Honey, Pack Your Things...

...we're moving to Japan.

Maybe it's their way of making up for all the TV sets (a.k.a. poor man's birth control) they sold.

h/t The Duck

Why I Love My WIfe

This little email tells you a lot about Mrs. Drapeau.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rob and Amy Drapeau <drapeau@mac.com>
Date: Fri, May 16, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Subject: Fwd: Enlightening
To: Rob Drapeau <rdrapeau@gmail.com>

we need to pray for this guy.

love you baby, and our punishments -

ae

Begin forwarded message:

---

Obama and Abortion

Is the Democratic Frontrunner Most Pro-Abortion Ever?

BY TOM MCFEELY

WASHINGTON — Veteran Democrat David Carlin knows what he's going to do if Illinois Sen. Barack Obama becomes his party's presidential nominee.

He's going to vote for the presumptive Republican nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

"Any Catholic who takes the abortion issue seriously will not vote for Obama," said Carlin, who served as majority leader of the Rhode Island Senate in 1989-90.

Pro-life leaders describe Obama — who is now the heavy favorite to defeat New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination — as the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in American history.

"Based on his record he appears to be the most pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the presidency," said David O'Steen, executive director of the National Right to Life Committee. "It's hard to be more pro-abortion than Hillary Clinton, but he seems to have managed to do that."

Obama has promised that his first act as president would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill that if enacted would prevent any federal, state or local government entity from restricting access to abortion. O'Steen said this indicates that to Obama, "the most important thing facing America is to promote abortion."

Both Clinton and Obama currently have 100% ratings from NARAL for their pro-abortion voting records in the U.S. Senate. But unlike Clinton, Obama has opposed legislation to protect babies who are born alive following unsuccessful abortions.

In 2002, Clinton voted in favor of the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Obama was not sworn in as a U.S. Senator until 2005, but he opposed similar state legislation in 2001 while serving as an Illinois state senator.

Obama argued against such legislation specifically on the grounds that it might undermine the right to abortion-on-demand throughout pregnancy.

"Whenever we define a pre-viable fetus as a person that is protected by the Equal Protection Clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we're really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a — a child, a 9-month old — child that was delivered to term," Obama warned during debate over three state bills that would have offered protection to babies who are born alive after unsuccessful abortions. "That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place."

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) is scathing in his assessment of Obama's opposition to born-alive legislation.

"That's pretty doctrinaire — that's about as pro-death as you can get on the abortion issue," said Santorum. "He's a candidate who is not just for abortion, but also for infanticide in order to protect the right to abortion."

Santorum said Obama is continuing to affirm his embrace of abortion on the campaign trail. He cited remarks the candidate made at a March 29 town hall meeting in Johnstown, Pa.

At that meeting, in response to a question about sex education for children, Obama argued in favor of educating young children about using contraceptives.

"Look, I've got two daughters, nine years old and six years old," Obama said. "I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

Said Santorum, "To view a child as a punishment, under any circumstances, to me shows that this is not a man who values life, who respects the dignity of human life."

Obama's campaign office did not reply to questions about his position on abortion and other life issues that the Register submitted by e-mail.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that a child has a right to be considered as a gift, now as a punishment:

"A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. … A child may not be considered a piece of property, an idea to which an alleged 'right to a child' would lead. In this area, only the child possesses genuine rights … [including] the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception" (No. 2378).

Judges

O'Steen said Obama's position on life issues is a stark contrast to McCain's. He noted that McCain has a 100% pro-life record on abortion in the U.S. Senate, has voted against a Senate resolution to express support for Roe v. Wade and has stated that he believes Roe should be reversed, supports parental notification and opposes the use of taxpayer funds to facilitate abortion.

Perhaps the most significant difference between Obama and McCain is their position on judicial appointments. Obama has indicated that if elected president he intends to make it a top priority to nominate pro-abortion judges.

In contrast, in a speech May 6 at Wake Forest University, McCain pledged to nominate only lawyers with "a proven commitment to judicial restraint." He attacked Obama's "judicial activism" and was

particularly critical of the Democratic candidate for voting against the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

While McCain did not refer directly to abortion in his speech, opposition among Senate Democrats to the Roberts and Alito nominations centered largely on fears that if confirmed, the two judges might overturn Roe v. Wade and other federal decisions supporting abortion rights.

Said McCain, "Somehow, by Sen. Obama's standard, even Judge Roberts didn't measure up. And neither did Justice Samuel Alito. Apparently, nobody quite fits the bill except for an elite group of activist judges, lawyers, and law professors who think they know wisdom when they see it — and they see it only in each other."

