You can be a Person of Good News

by Fr. Peter C. Sanders, Orat

God can use even a cold heart to set a person up to be His emissary.

Mister!” came the loud authoritarian voice from the fi rst-class offi cer I had just passed on the Academy quadrangle. Snapping to attention, I yelled, “Sir, Midshipman Sanders, fourth-class, sir!” Of all people, it was “Zippy” demanding an inspection of my uniform. He was a Battalion cadet offi cer, notorious for the constant “chip on his shoulder” – the meanest in the whole regiment. Inspecting me up and down, he commanded, “Button your top button.” (I was a “plebe” and was obliged to follow his commands.) I replied, “Sir, Midshipman Sanders, fourth-class, sir. I believe that’s hazing, sir.” “I don’t care what you think it is.” He continued angrily, “Are you disobeying an order?” “Sir, Midshipmen Sanders, fourth class, sir; that is not a legitimate order, sir.” Enraged, Zippy retorted, “You will find out what this means!”

Now I was in for it! I knew what he meant: I would undergo a regimental inspection, “Reg-wedge,” as they called them. Th e 5 regimental staff offi cers would walk in a wedge-shaped formation arriving to your room for inspection. A “Reg-wedge” meant you most likely would get sixty or so demerits, which meant sixty hours’ deprivation of free time cleaning toilets, latrines, showers, and mopping floors and such. Fortunately, I had a friend in the Protestant choir who was the Regimental Lieutenant Commander. He said to me at following choir practice, “I don’t know what you had to do with Zippy, but he is furious with you. He arranged for a ‘Reg-wedge’.”

Knowing in advance when the “Regwedge” inspection would be was a great advantage. My roommate and I were prepared. We never worked so hard to scrub, clean and polish. So sure enough the next Saturday we got inspected. It was tough: I even remember them rubbing the soles of my shoes with their white gloves, but we came out on top and instead of the demerits, we received commendations! Th e glee of commendation turned out to be more motivated by spitefulness against the one who we were all expected to hate, and it succeeded in fueling the fires of revenge! Thwarted in his plan to make me suffer, this made Zippy even more furious!

We all hated Midshipman Borelli; it was popular to do so and I was no different in despising him, except God was about to step into my life in a way that I could not have imagined. I was on a perverse collision course, making deliberate decisions to hate and spite, according to my whims and the current of public opinion.

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