Fr. Brian Soliven Sermons

In today's Gospel, we have the famous story of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. The scandal of the cross has rocked their faith. Even Jesus' own uncle abandons his nephew. Here we have them completely disheartened, walking away from the Jerusalem into the coldness of the unbelieving world. Yet suddenly, an unexpected visitor suddenly appears and their empty hearts become inflamed with a new fire. Who was this person? The "breaking of the bread" reveals the identity of the mystery. 

A life lived in Christ, is the truest of lives. Without him, we are slaves to the whims and changes of our circumstances. Without him my value depends on the approval and affirmation of others. Without him, death itself will devour me, no matter how much vegetables I eat. Not anymore! The resurrected Jesus changes everything. If Jesus is alive as we Christians joyfully affirm, it means that Jesus is truly who he claimed to be – God in the flesh. The words he told Martha in the Gospel of John during the infamous account of the death of her brother Lazarus, can suddenly takes on new power: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’  She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” (Cf. John 11:25-27). 

And now I ask you, my dear Christian, the same Christian asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” Do you? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe that he has been raised from the dead? Do you believe that he has opened the gates of Heaven for us through the pouring of his precious blood upon the cross? Do you believe that we shall join him in Heaven, as long as we stay faithful to his commandments, even if the world mocks us for our love? How we answer these critical questions will change how we live Easter Sunday. 

The Wednesday of Holy Week is traditionally called "Spy Wednesday". It's the day Judas conspired with the Pharisees  to betray Jesus for a measly 30 pieces of silver. What caused him to turn on his friend? Judas' sad story provides a lesson for us all. 

"The whole city was shaken", when our precious Lord entered the city of Jerusalem on the donkey (Cf. Matthew 21:10). The crowds new they were welcoming a conquering messiah, long promised by God centuries before. The time was now fulfilled. However, Christ victory will be won not by swords or armies but something even more precious. 

"Father", said the little eight-year old girl shortly before Mass. "Why are the statues covered?" She was referring to the large purple veils that now adorned the sanctuary, hiding all of the artwork. Passiontide, as we call it, has its earliest beginnings in the 9th century. It's meant to evoke absence and emptiness. The little girl immediately picked it up and understood that something is missing. I told her to keep following her instinct during Holy Week. The drama will only intensify. This "something" is actually a "someone". Stay tuned. 

Christ has come to form a new people. 

Last night we had our parish Penance Service. Ten priests were available to hear the confessions of our parishioners. By the time we started at 6:30pm, well over a hundred people came. It was a beautiful sight. 

We all want happiness. It’s the universal truth, crossing all national boundaries, cultures, economic status, and religions. We cannot choose otherwise. All the decisions that we make each day, from the most minut to the biggest, all relate to that goal somehow. Even the mere act of getting up in the morning to a job we dislike, for example, is made to achieve happiness. The job allows me to earn a paycheck. The paycheck allows me to pay my mortgage. The mortgage gives me a warm, safe place to sleep and raise my family. Sleeping and being with my family makes me happy (at least when they are not getting on my nerves!). We all desire to be happy. Many of us make it our goal in life. However, for the Christian disciple, this type of happiness cannot be our main objective. This type of happiness will always depend on our circumstances. Our life experience tells us that we cannot control all of the events of our lives, as hard we try. We’re often left frustrated and sometimes, even bitter. We need a better definition of happiness.

The amazing story of St. Patrick is reminder that God is truly, our loving Heavenly Father. He can take the darkest moments of our lives when we're tempted to believe the lie that God has abandoned us and use it for His glorious providence. Listen now and see how Patrick went from slave to marvelous saint. 

Déjenme hacerles una gran pregunta. ¿Qué creen que Dios quiere? En este mismo momento, ¿qué quiere? Es una pregunta inesperada. A menudo no pensamos en esta perspectiva cuando pensamos en Dios. A menudo, nos enfocamos en lo que está sucediendo en nuestras vidas y en las tremendas cargas que llevamos. Pedimos a Dios que nos ayude con nuestra familia, nuestras enfermedades e innumerables problemas. Cuando seguimos en nuestro día normal, nos preguntamos qué tenemos que lograr. Pensamos en nuestro trabajo. ¿Pensamos en lo que vamos a cocinar para la cena? ¿Pensamos en lo que tenemos que hacer por nuestra familia? Todas las cosas geniales. Pero, ¿qué es lo que quiere Dios?

 Podemos comenzar a responder a esta pregunta a través del famoso encuentro entre Jesús y las mujeres en el pozo del que escuchamos en la lectura del Evangelio de este domingo. Para obtener el significado más profundo detrás de esta historia, debemos ponernos nuestros anteojos judíos. Los detalles pueden pasar desapercibidos para nosotros como estadounidenses del siglo XXI. La primera línea nos lanza inmediatamente al drama: “En aquel tiempo, llegó Jesús a un pueblo de Samaria, llamado Sicar”. (Cf. Juan 4:5).