In response to the speech, Obama's campaign said McCain would nominate judges who would threaten abortion rights, Associated Press reported May 6.

"What's truly elitist is to appoint judges who will protect the powerful and leave ordinary Americans to fend for themselves," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Santorum, who earlier in the campaign cycle was critical of McCain's pro-life commitment primarily because the Arizona senator does not oppose embryonic stem-cell research, said McCain's speech "was a home run from my perspective."

Said Santorum,"It hit all the salient points, and it should give a lot of comfort to pro-lifers."

Paying the Piper

Carlin predicted that Obama "would certainly" apply a pro-abortion litmus test on all judicial appointments if elected.

And Carlin said abortion is only one of a number of areas where Obama, even more than Clinton, is advancing positions that appeal primarily to the most liberal elements of the Democratic Party.

"His support is among the secularist wing of the Democratic Party," said Carlin, who teaches sociology and philosophy at the Community College of Rhode Island. "He's beholden to that wing of the party, the most extreme wing of the party, the "moral left" of the party. And if they put him in office, you know, 'he who pays the piper calls the tune.'"

Added Carlin, "So I think if he gets elected as president, it's going to be a very, very bad time for pro-life Catholics."

Jackie Moon Old Spice Commercials *All 8*

Ridiculously funny.

Took my lady to a show...

You, too should go.

Gemini Trumps Cancer

This is so unbelievably cool.

Advice for Angela

Angela, one of my co-workers is getting married soon. When her fiance arrived to take her home, Paul--the only other male on staff at St. Max--and I seized the opportunity to pontificate a little about married life.

My advice (to the fiance) was "If you think about it, you're not all that attached to your opinion." I owe my life of bliss to following that proverb, and I don't care who knows it. Consequently, my recommendation to every engaged man is "Surrender. Resistance is futile."

Paul's wisdom was directed toward Angela: "You have three years to train him. If you don't like how is by then, it's your own fault."

Of course, Chesterton, who wrote "Marriage is a duel to the death that no man of honor should refuse," is far more poetical in his advice:

"Every woman has to find out that her husband is a selfish beast, because every man is a selfish beast by the standard of a woman. But let her find out the beast while they are both still in the story of 'Beauty and the Beast.' Every man has to find out that his wife is cross -- that is to say, sensitive to the point of madness: for every woman is mad by the masculine standard. But let him find out that she is mad while her madness is more worth considering than anyone else's sanity."
-- G.K. Chesterton, "Two Stubborn Pieces of Iron" in The Common Man

Angela, may you and John's domestic safari be as wild and fun as mine has been.

HT to Chestertonian at the Blue Boar for the Chesterton quotation.

Mancold

This is pretty funny.

What Have We Ventured for Christ?

I have this thought that if Americans weren't afraid of brown skin, Islam could spread through our culture with ease. It's my opinion that Allah and the god of country music are not so different from each other. If the "Good Lord Up in Heaven" could be persuaded to only insist on, say, 5 commandments, and if he could be talked in to letting us love our friends and hate our enemies, we'd have Islam and few Americans would object. At least, that's what I suspect.

I'd love to be wrong, but I won't hold my breath. Another thing that makes me think this way is the fact that, historically, one of the ways Islam spread was by freeing the slaves and pardoning the debtors of their enemies--on the condition that the ex-slave/ex-debtor submit to Islam. With the amount of consumer debt in this country I think we're especially vulnerable on that front. It would add a whole new meaning to filing for bankruptcy. If I'm right that it's basically racism that keeps Americans from giving Islam a foothold, how sad is that? A vice is keeping us "virtuous"?

