Waiting for Don Quijote

The immortal literary work of Miguel de Cervantes and its main character, Don Quixote de la Mancha, serve as the means by which Fr. Alfonso Gálvez carries out a detailed analysis of the assaults made, throughout History, on the pristine message of the Gospel with the intention of watering it down. In the very promise made by Christ that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against his Church, we find also an underlying message, both clear and terrifying: The attempts to destroy the Rock (upon which the Church is founded) will not cease until the End of Time. And as we get closer to that End, the malice and Power of the Enemy will reveal themselves with ever greater strength. Waiting for Don Quixote, in this sense, is not only a book dedicated to the problems facing the Church of the XXIst Century; it also examines, in a peculiar way, the key temptations which the Bride of Christ has suffered and will continue to suffer on her already long road.

Though there are many interpretations regarding the madness or sanity of Don Quixote (all of them valid), Fr. Alfonso Gálvez makes use of this quixotesque way of being to comment on the "madness" of Divine Wisdom, revealed to us in Holy Scripture, as being in stark contrast to the "sanity" of man who, making use of his free will, has decided to reject the message of Christ, with a view to making it a more human one. In reality, all the Enemy's attempts to destroy the Church could be summed up as a set of different ways in which to modify -or rather, adulterate- the Gospel, presenting it in a "more acceptable" light to the eyes of godless men.

From the very first chapter till the last, the author, as a consequence of his tremendous love for Christ and the Church, reveals a profound knowledge not only of how Evil works (a trait no longer common among the members of the Hierarchy), but also of that which constitutes the essence of Christianity. Thus, in one profound stroke, he lays bare the madness or sanity (depending on how you look at it), of wanting to grant to the laity tasks that belong to the Presbyterate, or of placing priests in roles that belong to the laity. While presenting to us in Chapters V, VI, and VII an analysis of Divine Love manifested in Jesus Christ, and causing in the process some of the adventures of The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote to echo in our memory, the author also explains the terrible consequences lying in store for those who try to undermine the essence of true love. Lastly, the last two chapters bring to light the two greatest temptations affecting the growth of the Church and which are attacking Her today with inordinate ferocity.

In essence, a key book for understanding the "Madness" of Divine Wisdom and the "Sanity" of Modern Man. The masterly final chapter, "The Great Temptation", is a must-read for all, but especially for those who have been called to the priesthood.