Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

Indeed, in the quiet home of Bethany, amidst the clatter of dishes and the urgency of preparation, Mary did something both simple and profound—she sat at the feet of Christ. While Martha busied herself with many good things, Mary chose the better thing, the one needful thing. It is a subtle yet eternal truth: the soul’s deepest nourishment is not found in the rush of service, but in the stillness...

It is a striking fact, though often overlooked, that from the earliest days of the Church, the Virgin Mary was not merely honoured as the Mother of our Lord, but held up as the model of Christian faith itself. This wasn’t because early Christians confused her with Christ, or wished to place her above Him. Rather, they saw in her something the modern world too often misses: a life fully and freely...

There is a peculiar thing about belief. We often imagine it must be lit with the fire of visions, thunderous voices, and the trembling of mountains. We tend to seek the spectacular, the sensational. Yet heaven, if I may be so bold, is rather quieter than we imagine. Now, there once was a mother, a girl, really, whose name the angels knew long before the world did: Mary. Her story is told with such...

When one reads the ancient words of Isaiah, particularly the thirty-fifth chapter, one finds not merely poetry, but promise:  "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped..." What are these but signposts, pointing beyond themselves to a reality yet to come? And when Christ walked among us — healing the blind, the lame, the deaf — He did not merely perform wo...

“No servant can serve two masters.” It is not merely a command—it is a diagnosis. Christ is not giving us a rule to follow; He is telling us something about the way we are made. The human heart, like a compass, cannot point in two directions at once. Try to serve both God and “mammon” (worldly power, riches, fancy cars and houses, think of the things drug cartels worship), and you will soon discov...

She came not with words, but with tears — the ancient language of the broken heart. In her silence, she spoke a thousand repentances; in her weeping, a thousand thanksgivings. It was not the perfume that anointed Christ, but the love that poured itself out with reckless abandon, unashamed and unmeasured. The world might call her foolish, but Heaven called her beloved. For in her act, we see that l...

There are moments in Scripture which, like doors slightly ajar, invite us into rooms far deeper than we first imagined. One such moment occurs in the Gospel of John, where Christ says: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). At first glance, the comparison may seem almost grotesque; our Saviour is likened to a serpent, an emblem of...

St. Pope John Paul II’s call to build a civilization of love is a powerful reminder that true progress is not measured by wealth, technology, or power, but by the depth of our compassion and the strength of our commitment to one another. He envisioned a world where every human life is valued, where justice and mercy walk hand in hand, and where love becomes the guiding principle of all relationshi...

It is a perilous thing, in this passing world, to place any love above Jesus Christ, who is Love Himself. Many fair things there are under the sun – family, our houses, the laughter of children, and the solace of deep companionship. These are good, and given as gifts by the Giver of all light. Yet they are but reflections, glimmering on the surface of the water, of the Great Light from Heaven. Our...

Before the shaping of the seas and the rising of the mountains, there was but the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through Him were all things made, and without Him not a stone nor star came to be. --- 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...

Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch, said the voice. It is no small thing to leave the shallows, where footing is sure and the wind is tame, and to trust the unseen deeps. Yet it is there, beyond the known and the safe, that the adventure of Christianity finally begins.  --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian’s homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listen...

Jesus draws near to us as a gentle healer, bearing wounds of His own. He enters not by force, but with the quiet grace of one who knows the burden of grief and the chill of despair. Into the very heart of our affliction He steps, not to scorn it, but to sanctify it.  By His touch, the bitter is made sweet, and what was broken begins to mend. For such is His purpose: not to shield us from pain...

In his letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul urges, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). In these words, we’re reminded that the Christian journey is not one we walk alone. God has placed us in community so that we may strengthen one another in faith, hope, and love. To build each other up in Christ is to speak truth with grace,...

