Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

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 Friday nights. No longer can I simply go to the bar and get drunk or go to the nightclubs with my friends. I cannot simply spend my money without any thought of my responsibilities. As a husband and father, my duty first and foremost is my wife and children and their wellbeing. Friday nights revolve around them, the way the earth revolves around the sun. 

So again, I must ask, “Who am I?” If I simply go along with what the godless world tells me, the answer to that question is nothing spectacular. I am simply, according to my high school biology teacher, an evolved primate. I am a smart monkey with an iPhone. I am a byproduct within a chaotic universe, devoid of meaning or forethought. At best, I am a cosmic accident that poofed into conscious existence. Who am I? I am nothing. If I answer this question in such a way, the purpose of life becomes myopic and wholly self-centered. It has no greater meaning than what I say it is. I dare say, with such a view of life, it will never satisfy the longing of the human heart. We are created for more and we know it. 

“Who am I?” St. Paul gives us an alternative answer to this pivotal question: “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness…. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness.” (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:3-6). He reminds us of our true identity. We are not smart monkeys, bereft of meaning. Rather, the truth of who we are is more radically extravagant than we can possibly imagine. We are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. This Father of ours created the entire universe. Now, he longs to give us something even greater, the Kingdom, the new Heavenly Jerusalem. He sent his very own Son to die for our sins, out of pure love for us, so that we may share eternal life with the Most Holy Trinity. When answering that question in this way, watch how it changes the course of our lives.

In our first reading today, St. James flatters us with a lovely compliment, "You puff of smoke..."! Thanks St. James. I thought we were friends? On the surface, it may seem like an insult, but after Pentecost, being a "puff of smoke" is nothing but a mighty honor.  

Today, we celebrate our birthday! The Catholic Church was born on this day, as we celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost. The long promised gift of Jesus Christ has come -- the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. This same "Fire from Heaven" that guided the Israelite in the Book of Exodus now lives in each one of us, as the baptized and confirmed. 

St. Paul exhorts the priests from the church in Ephesus to be vigilant. Once he leaves, he warns them, "savage wolves" will descend upon the flock. What do we do when they come? 

Last Sunday we pondered the question during my Sunday homily, “What type of Christian does the world need?” I was trying to zero in on the answer of what type of Christian attracts more souls to Jesus Christ and his Church? This question forces us to reflect whether or not I am living the Christian life well. As we hear this Sunday, every single baptized Christian is sent out into the world to share the great Good News of Jesus Christ. Our Lord instructs us resolutely: Go into the world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” It’s a tremendous responsibility that we have been given. Souls are literally hanging in the balance. It behooves me to live my faith like a saint, with all the tenacity and passion it requires to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Soft, compromising Christianity adds nothing of value to the world. In fact, I dare say, it only makes things worse. 

Imagine what was going through the minds of those Twelve Apostles as our Lord gave them his last instructions before he ascended back into Heaven. “Why don’t you stay!” I would have yelled. We need you to be with us. This mission is too hard to accomplish. I am too weak to finish the race. If any of us have these similar doubts arising in your hearts, we are absolutely correct. It is humanly impossible. The great, comforting truth is that we are never alone. Jesus told us directly, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you”  (Cf. John 16:7). 

He will send us the Holy Spirit; the same spirit that unites the Most Holy Trinity itself in eternal love, will now empower every single one of us. He will guide and lead. We need only bow and submit. We fear nothing as Christians, for we are now in the hands of this Holy Spirit. If you still doubt, look at our 2,000 year old history. The fact that the Catholic Church still stands, despite the weakness of her members and the overwhelming power of our enemies, is an undeniable testament to Jesus’ own promise, “... the gates of Hell will not overpower it” (Cf. Matthew 16:18). And most consoling of all , “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Cf. Matthew 28:20). Jesus sends each and every one of us on a mission to draw more souls to Him. To do that well, we must live this Christian faith with “fire” (Cf. Luke 12:49). 

The Christian is never alone. Even in our darkness hour, in the most torrential of storms, the light of Christ can never be extinguished for those who have faith. 

In today's Gospel passage, we find St. Paul in the heart of ancient Athens, the intellectual center of Western Civilization. It's the home of brilliant giants, such as Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato, and gives rise to notion of democracy itself. Here, Paul proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

A constant theme throughout the Bible is God’s love for humanity. He created us out of love, for love. The Book of Genesis revealed that you and I are created in God’s “image and likeness.” Now, if this is true, it begs the question: what is God? This is where the beauty and power of Christianity comes in and why I love our Catholic faith. We proclaim that God is a trinity! God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is three persons, but one God. It's a great mystery that’s difficult to fully comprehend. To put it another way, God is a communion of love (Cf. 1 John 4:7). The Father loves the Son. The Son loves the Father. And the love between them is the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if the deepest truth of God is a Holy Trinity of love, you and I are created in the image of love itself. The meaning of our life is ultimately found only in love. Is it any wonder, when Christ describes his love his Church, he uses the analogy of a husband loving wife? “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Cf. Ephesians 5:25). 

This beautiful reality leads to another critical question, how do we remain in the love of the Trinity? Jesus tells us how in this Sunday’s Gospel: “If you keep me commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love” (John 15:9-10). Remaining in the love of God means submitting our lives to the will of God. With that being said, effective July 1st, I am sad to announce that Bishop Soto has transferred Fr. Reji to Anthony’s Parish Mount Shasta, the northern part of our diocese. For us priests, moving parishes is one of the hardest parts of our ministry. We truly grow to love the people we serve, making leaving any parish assignment a heart-piercing experience. However, when we are ordained, we make a solemn promise to go wherever the bishop decides to send us. Our life is not our own. We belong to Christ. 

In his place, please join me in welcoming Fr. Carlos Aviles Canton, a priest from Managua, Nicaragua. He has been exiled from his homeland because the current president has launched a fierce persecution against the Catholic Church in that country. Any priest or bishop that dares speak against the oppressive government are being thrown in jail, expelled from the country or worse. As priests, we strive to follow Christ wholeheartedly out of love. No government, whether it's the Roman Empire of old, King Henry VIII of England, the Nazi Regime, or Communist China, can force us to deny our faith in Jesus Christ. Before Fr. Reji departs, we will announce a parish celebration to send him off and a welcome party for Fr. Carlos. More details to follow! 

Jesus is direct and to the point in our Gospel passage this morning: "If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.

Our history is overflowing with Christians rejoicing in the face of tremendous trial and yes even death. What is the cause of this peace and joy? There is only one source of this peace. The Gospel we read today provides the secret.