My friend Matt sent me this excerpt from a sermon given by Cardinal Newman. I think he (Newman) expresses a similar idea. If our faith is merely of the Country Music/American Civil Religion variety have we really risked anything to follow Christ? Remember the old addage: nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"What have we ventured for Christ? What have we given to Him on a belief of His promise? The Apostle said, that he and his brethren would be of all men most miserable, if the dead were not raised. Can we in any degree apply this to ourselves? We think, perhaps, at present, we have some hope of heaven; well, this we should lose of course; but after all, how should we be worse off as to our present condition? A trader, who has embarked some property in a speculation which fails, not only loses his prospect of gain, but somewhat of his own, which he ventured with the hope of the gain. This is the question, What have we ventured? I really fear, when we come to examine, it will be found that there is nothing we resolve, nothing we do, nothing we do not do, nothing we avoid, nothing we choose, nothing we give up, nothing we pursue, which we should not resolve, and do, and not do, and avoid, and choose, and give up, and pursue, if Christ had not died, and heaven were not promised us. I really fear that most men called Christians, whatever they may profess, whatever they may think they feel, whatever warmth and illumination and love they may claim as their own, yet would go on almost as they do, neither much better nor much worse, if they believed Christianity to be a fable. When young, they indulge their lusts, or at least pursue the world's vanities; as time goes on, they get into a fair way of business, or other mode of making money; then they marry and settle; and their interest coinciding with their duty, they seem to be, and think themselves, respectable and religious men; they grow attached to things as they are; they begin to have a zeal {302} against vice and error; and they follow after peace with all men. Such conduct indeed, as far as it goes, is right and praiseworthy. Only I say, it has not necessarily any thing to do with religion at all; there is nothing in it which is any proof of the presence of religious principle in those who adopt it; there is nothing they would not do still, though they had nothing to gain from it, except what they gain from it now: they do gain something now, they do gratify their present wishes, they are quiet and orderly, because it is their interest and taste to be so; but they venture nothing, they risk, they sacrifice, they abandon nothing on the faith of Christ's word."

This might save your marriage.

Priceless.

The Toes-ary

On a lighter note...

Recently, the kids have discovered that knuckles pop. Now popping knuckles is something they all want to do, all the time. Taking advantage of this, I have developed a new form of prayer. We call it the "Toes-ary".

Basically, it's a cross between "Little Piggies" and the Rosary. I grab a toe and start a Hail Mary while popping the knuckles. With each toe, we say a little more of the prayer until we finish. Then, we repeat on the other foot. Last night we decided that the mystery from the life of Christ we'd reflect on is the washing of the disciples feet.

It's not likely to go down in history as one of the great forms of prayer like these, but this is something distinctly Drapeauvian and proof that happy families are happy in unique ways.

In the future, I'll post some more of our family's quirky habits/sayings for your amusement.

Our Greatest Fear

An old friend from South Africa recently got in touch with me and sent me the following quotation in response to post on Heroic Leadership. It's from a woman named Marianne Williamson but is often attributed erroneously to Nelson Mandela. When I first saw it it had Mandela's name attached, so every time I think of it, it's Mandela's voice delivering the lines in my head.

I really like the quotation and I think it certainly has Ignatian overtones. It reminds me of St. Irenaus' saying that the "Glory of God is man fully alive." I'm a little suspicious of the rest of this woman's oeuvre. (It has that "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual" vibe that drives me nuts.) Anyway, the quotation:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Thanks, Craig!

Reflections on Heroic Leadership

The following is an excerpt from my journal that I thought I'd put up here. If it is boring or rambling, forgive me and just scroll down to the previous post of my kids' videos. At least they're cute.

I have started reading a new book called Heroic Leadership written by a former Jesuit and given to me by a dear friend. So far it is interesting, but not fascinating. I think my exposure to things Ignatian has lessened the novelty of many of his insights, but he is making me think of things I haven’t thought of in a while.

This morning I want to consider and explore one of the things that comes up in that book, namely, the importance of self-awareness. Also, I want to examine the Ignatian legacy in my life.

The current state of my life is best characterized by the phrase “in transition.” As I’ve written elsewhere, I see what has been going on these last few years as an Exodus of sorts. Certainly the most resonant scripture account has been the story of the Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom in the Promised Land. I have identified closely with this recently and when I say I’m “in transition” this is what I’m referring to—the transition from slavery to freedom; from death to new life.
But, this new life I’m experiencing/preparing to experience is an enigma to me. I’m genuinely bewildered about what “new life” means for me.

In many ways I find my experience analogous to being born. The transition is laborious and quite painful, and now that I’m in this new environment, I have to learn everything from scratch. I know how to be a slave; I don’t know how to be free.

This is a very unusual position to be in for me. I who prided himself on being so self-aware, for keeping a journal, for being wise, etc. find myself wide-eyed and paralyzed in my current situation. In my mind’s eye, I appear as mystified as my son Maximilian waking from a nap in the afternoon. How odd to not know myself.

This brings me to the discussion on Ignatius and the influence of the Jesuits on my life. Am I Ignatian? Have the Jesuits marked me for life? If so, how do I cultivate the good of the Jesuits and filter out the poison that seems to be contaminating the order at present? Am I not Ignatian? Is my desire to be Ignatian a romantic notion akin to my desires to speak Latin, have a degree from TAC, and be physically/lethally fit? Is it a lie for me to consider myself a product of the Jesuits when I am not financially successful, politically influential, whatever? Am I not primarily a Chestertonian? Do I not identify with Opus Dei more than with the Society of Jesus?

