On the Square Today

In his latest On the Square column , Russell E. Saltzman explains how to give a sermon to children:

Liturgical purists hate them, children’s sermons. I have a friend in New York who positively sneers whenever I mention that, yes, I do children’s sermons. He doesn’t like red barbecue sauce, either, which puts him in a special class of culinary philistines. His critique of children’s sermons is not without merit but, as with barbecue sauce, I have chosen to ignore him.

Besides, I think they do belong. Not the kind he describes, granted, or some that I’ve heard the Rev. Happy Pastor give to those cute innocent little sweeties: “Hey, boys and girls, can you tell me why Jesus is like a catcher’s mitt?” I don’t remember the answer. Who—even a kid—would want to?

Also today, Sean Curryn pays tribute to the late poet Samuel Menashe :

The poet Samuel Menashe (whose work been printed many times in the pages of First Things ) died in his sleep on August 22nd, at the age of 85. As the obituaries and tributes have noted, he had been the recipient of the first “Neglected Masters Award” from the Poetry Foundation in 2004, with his New and Selected Poems then being published by the Library of America.

And finally, Steven Smith reviews new Bible software for Catholics :

Remember the 1990s? They brought forth a variety of PC versions of the Bible. Back in the day, they were stunning; although admittedly, these first-generation programs were clunky, and little more than electronic texts of the Bible, marketed to the busy pastor or motivated Bible student. Gradually, speedier processors allowed for more features, including word study, and some graphics, such as maps of biblical lands, etc.