Frequent Confession

After Vatican II, a major weapon in the arsenal of struggling Catholics was turned into a marshmallow. Frequent Confession became “necessary” only for those “in mortal sin,” it was thought (and sometimes taught).

Out of print, too, went this hugely popular volume on both sides of the Atlantic, easily the most methodical book ever written about the many uses of Confession for spiritual growth. Confession, its author makes clear, is not a counseling session. Rather, says the late German Abbot, Benedict Baur, OSB, frequent Confession has “high value in the spiritual life.” He explains:


  • Distinguishing “sins of frailty” from “imperfections”— the latter are not sins, explains Abbot Baur, but cannot be taken lightly
  • What exactly is “the perfect life”?
  • In 13 tight pages: the three elements of contrition
  • Defining, and practicing, “fraternal charity”—i.e. correcting faults of others without being “judgmental”
  • What is “compunction of heart” (and what is not)?
  • Tepidity
  • Pivotal chapter: “Spiritual Director, Confessor, and Penitent”
  • How to “do penance” properly
  • Chapter: “Overcoming Deliberate Venial Sin”
  • Briefly summarized in chapter form: “How to Pray”
  • Why St. Ambrose noted that it is “easier to find” those who do not commit grave sin “than to find those who do fitting penance for their sins”
  • 13 neglected Scripture passages that relate precisely to Abbot Baur’s topics
  • The keys to acquainting yourself, perhaps for the first time, with your own conscience
  • Avoiding self-righteousness
  • 4 guidelines for confessing venial sins
  • The different kinds of spiritual direction “suitable for different circumstances”
  • Why stressing the positive fruits of Christian spirituality, while not false, is a woefully incomplete approach for any http://store.catholicism.org/image.php?object_type=product&image_id=1441soul—and might mislead him or serve self-deceptive ends




Highest praise from Ave Maria Magazine, 1960.


“Benedict Baur provides us a concise consideration of a devotion warmly recommended by Pius XII…the practice of frequent Confession….the practices suggested will readily find acceptance by priests, religious and laypeople alike. The entire field of the Sacrament of Penance, and of devotional confessions in particular, is covered…offers insights into the Sacrament which can make it a living, grace-bearing act for the individual Christian.” By Benedict Baur, OSB
Hardcover 217 Pages

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