JUG and the struggle for salvation

A Reflection for Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Find today’s readings here.

Many students and parents at Jesuit high schools are familiar with the term JUG. Commonly misunderstood to mean “Judgement Under God,” JUG is a disciplinary device used by faculty and administrators to address any number of school infractions great and small. In my time teaching at Brophy College Preparatory I gave out my share of JUGs. Some of my former students might say I gave out more than my share. (In full disclosure, I also had some alternatives to JUG that included singing, dancing, putting a golf ball and collecting for the annual Lenten Drive). JUGs, while punitive in nature, are never meant to be malicious. Instead, JUG is a form of restorative justice, even penance if you will. JUG is never as bad as it’s made out to be. At Brophy it’s usually accompanied by some good-natured ribbing by classmates or the rolling of eyes and rueful shaking of heads by teachers walking by. 

Many students and parents think they know what JUG means literally. However, the expression actually has its root in Latin and has little to do with judgement. It derives from the expression, sub iugum, or “under the yoke,” as in a yoke placed upon a beast of burden.

Today’s readings touch upon judgement and justice.

In our first reading, Isaiah states, “When your judgment dawns upon the earth, the world’s inhabitants learn justice.” Isaiah was active in the later years of the eighth century B.C., a time of great peril for the Hebrew people. The Assyrian army had conquered the northern kingdom and was on the doorstep of Jerusalem itself. Isaiah counseled Hezekiah to trust in God. Instead, the king trusted the Assyrians and paid a dear price.

Isaiah is telling us that as much as we may like we cannot do everything ourselves. It is only with God’s help that justice is realized. “Salvation we have not achieved for the earth, the inhabitants of the world cannot bring it forth.” We, the inhabitants of the world, continue to prove over and over our inability to bring about the world God desires for us. War, climate change, income inequality, racism, hunger and disease are the result of our leaders, imperfect like us all, paying lip service to God’s commandments to love God and one another. Humanity has made great strides in transportation, health care, communications and technology, to name but a few. But what do we do with these advances? Are we putting technology to work to benefit all humankind, especially those living at the margins of society, as God would want? Or is it used largely to increase the wealth and power of a fortunate few to the detriment of the many?

I sometimes felt that a simple JUG, an hour spent picking up trash or writing a letter of gratitude, was insufficient for the infraction committed. Over time I learned to trust our Dean of Student Formation. “Dr. J” knew his business and had a genuine love for our students. It is a love we all shared. So the yoke he placed on the errant student was gentle and light, yet it served its purpose. I had more than one meaningful conversation with a young man serving his JUG while

I was on parking lot duty. They got it. They knew that what they did was wrong and they knew they weren’t being punished as much as reminded of Brophy’s expectations and hopes for them. I sensed they were grateful someone cared enough to call them out. Their way wasn’t working. Perhaps JUG is a stellar example of that whole Jesuit charism of cura personalis. Even when students misbehave they are still loved.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to place ourselves under his yoke. For his yoke is easy. Wayward students find themselves “under the yoke” for a short period of time and then all is well. The yoke is easy by design. It is intended to be bearable. Because even when we err we are still loved.

We do well to place ourselves under God’s yoke every now and again. It’s good to remember that God makes all things well again. The road we travel through life is made smooth and level if we place ourselves in God’s care.

Students long to be in the good graces of their teachers and colleagues. We all long to be in the good grace of our loving God. Thankfully, God desires the same for each one of us. None of us has life all figured out. When we try to do it our way, we occasionally fail. Sometimes it’s good to live life God’s way. There, we find a straighter road and an easier yoke.

Hard as it can be sometimes, life is not hopeless. “For my yoke is easy, and my burden light,” Jesus tells us. We know a merciful and loving God. The message of John the Baptist was: “Judgement is coming!” Jesus’ message is: “Salvation is here.” We worship not an angry, vengeful God, but a God of mercy and forgiveness; Jesus, who invites rather than commands. So, yes, there is a burden, but a manageable burden. The struggle for salvation is real, but if we allow ourselves to be guided by Christ’s love, it is attainable.

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