On the other hand, do those things not come from my love of my Jesuit education? After all, I learned of GKC at BCP; I came to love the idea of AMDG present in Opus Dei from Jesuit priests and authors I met and read while in high school. In fact, the most influential books I’ve ever read are ones I came across during my time as a student at Brophy Prep.

So, what? How do I make use of my Jesuit legacy? Must I still be involved with the place that was for me both the Egypt of Joseph and the Egypt of Moses? Can I truly maintain an Ignatian character apart from a vital connection with the order? Will I wither and fade like a cut flower in my isolation? Will Brophy/the Society of Jesus become the Great Pyramids of my life’s landscape—impressive edifices, filled with hieroglyphics and dead men’s bones?

How can I distill from my time with Ignatius’ company a practical potion for making my own company prosperous? What can Inigo teach me about freedom and learning to walk? I don’t know the answers to all these questions. In reading Heroic Leadership, I’ve come across a few phrases that sparked this reflection:

“our way of proceeding”
“greater love than fear”
“magis”

Greater love than fear. This is how Ignatius hoped to characterize his order. It is emphatically not how Brophy was run during my time as a teacher there. It is however the way I want to live my life.

This theme of love being stronger than fear has run through my life for a long time. I think freedom from fear is one of the most important things I need to learn/am learning here in the land of Canaan. For me, this virtue of courage is crucial. I need it so that I can give it away, lead my family, inspire my sons. I need I to be real, too. I need to be brave so that when I talk to students, my consolation is strong and not merely a platitude.

I believe more than anything in the power of love. From John Donne to Tonio K. to Amy Elizabeth to my children to wordSwell, I believe in love connections. I believe in making them, keeping them, strengthening them. I want my life and my work to be like St. Andrew—I want to bring people to Love; I want to love people to God.

Our way of proceeding. The author of Heroic Leadership points out that the Jesuits “way of proceeding” is never written out as a formula. Rather, it issues forth from a state of being that St. Ignatius inculcated in his company. This simplest way to explain this is that Ignatius didn’t give a man a fish, nor did he merely teach a man to fish. What he did was more radical: he helped men become fishermen.

My way of proceeding must also necessarily flow out of my being and not be limited to my doing. I think here is a place for intuition to operate. At Brophy, my intuition was the first place that seeds of self-doubt were sown. I’m still affected by it. Here, too, the role of habits becomes so obvious and important. Good intuition comes from good habits; habits form one’s way of proceeding. Consequently, I do not proceed how I would.

The question for me is “how do I effectively change my habits?” I’ve gotten past the immaturity of strongly worded resolutions and may just be coming out of a jaded cynicism, but here is a prime example of where I’m a newborn without a clue.

As a slave, my habits were more conditioning than anything else. I acted as was expected (out of fear) or as unexpected (out of passive resistance), but never truly out of virtue. Even my fidelity to the Church was largely a rebellion against the “System”. (I have always wanted to be orthodox, but my self-identification as “Mr. Orthodoxy: heroic martyr” was not authentically me. The real me is a reconciler; a defender of the Faith who seeks understanding.)

As a free man, how do I form good habits? I am accustomed to failure and disappointment. I fear success more than anything else, so I sabotage myself constantly by overextending myself and causing chaos. Steven Pressfield might insist that doing my Work will form my work habits. I think that’s true.

Magis. I won’t say much about this except perhaps “Amen”. I want my life and work to be more than the minimum--I want to live for God’s great glory. But I also want it (my contribution to his glory) to be truly great.

A Song That Chokes Me Up

Last night at Monday School we were discussing Jesus' parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price. I mentioned a song called "How Much Do You Think You Are Worth?" that always makes me verklempt.

Below are the lyrics to the song and a link to where you can hear it performed by the original artist (I prefer the version of my friend who introduced me to the song, but she's not on the Internet...)

You'll need Real Audio Player to listen.

How Much Do You Think You Are Worth?

Is a rich man worth more than a poor man?
A stranger worth less than a friend?
Is a baby worth more than an old man?
Your beginning worth more than your end?

Is a president worth more than his assassin?
Does your value decrease with your crime?
Like when Christ took the place of Barabbas
Would you say he was wasting his time?

Well, how much do you think you are worth, boy?
Will anyone stand up and say?
Would you say that a man is worth nothing
Until someone is willing to pay?

