The Most Expensive Brevolution Ticket


I thought it was the VIP Pass.

But it turns out, the most expensive Brevolution ticket was not bought with money—it was bought with a decision.

Meet Alexander “Brev Alecxyz” Ga-ano, one of our OG Brevs. A teacher in Kalinga-Apayao, Brev Alecxyz came to Brevolution not with spare time or spare change, but with a firm resolve to put God first.

Here’s the catch: May 10 fell during election season, and teachers like him were being invited to serve in the electoral process. Depending on the position, the pay could go as high as ₱12,000. For many of us, that’s tuition, rent, or a much-needed break from mounting bills.

And they were counting on him. He had served in the last election, and they were expecting him to say yes again.

But he didn’t.
He chose to say yes to something else.
Something eternal.

He surprised us all when he showed up at Brevolution, and it wasn’t until the following day, after the prison ministry service, that he shared his story. That quiet, humble revelation moved us deeply. It reminded us why we do what we do.

To some, his choice might seem sayang.
Some might say, “You can thank the Lord at home naman, ah.”

But those who know the heart of a grateful person understand this: Thanksgiving and worship are never a waste.
It’s like Mary of Magdala pouring out expensive perfume at Jesus’ feet. When Judas complained about the cost, Jesus replied:

“Leave her alone... She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
(Mark 14:6)

Because when it comes to thanking the Lord, no amount is too great.

Fellowship after prison ministry

A Life Formed in the Brev Way

Brev Alecxyz’s sacrifice wasn’t impulsive. It was rooted in years of formation.

Back in our early Brevs days, he accompanied me to our little Brev office at Sangkabalayan. Our daily routine was a missionary rhythm: morning Mass and adoration, tidying the office, preparing meals for the servers, washing dishes, going on school outreaches, and closing the day with the 5:15 Mass, Vespers, and prayer missions in banks, funeral wakes, and dorms.

That was our typical, beautiful day as full-time Brevs.

When he was eventually assigned elsewhere, it was a heartbreak. But he carried with him a word of wisdom from broA:
“Just do things the Brev way.”

And wherever the Lord brought him—from classrooms to youth missions and institutions—he did exactly that.

Brevolution: A Risk and a Revelation

When we were still conceptualizing Brevolution, I remember someone asking, “Do you think people will really pay for this?”
Ticket pricing in Baguio is notoriously low, and we knew we were taking a risk. But here's the truth: Price is subjective. Value is personal.
What you're willing to pay reflects what it's worth to you.

For our family of five, it wasn't an easy expense. But we had months to prepare—and we believed it was worth it.
And God provided!

I remembered how our Brevs from Balatoc would hustle all year just to attend our Big Tent Festivals: Easter caroling, doing laundry, seeking sponsors—because they knew what it meant to encounter God in those tents.

Brev Alecxyz, Brev Grace and the Balatoc Brevs - Mei, Lea and Jovie

But Brevolution was something else. It was new. No guarantees. No big names. Just the call to gather and say thank You.

Did people come? Yes.
Did God show up? Oh, more than we ever dreamed.

Every single day leading up to May 10 was filled with signs of God’s provision, directions, affirmation, and love. And when Bishop Rafael T. Cruz, D.D. told us during his homily that the Breviarians know how to thank because we are thinking people—it felt like heaven’s seal. (But let’s save that for another blog. Hehe.)

Because here’s what we witnessed: God cherishes to be thanked.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.”
(Psalm 107:1)

“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me.”
(Psalm 50:23) 

We Will Keep Showing Up

We will never outgive God. Never outlove Him. Never outdo Him in generosity.
But we will keep trying.

So this blog is for Brev Alecxyz—and all the Brevs and sponsors who paid their tickets not just with pesos, but with extra mile, sacrifice, love, trust, and deep gratitude.

And to the Lord who inspired this event,
we can never repay You.
But we will keep showing up.
We will keep thanking You.
We will keep living the way of life You gifted us - the Brev way.


- Brev cHacHi -

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Faith Beyond Borders: When Distance Can't Separate Us from God

Image
There’s something about moving to a foreign country that shakes you to your core. The comfort of home disappears. Familiar faces fade into the background. And suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by a culture, a language, and sometimes even a  faith  that feels different from what you’ve always known. Some let go. Some adjust. But some hold on even tighter. And that’s exactly what  Brev Jeff in Canada  and  Brev Patrick in Vietnam  did. Brev Jeff: The Rosary That Kept Them Rooted Canada wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for Jeff and his family. The struggles of settling down, the pressure of making ends meet, and the silent battles of being far from home—it was overwhelming. And yet, in the midst of it all, they never lost their center. They kept the faith.  Literally. Every night, as the world outside continued to test them, they turned to  prayer.  The Rosary wasn’t just a devotion; it became their lifeline.  It held them together wh...
Read more

The Paradox of Palm Sunday: Embracing Love through the Cross

Image
by: Brev. Sr. Jessa Rosal Today is no ordinary day. Today, as we hold palms in our hands and gather in liturgical unity, we re-live a sacred moment—Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people cry out in joyous voices: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” We celebrate this moment, but we know that this same road leads not to a royal palace, but to a place of pain.  Also, Palm Sunday is the paradox of the Christian life. A celebration of a King who reigns not from a throne, but from the Cross.  Pope Benedict XVI said it beautifully:  “If I look at the Cross, I could not but accept the fact that it is the most significant way of expressing the greatest act of a lover.”  It was love, not force, that conquered the world. It was meekness, not might, that shut down the voice of the devil. This is the divine logic: The way to salvation is the way of the Cross.  As St. Paul says in Romans 8:17:“If we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorifie...
Read more

Whose Fool are You?

Image
  "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 batt...
Read more