Luther just misunderstood?

A Catholic deacon in my diocese stated in a homily that Martin Luther was misunderstood, as if to imply that what he really taught was orthodox. In this blog, I will place some quotes from Martin Luther which shows how the deacon's claim is rather absurd.

Luther was excommunicated. To pretend his excommunication was the result of some misunderstanding is revisionism run-a-muck, given the many heretical claims of Martin Luther from his very own writings.

Here are some quotes from Martin Luther which don't seem to admit to an "orthodox" understanding...

"No other sin, manslaughter, theft, murder or adultery is so harmful as this abomination of the popish Mass" (Luther's Works, Weimar edition, 15, 774).

Hmmmm...perhaps I misunderstood, however it seems Luther called the Divine Liturgy of the Catholic Church an "abomination" more sinful that "manslaughter, theft, murder or adultery." I wonder if the Catholic deacon mentioned above would argue against this claim?

"Be a sinner and sin boldly,  but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this world]  we have to sin. ... No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day." (LW 48:281)

Here's one of the most disturbing quotes from Martin Luther:

"Christ committed adultery first of all with the woman at the well about whom St. John tells us. Was not everybody about Him saying: "Whatever has he been doing with her?" Secondly, with Mary Magdalene, and thirdly with the woman taken in adultery whom he dismissed so lightly. Thus even Christ, who was so righteous, must have been guilty of fornication before He died." (D. Martin Luthers Werke, kritische Gesamtausgabe [Hermann Bohlau Verlag, 1893], vol. 2, no. 1472, April 7 - May 1, 1532, p. 33)

According to Luther, Jesus deserved eternal damnation...

"[Christ's] human nature did not behave differently from that of a man who is to be condemned eternally to hell. On account of this love of God, God at once raised Him from death and hell, and so He overcame hell." [Commentary on Romans (1515-1516); edition of J. Ficker, Leipzig: 1908, 218 ff.]

I find it difficult to imagine an "orthodox" context for the above quotes. Perhaps it isn't a simple case of "misunderstanding" after all, but instead, Martin Luther should have been more careful and kept his blaspemous assertions to himself.

God bless,

Dave