Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

The Japanese Catholic martyrs that we remember today inspire us to live out the Catholic faith boldly. No matter what.  --- 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 t...

Growing up Catholic has been the greatest gift my parents could have given me. Even though I would not have recognized it as a bratty, stubborn kid, they gave me a foundation without realizing it. Going to Mass each Sunday exposed me that there is something in the universe greater than myself. It rooted me to a 2,000 year old history that spans empires, kingdoms and cultures. It subconsciously whi...

God never abandons us, regardless of what the Devil may whisper into our ears. Today's Solemnity of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple proves otherwise. God has returned, as He promised.  --- 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 he...

Feeling overwhelmed? The answer is found in a vision that St. John Bosco received in one of his famous dreams.  --- 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. Giv...

There is no ignoring Jesus. Wherever he goes, he compels a reaction. In the Gospel passage from this Sunday’s reading, we see Jesus enter the synagogue in Capernaum. This city along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, is the scene of some of Jesus' most powerful encounters: He heals the mother-in-law of St. Peter, chooses the first men who will become the Twelve Apostles, and most strikingly, it’s i...

The greatest military general of all time is arguably the Greek, Alexander the Great. By the time he was in his mid-thirties, he conquered the known world. He famously said, "I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion." That statement captures the essence of us Christians.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are sha...

It's hard to imagine that anyone would willingly worship the devil. Yet many do. In fact, if you ask any excorcist, they will tell you the phenomena is growing worldwide, especially among the young. The rational that satanists give should sound extremely familiar to us. It's the same reason why we sin and why Adam and Eve disobeyed God in Genesis 3. Simply put, we don't believe that God is our lov...

Why is the Catholic Church the largest private healthcare provider in the world, running 26% of all healthcare institutions on the planet? It's the same simple reason why St. Marrianne Cope went to the island of Molokai to care for the lepers: every person is created in God's "image and likeness" (Genesis 1:27).  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely than...

The best part of living the Catholic faith in California is being on the frontlines of the abortion battle. As our state tries to be an abortion "sanctuary" for the rest of the nation, we stand prayerfully resolute. The beating heart of our opposition is simple: every human life is created in God's image and likeness.   --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared free...

What would it take for you and I to leave everything behind and follow Jesus? That is the heart of the great question that this Sunday’s Gospel reading confronts us with. Let’s jump in our imaginary time machine and return to the shores of the Sea of Galilee where the drama unfolds. It’s probably a sunny day, warm and breezy. It’s a t-shirt and shorts kind of day. The rays of the high sun glisten...

There is a phrase heard at every Mass that should be familiar to us all. We hear the priest say it shortly before we receive Holy Communion. Before he says it, the priest is instructed to kneel as a sign of reverence, he pauses in silent adoration, and then slowly stands upright. With one hand holding the golden chalice, and the other, delicately lifting up the consecrated Body of Christ, the prie...

We all want someone to look at us. From the 4 year old who cries out, "Mommy, look! look! Look what I can do!", to the young lady with the enormous fake long eye-lashes, to the gym rat with bulging biceps who wears a tank-top in the middle of winter, to the guy in the lifted truck with huge tires, we all desire the same thing. We need someone to tell us we are good.  --- Help Spread the Good...

The Epiphany is a significant feast day in the Christian calendar, marking the revelation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the visit of the Magi (the Three Wise Men or Three Kings) to the infant Jesus. The word "epiphany" means manifestation or revelation, signifying the moment when Jesus's divinity is recognized and revealed beyond the confines of Judaism. The inclusion of the Magi...

Pope St. John Paul II was right, “ The future of humanity passes through the family .” In a letter simply titled, “Letter to Families,” the pope wrote, “The family is the first and most important… the family is indeed— more than any other human reality – the place where an individual can exist ‘for himself’ through the sincere gift of self. This is why it remains a social institution which neither...

Now that God has broken into human history in the birth of Jesus Christ, everything has changed. The Beloved Apostle John, shows us the implications. The only one of the original Twelve Apostles to live into old age, while the rest were killed brutally for the faith. John gives us profound insights that only come with years.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are share...

In a few short lines of the opening words of John's Gospel, the author captures the essence and mystery of the whole Christian faith.  --- 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—on...

Have you ever been given a gift of such enormous value, it stunned you? On the 4th Sunday of Advent, we see how Virgin Mary responds to the "gift" that the angel Gabriel announces. Her response is a lesson for us all.  --- 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 volun...

There is nothing more beautiful than to be at the bedside of a faith filled Christian in the midst of dying. The presence of God fills the room. In the suffocating sorrow and tears that comes with death, a tangible hope pierces the darkness like a blaze of sunlight. The cause of our joy is not merely positive thinking or happy thoughts. Rather, the Christian who mourns in faith is rooted in the pr...

We're told in the Gospel passage today that the "Kingdom of heaven suffers violence." What a strange phrase. What could this possibly mean? St. John of the Cross, the great 16th century Spanish mystic, shows us.  --- 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 e...

Whenever two different civilizations clash, history has shown time and time again the result is never pretty. Brutal war often follows. When Europeans landed in the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries, the same bloodshed seemed to be playing out across the continent. However, something unexpected happened that no one could ever imagine. In what is now called Mexico, a miraculous image would ap...

For many converts from Protestantism to Catholicism, devotion to the Blessed Mother is often a huge hurdle. On the surface, it can seem we are taking away our attention from Christ. Not so, when properly understood. From the earliest beginning of Christianity, our ancestors held Mary in high regard. Why? We saw in her the way it was supposed to be from the beginning of God's plan for us. Mary show...

The thrust of the Gospel and the saint we remember at Mass today forces us to reflect upon my own discipleship. Will I still follow Jesus when it becomes hard?  --- 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 sh...

Nothing in the world can satisfy the deeper hunger of the human heart. The wise man eventually comes to this realization. No matter much worldly success we acquire, we still want more. Jesus has the answer. In fact, HE IS the answer.  --- 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 suppo...

***The following homily was given at our 2pm Latin Mass, following the Scripture readings from the Traditional Latin Mass calendar*** As the earthly seasons change, so does our spiritual liturgical season. With the colder and darker days, the Scripture passages chosen at Mass turn our attention towards the End Times, when Jesus will triumphantly return a Second Time. As we wait for that unexpected...

Sooner or later, the wise person will ponder, “Who am I?” It’s a fantastic question. “Who am I?” How someone answers that question determines the course and direction of one’s life. It affects the decisions I make, what I do with my time, and by what values I strive to live. For example, If I say my deepest identity is  that I am a loving husband and father, that will change how I spend my Fr...