Real Presence in the Eucharist

[JSojourner]

Martin Luther to Ulrich Zwingli...

"I would rather drink blood with the pope than mere wine with the Swiss."

[JSojourner]

There's Transubstantiation and Consubstatiation.  I would argue that both imply the literal Presence.  In the Episcopal Church, when asked if we believe in Transubstantiation or Consubstantiation, we generally reply, "Yes."

My wife, however, simply affirms the elements as holy, sacred and God-ordained.  But purely symbolic.  Like me, she was raised pretty much in a fundamentalist Protestant tradition.  And she can't quite wrap her mind around some things in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Lutheranism or Orthodoxy.

She is always free and welcome to receive the host at our Episcopal services.  She would not be at a Catholic, Orthodox or Missouri Synod communion service.  Of the Lutherans, only the ELCA folks have open communion. 

As an aside, I visited my niece's church awhile ago.  Big mega church -- Evangelical, non-denominational, semi-Charismatic, in Central Ohio.  Pastor says from the pulpit, "if any of you want communion today, feel free to grab some out in the lobby.  We have some booths set up right by the coffee and doughnuts."

I kid you not.