St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church-Greensboro

09/05/2026

From a sermon on the beatitudes by Saint Leo the Great, pope
(Sermo 95, 4-6: PL 54, 462-464)

The blessedness of Christ’s reign

After preaching the blessings of poverty, the Lord went on to say: Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. But the mourning for which he promises eternal consolation, dearly beloved, has nothing to do with ordinary worldly distress; for the tears which have as their origin in the sorrow common to all mankind do not make anyone blessed. There is another cause for the sighs of the saints, another reason for their blessed tears. Religious grief mourns for sin, one’s own or another’s; it does not lament because of what is done by human malice. Indeed, he who does wrong is more to be lamented than he who suffers it, for his wickedness plunges the sinner into punishment, whereas endurance can raise the just man to glory.

Next the Lord says: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. To the meek and gentle, the lowly and the humble, and to all who are ready to endure any injury, he promises that they will possess the earth. Nor is this inheritance to be considered small or insignificant, as though it were distinct from our heavenly dwelling; for we know that it is the kingdom of heaven which is also the inheritance promised to the meek. The earth that is promised to the meek and which will be given to the gentle for their own possession is none other than the bodies of the saints. Through the merit of their humility their bodies will be transformed by a joyous resurrection and clothed in the glory of immortality. No longer opposed in any way to their spirits, their bodies will remain in perfect harmony and unity with the will of the soul. Then indeed, the outer man will be the peaceful and unblemished possession of the inner man.

Then, truly will the meek inherit the earth in perpetual peace, and nothing will be taken from their rights; for this perishable nature shall put on the imperishable and this mortal nature shall put on immortality. Their risk will turn into reward; what was a burden will have become an honor.

RESPONSORY
Matthew 5:5-6, 4

Blessed are those who mourn;
they shall be consoled.
— Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right;
they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are those of gentle spirit;
they shall inherit the land.
— Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right;
they shall be satisfied.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

God of might, giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nurture in us what is good
and, by your watchful care,
keep safe what you have nurtured.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

09/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DepCAPJaK/

09/03/2026

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2026/09/03/the-greatness-of-the-first-st-gregory/?utm_source=The+Catholic+Thing+Daily&utm_campaign=6113823bd6-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_12_07_01_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_769a14e16a-6113823bd6-244147901&mc_cid=6113823bd6&mc_eid=7e1d9ac8ab

Stephen P. White: Though St. Gregory longed for the monastic life exemplified by St. Benedict, he faithfully used his administrative talents to navigate political collapse, reform the papacy, and lay the foundations of medieval Christendom.

09/03/2026

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/september-3-st-gregory-the-great/

September 3 — Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor - Memorial

09/02/2026

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2026/09/02/the-english-martyrs-and-tyburns-hidden-waters/?utm_source=The+Catholic+Thing+Daily&utm_campaign=4f65b4cacb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_12_07_01_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_769a14e16a-4f65b4cacb-244147901&mc_cid=4f65b4cacb&mc_eid=7e1d9ac8ab

Joanna Bogle: The legacy of the Tyburn martyrs, like the forgotten underground rivers of London, continues to sustain and renew English Catholicism.

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2026/08/31/fulton-sheen-casting-fire-on-the-earth/?utm_source=The+Catholic+Thing+Daily&utm_campaign=058272f621-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_12_07_01_02_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_769a14e16a-058272f621-244147901&mc_cid=058272f621&mc_eid=7e1d9ac8ab

Robert Royal: Fulton Sheen’s powerful evangelization combined daily prayer with relentless intellectual effort and careful preparation.

08/31/2026

From “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a’Kempis
I taught my prophets

My son, says the Lord, listen to my words, the most delightful of all words, surpassing all the knowledge of the philosophers and wise men of this world. My words are spirit and life and cannot be comprehended by human senses alone.

They are not to be interpreted according to the vain pleasure of the listener, but they must be listened to in silence and received with all humility and great affection.

And I said: Blessed is the man whom you teach, Lord, and whom you instruct in your law; for him you soften the blow of the evil day, and you do not desert him on the earth.

The Lord says, I have instructed my prophets from the beginning. Even to the present time I have not stopped speaking to all men, but many are deaf and obstinate in response.

Many hear the world more easily than they hear God; they follow the desires of the flesh more readily than the pleasure of God.

The world promises rewards that are temporal and insignificant, and these are pursued with great longing; I promise rewards that are eternal and unsurpassable, yet the hearts of mortals respond sluggishly.

Who serves and obeys me in all matters with as much care as the world and its princes are served?

Blush, then, you lazy, complaining servant, for men are better prepared for the works of death than you are for the works of life. They take more joy in vanity than you in truth. Yet they are often deceived in their hope, while my promise deceives no one, and leaves empty-handed no one who confides in me. What I have promised I shall give; what I have said I will fulfill for any man who remains faithful in my love unto the very end. I am the rewarder of all good men, the one who rigorously tests the devoted.

Write my words in your heart and study them diligently, for they will be absolutely necessary in the time of temptation. Whatever you fail to understand in reading my words will become clear to you on the day of your visitation.

I am accustomed to visit my elect in a double fashion, that is, with temptation and with consolation. And I read to them two lessons each day: one to rebuke them for their faults; the other to exhort them to increase their virtue.

He who possesses my words yet spurns them earns his own judgment on the last day.

RESPONSORY Proverbs 23:26; 1:9; 5:1; 4:20

My son, surrender your heart to me
and keep your eyes on my footsteps.
— Then I will place a crown of grace on your head.

My son, open your heart to my wisdom;
listen to what I say.
— Then I will place a crown of grace on your head.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

God of might,
giver of every good gift,
put into our hearts the love of your name,
so that, by deepening our sense of reverence,
you may nurture in us what is good and,
by your watchful care,
keep safe what you have nurtured.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

The life of Christ illustrated, 1863, Public domain This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931.

08/29/2026

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/august-29the-beheading-of-st-john-the-baptist/

August 29 — The Passion of Saint John the Baptist - Memorial

08/28/2026

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/august-28st-augustine-of-hippo/

August 28 — Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Doctor - Memorial