Devotion for Wednesday, February 3rd

Our assigned reading for today is Titus 2:7-3:15. Today’s assigned commentary from the Treasury of Daily Prayer can be found below.

The Treasure at the Altar

“It was highly necessary to instruct the people that the true worship and honor of Christ and of His Holy Sacrament does not consist in such external gestures or services alone, also that our dear Lord Christ did not institute this venerable Sacrament for the sake of seeing and worshiping or being present there for that purpose, but so that we would partake of it, as the Lord’s words say, ‘Take, eat; take, drink,’ etc. These words have power and avail so much as to say, ‘This is My body; this is My blood; this do in remembrance of Me.’ … Therefore the Word is most important, through the power of which, from the institution of the Lord, the true body and blood of Christ are there. The Word teaches us what kind of treasure we have there, what we should use it for, and why Christ is there, so that true invocation and spiritual worship are enkindled in us. Now, here we are not saying that one should not worship our dear Lord Jesus Christ in this Sacrament, being present, or that one should not hold this Sacrament with all honor and reverence. On the contrary, since these divine, almighty, true words are believed, all of this follows of itself, and not only in external gestures but also both externally and, first and foremost, in the heart, spirit, and truth. On account of this, such adoration of Christ is not thereby canceled, but much rather, confirmed. For where the Word is rightly seen, considered, and believed, the adoration of the Sacrament will happen of itself. For whoever believes that Christ’s body and blood are there (as there is plenty of evidence so to believe, and it is necessary so to believe), he cannot, to be sure, deny his reverence to the body and blood of Christ without sin. For I must confess that Christ is there when His body and blood are there. His words do not lie to me, and he is not separate from His body and blood.”

— Georg von Anhalt