Whose Fool are You?

 

"We are fools for Christ..." – 1 Corinthians 4:10

One Sunday service, we found a hate letter taped to the choir loft door as we entered.
It said, “You don’t deserve to be called Breviarians.”
They called us Xeroxians.

Oof.
We stared at it in disbelief.
Not because we were deeply hurt (okay, maybe a little),
but because we couldn’t believe someone was that invested in our crazy little group.

Why “Xeroxians”?

Because we photocopied our Midafternoon prayers.
Breviaries were expensive, and we were just students.
There were no digital apps yet, and we didn’t want to miss praying together before the Blessed Sacrament.
We even printed 1,000 song sheets—every single Sunday—for the 5PM Mass so the congregation could join us in singing—long before PowerPoint ever entered a parish.
(It was honestly a miracle how we pulled that off. God's provision at its finest!)

Looking back, we should’ve laminated that letter.
Framed it.
Hung it in the Brev office like a battle medal.
Because what was meant to tear us down actually fired us up to live up to our name.

We may not have “deserved” the name Breviarians back then…
But that letter lit a holy fire in us to start becoming exactly that.

We were “fools” for thinking young people could fall in love with the Divine Office.
“Fools” for believing the Mass could feel like Heaven if we gave our all.
“Fools” for being too joyful in service.
Too loud. Too excited. Too much.

We were laughed at for being emotional and “disrupting the silence” during Adoration.
Mocked for organizing Big Tent Festivals in the middle of a storm.
Judged for using Contemporary Christian Music to gather the youth and lead them to sing their thanksgiving during Brevstock.

And now?
We’re being told Brevolution is just another crazy idea.

But here’s the truth:
We never did it to impress anyone.
We were never after claps or compliments.
We were just madly in love—with Christ, with His Church, and with the Mass.
Because how can we not be?
Jesus made the wildest gesture of all: loving us unconditionally, saving us despite our unworthiness.

And love?

Love always makes people look a little crazy.

Looking back, those “foolish” days gave birth to a movement:
Breviarian Chapters.
Radio programs.
Faith concerts.
Ministry friendships that outlasted time.
Countless souls brought back to the Eucharist.
Hearts healed. Vocations sparked. Joy restored.

This April Fools’ Day, we wear our “foolishness” like a badge of honor.
Because if the world thinks it’s crazy to live for Christ,
then we don’t mind being the craziest in the room.

There are a lot of crazies in the world… but not all of them lead to Heaven.
So why not be like the saints?
Like St. Francis of Assisi, who stripped down for Christ and found true freedom.
Or St. Philip Neri, the laughing priest who wore ridiculous clothes just to humble himself.
They were ridiculed, misunderstood, even rejected—
but their holy madness changed the world.

So today, we challenge you:
Be a fool. But make it count.
Be part of a worthy crazy.
Be a Brev.

See you at Brevolution.
Where the foolishness continues—
and the joy never ends.

I am a Brev.
I am a fool for Christ.

---