Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

Following Jesus is not easy, especially when he says hard things like this: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Cf. Luke 14:26). It makes me want to scream, “I don’t get it!” How can you expect me to hate t...

Never doubt God's providence. He's at work, even now. Everything that unfolds in our lives is allowed by his direct or permissive will. Why specific things happen, we may never know this side of Heaven. However, one thing is for certain. God is our father: "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (Cf. Romans 8:28) --- Help Sp...

It's almost a universal phenomena. Across cultures and centuries, we love wedding receptions. A resounding joy often fills the venue. Whenever God tries to convey what Heaven is like with Him, he uses a wedding banquet to express the mystery. The next time you go to a wedding, especially if you know the married couple well, look around at the dancing crowd and the smiling faces. It's a foretaste o...

We Christians are called to the dreary of darkness. Steal-hearted, we heal where sickness once reigned. Like checkmate against the grandmaster in Chess, we proclaim Christ crucified as the answer to the death. Call upon the name of all names, I dare you instead. Watch the old bondage fall to the ground, dead. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to gen...

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 subsciously whispe...

The next time you're at an airport terminal for your flight, take a look around you. It's a fascinating circus of the human condition. The old school are reading books, while the digitally hooked scroll through their phones and laptops; the tired sneak naps, while the hungry munch on overpriced fast-food. Some stare aimlessly out the wide windows at the choreography of launching and landing planes...

To prevent raising monsters, every parents knows they cannot indulge their child's every whim. Otherwise, they begin to  replace the sun with their egos. Wealthy people, especially must guard against this easy tendency. For all the delights at their fingertips, we must always aim higher. The famous King, Louis of France, understood this when he wrote a letter to his son. Knowing full well he...

A creepy, grotesque statue greets you when you walk into the Basilica of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma, southeast of Milan in northern Italy. It depicts St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles, with his body completely flayed from head to toe, with his skin nonchalantly tossed over his shoulders like a silk scarf. Ancient tradition holds that St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel as far as...

For a first century Jew, the significance of calling the Virgin Mary a "queen" would not have been lost on him. Mary is queen precisely because her son, Jesus Christ, is the King of Kings. She bares within her womb the Incarnate Word of God, thereby becoming as well, "The Ark of the New Covenant". Hearing that Mary has those two titles means one thing -- she leads the fight!  --- Help Spread...

What I’ve learned over ten years of priestly ministry, no matter where God sends me, one reality will always be the same. It will never change. Whenever I walk into a room full of people, or in my case, a church full of people, one thing is for certain… there will be pain in that place. Many people carry tremendous weight on their shoulders. Many of us right now have problems that a...

Cada vez que entro en un cuarto lleno de gente, o en mi caso, en una iglesia llena de gente, una cosa es por seguro... habrá dolor en ese lugar. Muchas personas llevan un enorme peso sobre sus hombros. Muchos de nosotros en este momento tenemos problemas que se sienten demasiado pesados ​​para cargar. Puede ser que usted sienta que sus problemas son tantos que apenas puede respirar. Nos vemos las...

Dead, dry bones are everywhere in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel today in the First Reading at Mass (Cf. Ezekiel 37:1-14). God commands him to bring them back to life. Notice the technique. It recalls what happened in Genesis 2:7 as God "breathed" the breath of life into Adam and then again in John 20:22, as Jesus "breathed" into the Twelve Disciples as he granted them the authority to forgive...

The 2022 school year has begun. As I looked out and stared at the 305 souls entrusted to us, the immensity of the responsibility hit 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 sharing the hope of Jes...

The Gospel passage this Sunday is one of my favorites. Jesus cries out, "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" (Cf. Luke 12:49) Now, the question becomes, where can I find this fire? Where are these transforming flames? You will find it in the Church. The Eucharist is the most powerful gift Jesus left humanity because the Eucharist is Christ himse...

En el evangelio, Jesus le dijo, "Yo he venido para echar fuego sobre la tierra: y !cómo quisiera que ya estuviera encendido!" (Cf. Lucas 12, 49) ¿Dónde puedo encontrar este fuego? ¿Dónde están estas llamas transformadoras? Lo encontrará aquí en esta iglesia. La Eucaristía es el regalo más poderoso que El dejó a la humanidad, porque la Eucaristía es el mismo Jesús. ¡Es por eso que me encanta s...

What is it about children that makes Jesus say, "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"? (Cf. Matthew 19:14) Why only them? Why not us, who have less hair, more wrinkles and sore backs? Take a moment and think back to when you were a child. Or if you are blessed to have little ones in your house, stare at them for awhile. Behold their innocence. See how they faithfully trust with reckless...

We could hardly believe it. Here we were half-way across the world and we ran into brother priests from our same city. "What are you doing here?" We blurted out in excitement. "We're leading a pilgrimage group from Sacramento." The unexpected surprise happened in one of the oldest churches dedicated to the Blessed Mother in the Christian world. Founded in 432, the basilica is one of Rome's most ma...

Today the Church celebrate the patron saint of diocesan priests, St. John the Vianny. He shows us the secret to defeat the Devil's kingdom. If we priests and lay faithful follow in his steps, watch the walls of darkness come tumbling down as we gleefully smirk in his face.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If hi...

Have you ever wondered why we love money so much?  It’s a great question! Why do we work so hard to acquire it? Why do we spend hours and hours of our day to get more? If we think about it, one of the main reasons why any of us are even in the United States is because of money. Even if our family has been here since the beginning, we all came here from some distant land so that we and our chi...

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado por qué amamos tanto el dinero? ¡Es una gran pregunta! ¿Por qué trabajamos tan duro para adquirirlo? ¿Por qué dedicamos horas y horas de nuestro día a obtener más? Si lo pensamos bien, una de las principales razones por las que estamos en los Estados Unidos es por dinero. Aunque nuestra familia haya estado aquí desde el comienzo del país, o si usted llegó recientement...

On July 29th, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martha, the sister of the famous Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. As amazing as that miracle is, Martha reminds us of something greater -- love is more powerful than death itself.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, conside...

¿Te imaginas ser sus padres? Qué fácil debió haber sido. Ella no hizo nada malo. Ella siempre limpiaba su habitación. Ella hacia sus quehaceres. Ella nunca rezongaba. --- 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 s...

On Sunday, the parish happily welcomed back one of her sons for a brief visit, Brother Bryan. He joined Pro Ecclesia Sancta (translated from the Latin, it means"For the Holy Church"), a religious community over three years ago. Many of the people haven't seen him since he left. Some must have been surprised when he showed up wearing a priest collar, especially since the last time they probabl...

This Friday, July 22nd, the Church remembers St. Mary Magdalene -- the first to witness the resurrected Jesus after his death. Watching her example, we can find meaning with the little "deaths" we all endure. It's a cold fact that we all suffer, like Mary did. We often ask why? What possible meaning could my pain offer. This saint shows us the hidden gift our tears can bring.  --- Help Spread...

Each Christian is a missionary. The moment the cold water was poured over heads at our baptism and the solemn words were prayed, "I baptize you In the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit", we were thrusted into battle. We are called to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ to all those we meet. However, we must ask ourselves, "what is the best way to attract more souls." In the...