Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

We all have our breaking point. For some it comes sooner; for others, it comes like a "thief in the night." All it takes is one pivotal event, a happenstance of heartbreak, a thud in the chest which makes it seem like we're breathing sand. Have you experienced it yet? One thing is for certain--we all need to find the strength to go on. Where do you draw your power when all else fails? &n...

Are you hungry? I don't mean the "hungry" as in your appetite for steak and potatoes. I'm talking about that deep, abiding, soul-piercing hunger for "more." The frustrating thing about this life when we look honestly at ourselves, with no masks or makeup, a deeper hunger persists--no matter how much we seemingly achieve, acquire, and accumulate. God knows this. Even more, only...

The 49 Christians were bound in chains as they stood in front of the government official who was dressed in his finest robes. "Why have you transgressed the imperial decree?" He scolded them like little children. The decree of which he spoke was promulgated by the Emperor Diocletian -- effective immediately-- throughout the Roman Empire in attempt to choke the Church. Chri...

Like a traumatic rerun from last summer, our community is again threatened by another raging wildfire. Over 80,000 acres have burned, numerous homes charred to rubble, and the end is still far from certain. Natural disasters such as these forces us to remember just how little in control we truly are. We like to think of ourselves as masters of the universe but our grasp on the reins hang...

I want to tell you the tale of two rebellions. The first one happened 245 years ago; the second happened 2600 years ago. One was right and just; the other was wrong and unjust. Each occurred against an authority figure, as all rebellions do. The question we must ask ourselves is why the former was correct and the latter gravely wrong. It all has do with whom we are fighting against....

Our youth group just finished an eight-day, grueling, whirlwind pilgrimage of all 21 Catholic Missions (thank you to all who helped raise the $7,000, making the trip possible). They saw with their own eyes the tenacity and grit of the early Franciscan priests who founded these centers of evangelization, which was then the frontier of the known world. On the 5th day of the pilgrimage...

In the chaos of the world, fathers play a pivotal roll. When the storms rage, as we see in the Gospel reading, true godly men, like our Lord remain unbothered, even to the point of taking a lovely nap: " A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion." (Cf. Mark 4:35-36) How so? Beca...

We all deal with pain.  Regardless how we may appear on the outside, we all carry tremendous wounds, gangrene, broken, pus-pouring, wounds that fester from within. We face this pain, in what I call, the "Three P's." We can either (1) PROTECT  the pain, which manifests itself as our addictions to alcohol, drugs, over-eating, promiscuity, pornography, relentless sh...

Why do we always seem to look for happiness in all the wrong places? Whether it's wealth, honor, power, or pleasure the end result is the same -- an empty heart. Is it any wonder why the magic number of wealth, honor, power, and pleasure is always "more"? My pride never gets full; it is a blackhole, an endless pit, a great abyss that can never be satisfied. The great celebratio...

"What are you?" If we take the default answer of the world, we're nothing more than upright, walking monkeys. Smart, yes but you and I are simply better looking, smarter primates. We're the product an accident of the cosmos that evolved over billions of years. If that is true, then why not live my life trying to amass the traditional classic substitutes for God-- money, honor, power...

Don't believe the first lie. God's law does not stop us from living our best lives. We wrongly believe that somehow if I embrace the fullness of the Christian life, I will be less. Only in open rebellion--we can think to ourselves--can we finally flourish. The Holy Spirit leads us to the first truth.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to g...

As beautiful as our lives can be, there's something greater that lies beyond. As we heard in the Second Reading today, St. Paul reminds the Christians in the city of Ephesus, "May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones" (Ephesians 1:17). This "hope" of which he eloquent...

Always remember, you and I are created for greater things. The boring, superficial, lackluster, droning message that we hear from the world that tells us that happiness will be found in the selfish pursuit of more wealth, more honor, more power, more pleasure is a lie. If you want true joy, Jesus tells how in today's Gospel reading. I must warn you, if you choose to follow this path, it will...

Have you ever felt the desire to stop practicing your faith, to drift quietly away from the Lord like a dried leaf that falls into a running stream, only to be whisked away by the humdrum muddle that makes up our lives? Every Christian has, if we're honest. It may not even be a conscious decision but simply begins as a small act, maybe a white lie, a po...

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the greatest event that has ever happened in the history of the universe. Nothing more amazing has or ever will happen than the empty tomb. Pope Benedict XVI captured this fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion perfectly: " The Resurrection of the Son of man was utterly different... an entirely new form of life, no longer subject to the law...

Last Friday evening I was called to the home of a long time parishioner: "Father, she has taken a turn for the worst. She doesn't have much time ," said the familiar voice over the phone. " I'm on my way ." Driving up to the house, the long driveway was packed with cars. I found a dirt patch alongside the road to park my car beneath a mature pine tree. The setting sun was low enough...

One of the worst things to hear from someone is "Shame on you!" Whatever the cause, shame strikes to the heart of who we are. It is a dreadful emotion felt only in relationship to someone when a bond is ruptured, severed, or damaged. Shame makes us feel unworthy and hideously unloved. Maybe that's why we always turn our eyes away? Not Jesus. He looks squarely at us. He strikes the s...

At 3pm on Good Friday, Jesus let out his last breath. His dead corpse was still nailed to the cross. It makes you wonder, where did his spirit go? The Apostles Creed which we recite in the beginning of the holy rosary gives us the answer in a short but reviling line: "He descended into Hell." Which begs another query, what was he doing there? If we are to live the joy we have i...

The Easter Vigil is not for the faint of heart. It's called the "Mother of all vigils" due to its length and ancient rites, going all the way back to the early Church. It's on this night new adult Christians are baptized and reborn into eternity. I told the soon-to-be Christians: You are about to enter into the greatest story ever told. Never forget.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Fa...

Knowing he was about to be arrested and killed, Jesus gave humanity his two greatest gifts at the Last Supper. Everything was leading up to this moment. All the lessons he taught his disciples was now coming to a grand finale. Pay attention; these gifts were paid with blood. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If h...

We all want to be happy. The question becomes, "How do we achieve it?" If you've been listening to my sermons over these last few years, you know my answer: RELATIONSHIP. Happiness is not a something (money, power, pleasure, beauty) but a someoneContrary to what the world shoves down our throats,. Happiness is only found in love. The faster we realize this, the sooner the happiness will come....

What do you see when you gaze upon a crucifix? Do you see your fear of rejection? It's there. Do you see your fear of loneliness? That's there to. Do you see your fear of pain and death? How about your fear of being laughed at? How about your fear of failure? It's all there. The deepest fears of our lives are all nailed on the cross with Jesus. We want to hide the our shame but Our Lord says no. C...

For most weddings, the bride is the star of the "show." Her dress, the hair, her very tear-soaked eyes capture the attention of all those seated in the pews. As she marches down the aisle towards her future husband, she notices something strange about his attire--he's wearing sweatpants! She explodes in anger; and rightly so. His clothing fails to capture the immensity of the moment. As human...

Jerry Miller from Indiana wrote the following post on social media in a desperate attempt to find his child:  "Looking for my daughter born December 4th or 5th 1978 in Covington Ky. at St. Elizabeth Hospital. I have never stopped looking! Adoption records are sealed. Birth father Jerry Miller (and) birth mother Kathy Kabich (unsure of spelling). I had a brain aneurysm shortly after you were b...

  "Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them " (from the Gospel reading at Mass). Notice where Jesus lead them -- " up a high mountain. " For a first century Jew, this detail meant everything. Mountains are places of encount...