Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

The phrase "Do not be afraid" occurs more any other in Sacred Scriptures. We hear it 365 times. One time for everyday of the year. The fearless trademark of the Christian rests on one simple fact revealed to us by Jesus himself. Once we allow this truth to penetrate our lives, we can stand against the fiercest of storms. 

 La lectura del Evangelio de este domingo revela la verdad más profunda de quiénes somos realmente. En aquella ocasión Jesús exclamó: «Yo te alabo, Padre, Señor del Cielo y de la tierra, porque has mantenido ocultas estas cosas a los sabios y entendidos y las has revelado a la gente sencilla. Sí, Padre, pues así fue de tu agrado. Mi Padre ha puesto todas las cosas en mis manos. Nadie conoce al Hijo sino el Padre, y nadie conoce al Padre sino el Hijo y aquellos a quienes el Hijo se lo quiera dar a conocer.” (Cf. Mateo 11, 25-27).

 ¡Esta gente “sencilla” de la que habla somos nosotros! Jesús, en esta ventana íntima en su corazón y en oración, está intercediendo por nosotros. Él da gracias a Dios por el generoso regalo que quiere darnos. Esta “voluntad misericordiosa” de darnos “todas las cosas” no es otra cosa más que el Reino universal de Dios.

 Él está hablando del Cielo mismo por toda la eternidad. Esto es lo que Dios tiene reservado para nosotros. Él no quiere limitar nuestra libertad o felicidad aquí en la tierra. Él está tratando de elevar nuestros corazones para amar las cosas que son verdaderas, hermosas y eternas. 

When you're hated by others, you can immediately tell by how they look at you. Imagine the glaring eyes St. Matthew would have gotten from his fellow Jews sitting in the custom post. His countrymen would have seen him as a traitor, a cheater, and colluder with their worst enemy. It is here that Jesus suddenly arrives unexpectedly, as he so often does in the lives of sinners. With one gaze, one look from Our Lord, Matthew's life is changed forever. 

In the first reading today, Abraham ascends a mountain with his own beloved Son, Isaac. In a sheer, shocking act of obedience to God, he shows he is willing to sacrifice what he loves most. As the knife was about to strike, an angel suddenly stays his hand. Abraham passes the ultimate test. This act of trust will be the model for those who wishing to follow God. 

***Bonus song at the end of this homily from our Latin Mass choir***

When someone finally realizes the truth of how much they are loved by God, joy explodes. If God is willing to endure such lengths to bring us back into loving communion with him, it begs the question of our dignity.  The Father sends his son Jesus into the world to take on our frail human nature, be born into swaddling clothes, grow up in a little mountain, nothing town on the fringes of Palestine, ridiculed, spat upon, insulted, and finally tortured by being nailed to a barren tree as crowds mock and laugh at his unimaginable pain, then we can gain some truth into God’s immense love for us: “His death”, says St. Catherine of Siena, the famous medieval saint, “on the Cross is the culmination of that turning of God against himself in which he gives himself in order to raise man up and save him.  This is love in its most radical form.”

By definition our "enemies" are shunned and sidelined. They offer few things of value to us. Yet, it's precisely an "enemy" who opens the door to something magnificent in today's gospel. A Roman centurion arrives on the scene who will utterly amaze and marvel our Lord. The words this "enemy" utters will even be repeated by billions in the future.  

One of the deepest, hardwired instincts we all have is to feel accepted. We need a place to feel at home and be surrounded by people who care about us. Without community, without a sense of belonging, without family, the human soul shrivels up and whimpers away. From a biblical perspective, this desire to be loved should not surprise us in the least. We are created for relationships as the Book of Genesis famously reveals to us. You and I are “made in the image of and likeness of God.” (Cf. Genesis 1:27). This “image”, of which it speaks, is a Holy Trinity of relationship – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Ironically, this innate desire to simply “fit in”, is what makes it hard to be a practicing Christian. You would imagine that following Jesus Christ who calls us to be “peacemakers” and to “love one another” would lead to a peaceful existence, but sadly that is not how it works out. If we strive to follow Jesus faithfully, we will ultimately find ourselves hated by others because we have the duty to speak unpopular truths. 

The Scripture readings this Sunday point to the persecution that will come when we side with God. We first heard from the Prophet Jeremiah, who was tasked to stand at the Benjamin Gate in Jerusalem, which was one of the major entry ways into the city. He preached to the people to stop violating the Sabbath day by working instead of keeping it as a day of rest and prayer. He called them to repent and change their lives. For that he “hears the whisperings of many ‘terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him!’ All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.’” He begged the people to return to God with their whole heart and soul. For his reward, he is hated and made a social outcast. They preferred the luxury of their sin. 

But that’s ok. As Christian’s we cannot compromise nor deny any aspect of the Church’s teachings, as difficult and countercultural they may be. Even if we are hated by men, our Heavenly Father looks upon us with compassion on our fidelity. It’s the true measure of our love for him. He tells us in the Gospel passage today, “Fear no one.” What can they do, after all? “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Cf. Matthew 10:26-33). We must never stop proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ from the “rooftops”, no matter how unpopular that will make us. In the short term, we may be shunned, ridiculed, and mocked. So be it. When we stay faithful to the teachings of our Lord, he promised that a heavenly banquet awaits those who endure to the end.

Can you imagine a scenario that would compel you to abandon the Lord and stop practicing your faith? Most of us hope that our love would be strong enough. The saints we remember today held fast. In the face of the storm, they didn't even flinch. 

"The one who is begotten by God conquers the world," we're told in the first reading (Cf. 1 John 5:4). How so? I want to be amazing, rich, and victorious. The saint we remember on this day, showed us the way. 

If someone stopped you on the street and asked you to describe God, how would you answer? It’s a great question to bring to your private prayer. It reveals how you relate to Him. If you see him as cold and distant, you will never talk to him on a daily basis. If you only pray when you need something, the goodness of God will be dependent upon whether or not he answered the prayers in the way you wanted. If God is seen as merciful, just, and lavish with his love, He will be seen as our Father in Heaven. Therefore, we are his sons and daughters. God will not simply be seen as some distant figure hiding majestically behind the clouds. He will be seen as someone intimately intertwined with our lives. He cares for us, even in the smallest of things, like any good parent. In other words, if God is our Heavenly Father, he is not indifferent to us; after all, what loving earthly mother or father could be? 

The Scripture readings that we have today demonstrate the magnificence of this God of ours. We hear in the First Reading God speaking directly to Moses: “tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine.” He’s telling them I have chosen you, yes you, from all the different people of the earth, for a special, specific mission. If they remain faithful by following all his commandments and teachings, God would make the Israelite people into a “kingdom of priests.” This is an extremely important moment in history and for the entire salvation of all of humanity. God is telling them I have a plan to save the human race from their sins. As we know terribly well, we’re constantly tempted to stray from God. We fall into sin time and time again. Our eyes are meant to loftily gaze heavenward, to the heights, yet clumsily veer to the glittery, shining distraction of the earth.