Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians - Way of Life Literature

ANATHEMA” (Sixth Session, Canons ConcerningJustification, Canon 24).In its most formal and authoritative statements since Trent,Rome has continued to deny that salvation is by grace alonethrough Christ's atonement alone through faith alonewithout works or sacraments. Consider the followingstatements of the authoritative Vatican II Council of themid-1960s, called by Pope John Paul XXIII and attended bymore than 2,400 Catholic bishops-–“For it is the liturgy through which, especially in the divinesacrifice of the Eucharist, 'the work of our redemption isaccomplished,' and it is through the liturgy, especially, that thefaithful are enabled to express in their lives and manifest toothers the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the trueChurch” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,Introduction, para. 2).“As oen as the sacrifice of the cross by which 'Christ ourPasch is sacrificed' (1 Cor. 5:7) is celebrated on the altar, thework of our redemption is carried out” (Vatican II, DogmaticConstitution on the Church, Chapter 1, 3, p. 324).“... [Christ] also willed that the work of salvation which theypreached should be set in train through the sacrifice andsacraments, around which the entire liturgical [ritualistic] liferevolves. us by Baptism men are graed into the paschalmystery of Christ. ... ey receive the spirit of adoption assons” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Chap. 1,I, 5,6, pp. 23-24).“From the most ancient times in the Church good works werealso offered to God for the salvation of sinners, particularly theworks which human weakness finds hard. Because thesufferings of the martyrs for the faith and for God's law werethought to be very valuable, penitents used to turn to themartyrs to be helped by their merits to obtain a more speedyreconciliation from the bishops. Indeed, the prayers and goodworks of holy people were regarded as of such great value thatit could be asserted that the penitent was washed, cleansed andredeemed with the help of the entire Christian220