There is something oddly invigorating about discovering that one is not the center of the universe. It is rather like opening a window and discovering, to your astonishment, that the world goes on quite well without your personal supervision. This, I believe, is the beginning of wisdom – and the birthplace of humility. Now, humility is not what the modern man imagines it to be. He thinks it a sort...

In a world overwhelmed by noise, haste, and the shadows of anxiety, we are called to stay awake. Not merely with open eyes, but with hearts attuned to the presence of Christ. The world tempts us to distraction, to forgetfulness of the eternal, yet Jesus stands quietly at the door of our soul, waiting to be received. To stay awake means to live in vigilant faith, to guard the light within, and not...

When we encounter the mercy of Jesus firsthand, when we truly grasp how deeply we are loved and forgiven despite our flaws, it changes us. His grace softens the edges of our judgment and replaces pride with compassion. We begin to see others not as problems to fix, but as people to love. The faults in others no longer provoke frustration, but invite empathy, because we remember our own need for me...

***At the end, the last five minutes is a bonus hymn from our 10AM Holy Mass*** We moderns have so arranged our religious instincts that we think the divine voice must always sound like a lullaby, when in fact it often sounds like a trumpet. We wish to hear of lilies and sparrows, forgetting that even lilies toil and sparrows fall. So when Christ, with the thunder of truth behind His quiet Galilea...

Humility is the heartbeat of every Christ-centered relationship, reflecting the very nature of Jesus, who though He was God chose to serve rather than be served. In light of His example, humility allows us to love without pride, listen without judgment, and forgive without hesitation. It softens our hearts, making space for grace to flourish between us. When we approach others with humility, we mi...

God longs to throw a wedding feast for humanity—a celebration of love, joy, and eternal union. In His heart burns a divine desire to gather us, not as strangers or servants, but as beloved guests at His table. Like a bridegroom preparing for his bride, He adorns heaven with beauty and grace, waiting for each soul to accept His invitation. This feast is not just a promise of the future—it’s a refle...

In the unspeakable darkness of the Nazi concentration camps of World War II, Viktor Frankl famously said,  “What is to give light must endure burning.” It is a line that glows with quiet terror—and truth. For there is no true light in this world that has not come through some flame. Even stars must burn to shine. In order for something to be luminous or radiant warmth, it must die to itself....

The Catholic teaching of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven reminds us of the sacred dignity and eternal destiny of the human body. Mary, taken body and soul into heavenly glory, reveals the fullness of God's promise to humanity—that our bodies, not just our souls, are destined for resurrection and glory. Her Assumption is a sign of hope for all believers, showing that through G...

St. Maximilian Kolbe demonstrated a powerful witness of love through his ultimate act of self-sacrifice at Auschwitz, where he volunteered to die in place of another prisoner—a stranger and a father. Motivated by his deep faith and devotion to Christ and the Virgin Mary, Kolbe’s love transcended fear and self-preservation, embodying the Gospel’s call to lay down one's life for others. His martyrdo...

We must remember, as Moses stood on the heights of Mount Nebo, gazing upon a land he would never tread, that the promise of God is not always the path we walk but the purpose He weaves. It is a strange comfort, is it not, that the man who led so faithfully was withheld from the reward he seemed to earn? Yet here lies the greater mystery -- God had something even better in store.  --- Help Spr...

Moses, like a mighty mountain casting its last long shadow over the trembling plains, closes the book of Deuteronomy not with the wearied groans of a man defeated, but with the triumphant thunder of a prophet who has seen the Promised Land. There is something oddly divine in his departure—this leader who once stammered now speaks in soaring poetry, blessing tribes like a bard whose soul burns with...

***Bonus hymn at the end of the homily from the 10AM Mass*** In rural Vacaville, we are familiar with the cry of the rooster crows, as the stars have already blinked out of the sky and a new day is at hand and yet, we are always surprised by morning. So it shall be with the coming of the Son of Man. There is a great paradox in this age, a thing so blindingly obvious that only a modern man could mi...