It is said that their journey to Egypt was blessed with many miracles – lions and leopards wagging their tails in homage, palm trees bending down to give them fruit.
Legends dating back to the fifth century say that the Holy Family stayed in the city of Matariyah, just northeast of present-day Cairo. One story says that as a child, Jesus grew balsam trees producing balm that cured almost anything, including snakebite.
Another story is that as the family passed through a city about 150 miles up the Nile, the pagan idol statues bowed to them
These turned out to the same two robbers, goes the legend, who were later crucified with Jesus. The one who, back in Egypt, had been moved by Mary’s tears ended up to be the “Good Thief” on the cross.
Basilica of the Sagrada Familia
In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.
The church (which is not the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Barcelona) has been under construction for more than 130 years . . . and is still not completed.
It was designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous and sometimes temperamental architect who died at age 74 in 1926 after being his b a streetcar in Barcelona on his way to evening prayer. Dubbed “God’s architect,” Gaudi was a devout catholic who is being promoted for beatification by those who believe his architectural design will ultimately lead people to Christianity.
Construction began in 1883, and has been financed privately through donations and tourist fees (more than two million people visit the unfinished cathedral each year). When it is completed, the basilica will hold 14,000 people and its spire will tower above the Barcelona skyline.
But when will the Sagrada Familia be finished?
It was once thought the basilica would be finished in time to be dedicated on the fast of the Holy Family in 2002. Now, its architect predicts it’ll be finished by 2026, 100 years after Antoni Gaudi’s death.
- Little Blue Book, December 28