This is the first book ever published by the author, a product of many years of both Gospel reflection and pastoral work, especially with the youth and with university students. Each one of these meditations was originally an oral lecture that was later transformed and polished so that his thoughts could be poured out into written language. The topic that gives the book it's unity is expressed thus in the prologue: "the feast of man remains something very poor if God does not intervene to change it into a true feast; it is even in danger of becoming no feast at all." To this end, each chapter becomes a commentary, up to date and even prophetic of our times, on a specific pericope of the Gospel or on a special liturgical feast: Zaccheus, The Resurrection of the Young Man of Nain, The Blind Man at Bethsaida, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, The Disciples on the Road to Emmaus, the double commentary which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist--witness to Joy--, the Feast of New Year's Day, the Feast of All Saints Day, among others. The last four meditations, namely, "Hope, the Virtue of Overflowing Joy", "Ways Toward True Love", "The Beatitudes", and "The Wedding at Cana", contain in nuce the principle ideas that make up the theological and spiritual thought of A. Gálvez, which will be developed, more deeply and to a greater length, in the author's greatest work, the Commentaries on the Song of Songs. As it goes over many of its topics, the book reveals itself as prophetic, predicting more than thirty years ago situations which we are now living through, due to man s tragic decision to turn away from God. These situations were clearly announced by the author: the crisis in youth and their current lack of spiritual life, as reflected in the young dead man from Nain; cowardice as the current sin into which our youth falls when facing the power of Evil and the Devil; the crisis in the Church, especially in reference to the Hierarchy, and which is more current today than during the time when it was written; the continuance of the damage caused by Marxism and Communism, despite the fact that the simpletons of our time consider both to have disappeared after the fall of the Berlin Wall..., etc. Precisely because it is a prophetic book, it is an extremely current work, which gives us the Christian key to understanding the present world, and to facing the crisis which both the Church and society as a whole is suffering, using the weapons of Our Faith.
