Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

Again and again throughout the long pilgrimage of the Church, the Gospel has conquered hearts not chiefly by the brilliance of argument or the elegance of reason, but by the radiant witness of men and women so utterly convinced that Jesus Christ is the Truth that they counted no earthly treasure—not even their own lives—more precious than Him. The blood of the martyrs has accomplished what the sha...

The world's greatest sporting event owes its beginnings, in part, to the vision of a devout Catholic. Jules Rimet believed that sport could reflect the dignity of the human person and unite peoples divided by language, culture, and even war. His dream became the FIFA World Cup—a celebration of nations gathered not for conquest, but for friendly competition. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father...

There is something curious about the way people speak of God. We often imagine Him as distant, alone, or occupied with the endless business of running the universe. We picture a great King, but seldom a Father. Left to ourselves, we could never have guessed what God is like in His own life. We may have discovered that there is a Creator by looking at mountains, stars, or the order of the world, bu...

It is a curious thing that we often expect God to perform His greatest wonders amid thunder and spectacle, while He prefers the quiet of a confessional. There, behind an ordinary screen or across a simple room, Christ performs miracles no less astonishing than opening blind eyes or raising the dead. He takes a soul bent beneath the weight of guilt and bids it stand upright again. He speaks through...

If we learn to see with spiritual eyes, we begin to recognize a battle unfolding all around us. It is not a conflict over land or power, but a struggle for something far more precious than either: you. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gif...

Let me ask you a question: What is the love of your life? It is not always an easy question to answer. We may think one thing occupies the throne of our hearts, only to discover that something else has quietly taken its place. Perhaps a better question is this: Where do your time, energy, and attention most naturally flow? For what do you willingly sacrifice your comfort, your money, or your peace...

Whenever I look at the photograph on the cover of this Sunday’s bulletin, I am filled with many emotions at once—happiness, gratitude, nostalgia, and also a deep sadness. It was taken in the fall of 2009 in Rome. We had gathered at a restaurant to celebrate the ordination of a friend. There was good wine, wonderful Italian food, and the easy laughter. The joy on our faces tells the story better th...

So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."  ...

It is one of the curious habits of God that He delights in beginning immense things with what appear to us very small beginnings. When Our Lord walked beside the Sea of Galilee and summoned twelve ordinary men to follow Him, Heaven itself was not improvising. This was no afterthought. The calling of the Twelve was the unfolding of a design hidden in the heart of God from the foundation of the worl...

If we want to delve the depths of the Christian life, silence is a nonnegotiable.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansolive...

To enter into the mystery of the Eucharist – this baffling teaching that Jesus is truly and fully present in the “bread” and “wine” at each Holy Mass – one thing is required above all else: love. For love is not merely an affection; it is a kind of sight. It enables us to look through things rather than merely at them. Without love, we remain trapped upon the surface of reality, mistaking appearan...

When following Jesus to the full, the Christian life always leaves scars.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/gi...

This October, I’m excited to welcome a remarkable guest whose work has helped countless souls all over the world rediscover the splendor hidden within the Christian vision of the human person. Internationally known Catholic speaker and author Christopher West, perhaps the most beloved popular interpreter of the teachings of St. John Paul II on the Theology of the Body, will come to share anew the...

" You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,  a holy nation, a people of his own..."? -1 Peter 2:9 --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https...

Jesus calls us out of darkness.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

Be wildly generous with God.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

There is, at present, a certain astonishment rippling through the secular world at the announcement that Scott-Vincent Borba will be ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Fresno on Saturday, May 24th. Here is a man who possessed precisely what modern man is taught to desire above all things: wealth, influence, admiration, and the peculiar sort of immortality granted by worldly success. As...

There are moments, I think, when nearly every Christian has envied the Twelve Apostles. We imagine that faith would be simpler if only Christ stood visibly before us as He once stood beside St. Peter and St. Andrew by the sea or walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We think to ourselves: “Surely I should be a braver Christian if I could hear His voice with my own ears. Surely sorrow wo...

Christianity is not chiefly a matter of mastering a catalogue of sacred facts, as though Heaven were won by passing an examination. A man may memorize every creed and yet remain as cold as stone before God. The heart of the Christian life is rather a love affair — the creature pursued by his Creator, the soul awakened by the terrible and beautiful love of Christ. For information alone may sharpen...

In our first reading today, St. Paul arrives in the throbbing heart of Greek culture --Athens. We will witness man's ancient pursuit of truth converge with the revelation of Jerusalem.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us...

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! What a radiant and holy custom it is that, here in the United States, we set aside a day in honor of our mothers. And rightly so. Consider what she endures for the sake of her child. Long before we first behold the light of the sun, we are carried beneath her heart, hidden within her very being for those mysterious nine months in which life itself is woven together in secret. A...

The words of Jesus punched me in the face.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

“I CAN’T WAIT!”  said fifteen-year-old Jayden, his face bright with a wide and eager smile as he looked toward his First Holy Communion this Sunday. The joy in him was hard to miss; it seemed to spread to anyone near him. Wanting to understand it, I asked, “Why are you so excited?” “All my life I was just a Christian, not living my faith very well. There was so much uncertainty. Then I discov...

Let our Heavenly Father do the heavy lifting.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

Remember, we bend the knee as Catholics, before we enter a church pew. It’s one of the weird things we do in our religion. We genuflect, bowing humbly before a mysterious presence in the Tabernacle. Once we know who is there, we cannot help but get on one knee. There is, in the human mind, a peculiar restlessness—a kind of noble discontent—which refuses to be satisfied with fragments. We gather id...