrutiny.) In fact, taken as it stands, this soundbyte says in effect the Luther which can be received by Catholics is the Luther of the actual existential, catholic and evangelical, Lutheran church. For this is the very heart and soul of the Lutheran reformation of worship and spirituality, ultimately grounded upon these three pillars - the catechisms, the evangelical Mass, and the Kernlieder.
There is of course "another" Luther:
"...the radical theologian and polemicist whose particular version of the doctrine of justification by faith is incompatible with the Catholic understanding of faith as a co-believing with the whole Church, within a Christian existence composed equally of faith, hope, and charity."
This of course, is will cause any self-identifying Lutheran to immediately bristle. Any attack on a so-called "particular version of the docrine of justification" as incompatible with catholicity is in effect a kick to the bollocks (at least Lutherans are groomed from an early age to react viscerally as if this is the case). But is the "version" of justification being critiqued here that which is actually other than what is expressed in the piety of catechism, mass and hymnody? Or is the "version" itself a caricature? Does Lutheranism know of a justification apart from a "co-believing with the whole Church"? I won't presume to speak on what such a co-believing might mean to Fr Nichols, but classical Lutheran dogmatics does articulate the two-fold fides qua and the fides quae. Which is to say, personal existential faith, insofar as it is faith, "that which believes" is co-extensive with the objective faith "that which is believed" of the whole Church, or else it is not faith. Similarly, does Lutheranism know of a justification apart from a Christian existence expressed in faith, hope, and charity? I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to glean from the Augustana that the simple answer is "No" - although the Augustana has, I believe, a very important insight into how faith stands in relationship to hope and charity.
None of this is to say "Lutheranism = Trent" or any such nonsensical thing. Obviously that is not the case. Rather it is to say this: Nichols' summary of Ratzinger is worthy of consideration in a genuine and prayerful ecumenical spirit. As for me, I take it as an invitation to further study and reflection on the nature of the division which separates Roman Catholicism from the [countless, mutually-incompatable versions of] Lutheranism, and the right, Gospel-centred response to this division. I, for one, was heartened by the Pope Benedict's words to the Lutheran congregation in Rome yesterday (can someone please find me a full text of the address - I've been googling for like 20 minutes!):
"We have divided the one path into many, so the witness we should give has been obscured."
"I think we should first be thankful that there is so much unity. It's nice that we can pray together today, sing the same hymns together, hear the same word of God together, that we can interpret and try to understand it together."
[Only God can forge true unity because] "a unity we negotiate ourselves would be human-made and as fragile as everything that humans make."
Roman Catholicism. It's not your grandfather's church any more.
Here's the prayer for Unity of Faith from the Lutheran Service Book:
O God, Your infinite love restores to the right way those who err, seeks the scattered, and preserves those whom You have gathered. Of Your tender mercy pour out on Your faithful people the grace of unity that, all schisms being ended, Your flock may be gathered to the true Shepherd of Your Church and may serve You in all faithfulness; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.Comments? Email on a postcard to /dev/null or catch me on Twitter @jrhermeneut