Tag: John Paul II

The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth

~ Peggy Haslar

"In the year 1666, in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy, the court of Grand Duke Ferdinando II saw the arrival of a most unusual object--the partial remains of a great white shark!" That's a pretty cool opener for a middle reader biography, and Thomas Salerno's The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicholas Steno … Continue reading The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth

Netflix’ Outlaw King: Battle, Betrayal and the Body’s True Beauty

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 2 Comments

Give me swords clashing and chail mail flashing.  Bloody battles and medieval mystery have captivated my imagination ever since my grandmother refashioned Idylls of the King and Ivanhoe as bedtime stories for my brothers and me. Give me a just cause and an undying love and impossible odds.  Give me legend.  Give me history. Give me heroes … Continue reading Netflix’ Outlaw King: Battle, Betrayal and the Body’s True Beauty

Ashes and the Assumption: The Body’s Dignity Even in Death

~ Peggy Haslar

My favorite trail is named for the cathedral-spired rock formations lining both sides of a mountain canyon. Its curves link vistas so stunning that hikers hesitate to turn back when clouds gather and daylight dwindles. “It would be cool if my family would scatter my ashes somewhere up here,” a friend mused on a camping … Continue reading Ashes and the Assumption: The Body’s Dignity Even in Death

Pondering Silence and Exuberant Praise: The Example of Mary, Mother of God

~ Peggy Haslar ~ 5 Comments

"Mary's silence is admirable," notes the Navarre Bible's commentary on Matthew 1:19, in which Joseph, distressed and perplexed at the pregnancy of his betrothed, is told in a dream not to be afraid to marry her, "for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Apparently Mary's trust that God would take … Continue reading Pondering Silence and Exuberant Praise: The Example of Mary, Mother of God