Apparently there is this church in Spain that has been under construction since 1882 and is not due to be finished until at least 2026. It looks to me like they are way overdue to find a new construction firm. Pope Ratzinger consecrated the church on his recent trip so now they can at least hold masses there.
Architect Antoni Gaudi was a devout Catholic and believed that the new church would be an expression of “the divine history of the salvation of man through Christ incarnate, given to the world by the Virgin Mary”. He was so dedicated to this project that he began work on it in 1883 and from 1911 onwards made it his only occupation, spending “the next 15 years living and working on site as a virtual recluse, supervising work”.
In return for all this selfless devotion, god caused a tram to run over and kill Gaudi in 1926.
We should not be surprised. God has a funny way of showing gratitude for the unquestioning faith he says he wants, like when he caused the deaths of all of Job’s ten children just for the hell of it, even though Job was even more faithful to him than Gaudi.
For those not familiar with the Job story, here’s a nice summary.
In fairness it should be said that Gaudi was a genius and the Sagrada Familia is a masterpiece (not to mention, the biggest tourist draw in Barcelona.)
It is an absolutely fantastic looking building.
Apparently George Orwell thought it was one of the world’s most hideous buildings, which shows how tastes can differ so much in matters of art.
I have often wondered why we still believe, after all the horrific things that have happened in this world. Is all of life merely a test of endurance?