Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

Have you ever wondered why we are "Roman" Catholic and not just Catholic? The courageous, 3rd century saint, we remember today shows us why.  --- 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 J...

We all want healing in some way or another. We all want that magic pill to make the pain go away. In today's Gospel, we see why the suffering came to Jesus in droves, almost crushing him. They understood the secret -- Jesus is that "magic pill".  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, co...

We're not all meant to have churches named after us but we're all called to be holy, glorious, eye-blistering saints. Impossible you say? Your sins are too big? Your love too small? Your faith is more fragile than a snowflake? If this is true about you, then you're precisely whom Jesus wants. Listen to words of St. Paul from the Second Reading, "you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called...

Have you ever felt ashamed in the eyes of someone? Genesis chapter 3 reveals why. It depicts the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Immediately after the first bite of the Forbidden Fruit, sin rushes in faster than the ocean water into the Titanic after being struck by the iceberg. Our first reaction is to run and hide: "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were...

Last week I was in Napa for a priest conference. Over 180 priests from all over the country gathered for a week of talks on Sacred Scripture and prayer. I ran into old friends whom I haven't seen since my seminary days. One in particular, I later found out, is the excorcist in his diocese. He told me the one Scripture passage that demons especially loathe. When you hear it, you'll understand why....

When Augustine converted to Catholicism he finally found the peace he had been thirsting for. He did not find it in the popular philosophies of his day, nor in a job title, or prestige, or bodily pleasure but rather in a person -- Jesus Christ. He famously wrote in his autobiography,  The Confessions, probably the greatest one liner outside of Sacred Scripture: “ You have made us  f...

Suffering is a gift! I say it again, suffering is a glorious gift. I know every fiber in your being is rebelling against it and the slithering, guttural voice of the Devil whispers, "See I told you God doesn't care about you. You're all alone." To see the gift, we must look through the eyes of Jesus Christ. Only then will your pain and my pain become radiant with meaning.  --- Help Spread the...

In 2006, I was 26 years old, beginning my third year of seminary formation. I had more hair back then, less wrinkles, and even less wisdom. Nonetheless, my bishop at the time decided to send me to the Pontifical North American College in Rome to continue my theological studies. I would spend the next five years of my life in the Eternal City. By happy happenstance, Pope Benedict XVI was elected as...

*** Please enjoy this homily originally preached in 2021 in Holy Family Parish in Portola, Ca *** There's no better way to begin 2021 then by reflecting on the beautiful Solemnity of Mary, The Mother of God. Each year, we as the Church begin with her. Why? How could we not? Jesus himself began his earthly existence with her. If we want to follow Christ, our master, we follow his lead. Mary, who he...

Christmas is just getting started! Let everyone else put away the decorations and lights. Not us Catholics -- we milk it. The birth of our Savior takes more than single day to celebrate. Today, the Church gives us St. John the Evangelist as the example of how to follow the light. Now that God has broken into our history as a baby, it demands a change of life.  --- Help Spread the Good News --...

The Christmas celebration always leaves me with goosebumps. It reminds us that we are made for relationships; we are made for love. Never forget that. We constantly all bemoan the fact that Christmas has become commercialized. The pressure we feel to buy the perfect gift for that perfect someone can suffocate us from the true meaning of the season. Yet, even that constant complaint points to the i...

The doorbell of the rectory rang in the middle of dinner. "Who could that be?" I wondered. When I opened the door, an older gentleman in his 60's stood there, wearing a ragged hoodie. "Hello father!" He said in a thick Chinese accent. "I wanted to drop off my donation to the Church. I am a bad Catholic." He kept repeating that last line, "I am a bad Catholic... a bad Catholic." I invented him into...

What would you do if an angel appeared to you? In today's Gospel, this is the Virgin Mary's dilemma. "You will conceive and give birth to a son", she's told by the Archangel Gabriel (Cf. Luke 1:31). Confused and a dazed, she ponders her next move. This parallels another account when another angel makes his appearance in the Book of Genesis in the Garden of Eden. Speaking to Eve, he sows his tradem...

The prophecies are true. The long promised messiah breaks into our history in the most unexpected of ways. The light, the true light of world pierces the darkness. Conceived through the Holy Spirit in the womb of Immaculate Mary, protected by the only saintly man humble enough to accept his role in salvation history. Enter St. Joseph.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies...

Brides, priests and the baptized have something in common. They all wear white. The reason is pure.  --- 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: htt...

Anyone who has suffered has heard his slithering voice: "See I told you so. You can't trust God. He's not a loving father. Stop praying. Stop going to church." With all your might, resist the temptation to abandon the Lord. Following the example of the saints and stay the course.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you...

The research is clear. Eating together around the dinner table is better for everyone. It deepens bonds, kids perform better in school, decreases the likelihood of abusing alcohol, drugs and the like. Overall, it makes us better humans. It shouldn't surprise us that God uses precisely the "dinner table" to save humanity at the Last Supper.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s hom...

(After reading the Gospel in English, the homily begins in Spanish. If you want to hear it in English, please skip to minute 9:43) In the midst of all the confusion of our day, the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception reminds us who we truly are.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed y...

When the Roman emperor Theodosius approached the wooden doors of the Milan cathedral, a man stood in his way. It was the bishop himself, St. Ambrose. "You shall not enter." He told him. The men stood face to face. One was the most powerful man on earth, sitting upon the throne of a mighty marbled empire. With one word, he commanded the Legions. The other was a simple priest. No armies stood behind...

Few figures in the Bible is as mystifying and bizarre then St. John the Baptist. Wearing camel skins, a leather belt and a scrumptious diet of locusts and honey, he appears suddenly at the Jordan River. "The Kingdom of God is at hand!" He proclaims in todays Gospel. Suddenly the crowds take notice. Is he the long awaited messiah promised eight centuries before? He tells them plainly -- absolutely...

As the leaves turn to autumn hues, the weather lies dreary, the daylight fades and the season change, so does the Church's worship. We shift to the things of the End Times, when our Lord Jesus will finally return triumphantly for the Final Judgment. It will come, as we hear in the Gospel,  "like a thief in the night." We must ask ourselves the pivotal question of Advent, "Am I ready?"  -...

(English portion begins at minute 4:12) What a great holiday of friends, family, food, and most especially faith! This holiday was originally started as a national holiday in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. In his official proclamation, he explained his rationale, “ Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens…  fervently implore the interposition of the Alm...

Por lo tanto, si la verdad más profunda de Dios es que Él es una Santísima Trinidad de amor, tú y yo estamos creados a imagen del amor mismo. El sentido de la vida es, ultimadamente el amor. Presta atención a este punto aquí. Permítanme decirlo de nuevo, el sentido de la vida es el amor. No es más dinero o una casa más grande. No se trata de un mejor trabajo o botellas de alcohol. No se trata de p...

Overlooking the Jerusalem skyline is a quaint little stone Catholic chapel built over a small hill. Its called in Latin, "Dominus Flevit", meaning "The Lord wept." (Cf. Luke 19:37-42) On this very site, Jesus cried over the city of Jerusalem because he knew what would befall them for not recognizing him as the long-awaited Messiah. Our Lord offers each one of us lasting happiness but we must be hu...

The terrorists boarded the bus with machine guns. As they walked down the center isle, they scanned the faces of the terrified people. "You," pointing to Fr. Michele Kayal in his priest collar. "Get off the bus." That would be the last time his parishioners would see their parish priest.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners...