CLUTCH QUARTER

In a basketball game, the fourth quarter, among the four quarters, is considered as the “clutch quarter.” [Some would say that the last five minutes of the fourth quarter is the clutch period.] Because even if a team is down or up by thirty points, the players should play consistent offense and defense so as to avoid an upset loss from the opposing team. And usually during this “clutch time,” there is a player or there are players whom the coach trusts most to deliver the offense or the defense needed by the team. These clutch players are usually the most experienced ones, the talented ones, the courageous ones and those who take the necessary risks. They are the best players that can handle the pressure and can deliver the necessary plays needed by the team. And during this “clutch quarter,” this last quarter, only the courageous and resilient players can stand and play for the team.

The recent events in the Philippines would give us an idea of an apocalypse, seriously. War in Zamboanga. Earthquake in Bohol and Cebu. And, just recently, the super typhoon in the Visayas. We might think that these events maybe signs of the end of the world. We might think that these events are signs of the Armageddon. We might, just might. But in a second glance, these are not actually signs of the last things [As I reflect on it. I am not Nostradamus, anyway.]. These are just phenomena in our human life that test our resiliency, our capability for survival, our unity as one nation, our faith and trust in God, and our hope for a better tomorrow. We might think of the last things and last days in life but as we think of them, we actually become more hopeful, more strong, more faithful, more united. This is evident with the people joining together to help the victims of the war, earthquake and typhoon. This is evident with the same prayers offered by people who belong from different religions and denominations. This is evident with the promotions and campaigns for help in different social networking sites. And this is also evident with the amount of support our nation gets from other nations. In these events, there seems to be a change in our hearts. Isn’t it we become more charitable to each other? Isn’t it we become more prayerful? Isn’t it we become more hopeful? Well, I am not saying that these events should always happen so that those latter good things would surface from us. What I am actually saying is that we should be more optimistic and more hopeful during these events. We come to realized that people know how to love and how to express that love.        

Also, during these events our resiliency to pressure is deepened. We become more experienced, more courageous and more willing to take all the necessary risks. Thus, we can say that during these events, we become “clutch persons,” or the last persons who can still deliver a good fight. We become the trusted persons who can still play a good game under pressure during the last quarter, during the clutch time.

Thus, this is the challenge of Jesus that we become more courageous, more learned and more willing to take the risks in the challenges that face us. Well, even if it is not the last quarter, we still try to do our best, to play our best because even if without the pressure, we can still learn. We become more “clutch persons,” in the end.