I suppose that you think you matter
Well, how much do you matter to whom?
It’s much easier at night when with friends and bright lights
Than much later alone in your room

Do you think they’ll miss one in a billion
When you finish this old human race?
Does it really make much of a difference
When your friends have forgotten your face?

If you heard that your life had been valued
That a price had been paid on the nail
Would you ask what was traded,
How much and who paid it
Who was He and what was His name?

If you heard that His name was called Jesus
Would you say that the price was too dear?
Held to the cross not by nails but by love
It was you broke His heart, not the spear!
Would you say you are worth what it cost Him?
You say ‘no’, but the price stays the same.
If it don’t make you cry, laugh it off, pass Him by,
But just remember the day when you throw it away
That He paid what He thought you were worth.

How much do you think He is worth, boy?
Will anyone stand up and say?
Tell me, what are you willing to give Him
In return for the price that He paid?

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1974 Make Way Music

Hear it.

Today's Message from Opus Dei

In Opus Dei, they speak of the "heroic moment"--that first moment of
the day when you awake and must choose whether to hit the snooze
button or start the day. They consider it a heroic act to mortify
oneself ("die to self") by getting up immediately and offering your
day to the Lord.

If this is indeed a measure of heroism, I am a villain whose perfidy
may never be fully plumbed.

All kidding aside, I did manage somehow to get out of bed at an
early-esque hour today and I found this in my inbox. Once again, I
think it's good advice.

MESSAGE
October 23, 2007
"Practice meditation for a fixed period and at a fixed time"
Practice meditation for a fixed period and at a fixed time. Otherwise
we would be putting our own convenience first; that would be a lack of
mortification. And prayer without mortification is not at all
effective. (Furrow, 446)

Overcome any sluggishness you may feel, and the false excuse that
prayer can wait for later. Let us never put off this vital source of
grace until tomorrow. Now is the right time. God, who is a loving
spectator of everything we do, watches over our most intimate needs.
You and I, I tell you once again, we need to confide in him as we
might confide in a brother, a friend, a father. Tell him, as I am
telling him now, that he is all greatness, all goodness, all mercy.
Tell him also, 'This is why I want to fall in love with you, despite
my rough manner and poor hands, soiled and ill‑treated by the dust and
grime of this earth'...

Each day without fail we should devote some time specially to God,
raising our minds to him, without any need for the words to come to
our lips, for they are being sung in our heart. Let us give enough
time to this devout practice; at a fixed hour, if possible. Before the
Tabernacle, close to him who has remained there out of Love. If this
is not possible, we can pray anywhere because our God is ineffably
present in the heart of every soul in grace. (Friends of God, 246.249)

My New License Plate

Seriously, how cool am I?

The Pitter Patter of Tiny Feasts

One of the best things about being a Catholic is that there's always a reason to celebrate. This week alone our family will be celebrating 3 special feast days. Today is the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. This day is special to our Olivia Therese and she's loving living it up. Tomorrow is the feast of guardian angels, which we all have (Sophia claims she has two) and Thursday is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi--one of Annamaria Francesca's patron saints.

There are a million ways we can honor our saints and reflect on their good examples. Today we let Olivia eat off of our "You Are Special" plate and Amy made a crumb cake; tomorrow we might have angel food cake; Thursday we're eating Italian and the kids are stripping of all their clothes in public like St. Francis.

Another good thing is that we have the kids' saints to back us up on discipline/family issues. For example:

"Olivia! Do you think St. Therese ate with her fingers??"

"Sophia, why can't you be more like St. Clare and embrace poverty and fashion-backwardness?"

"Joseph! There's no way the foster father of our Lord would condone hitting girls."

"Annamaria! Seriously, kid, there's no way Mamma Mary was this stubborn."

At the moment, Max (named after Maximilan Kolbe) is perfect and, like his patron, dotes on his mother. Eventually though he'll need to be punished and then we'll let him know that his patron was martyred in prison so "Time Out" is really an opportunity to emulate his role model.

Anyway, find out who your saints are and then make a big deal about it. We do it and we love it.

The Checkout Line

Yesterday at Costco I overheard a woman complaining that she was going to get in a particular line, but then "that guy jumped in front of me". I wasn't the guy, but I offered her my space in a different line (knight's code). She couldn't believe me and was a little embarrassed that I had overheard her. I told her it was no big deal to me, and that since she only had a few items, she could go ahead of me. She fussed a little, then quipped, "you must have a terrible home life." I told her I had an excellent homelife, but I was a little taken back by her cynical response.

So I killed her. (What's a Natalist Paterfamilias to do?)