Closers recognize when the job is not yet finished

Closers recognize when the job is not yet finished

What struck me the most about today’s homily by Fr. Dave Concepcion is how he explained the importance of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking the dead body of Jesus. Fr. Dave highlighted that most of us tend to be only present during the most dramatic and climatic moments yet disappear soon after without finishing what must be done. We need to emulate Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

I recall Kobe Bryant’s famous quote after their Game 2 win of the best-of-7 2009 NBA Finals: “What’s there to be happy about? Job’s not finished. Job finished? No, I don’t think so.”

Real “closers” or “clutch players” recognize when the job is not yet finished. Everyone, including hypocrites and the self-righteous, can present good deeds when the spotlights are the brightest.

But maybe being clutch is not just about excelling under the limelight. It is also about recognizing what must be done when no one is looking.

What we should admire when looking at the virtuous and the virtuosos is the relentless consistency – to continue doing good deeds, developing good habits – regardless of the context and even if no one is looking.

Whether we are at the prologue, climax, epilogue, or even post-credits scene of the story, let’s make sure to follow through our good works.

John 18:1-19:42. And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave. He came therefore and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus also came, (he who at the first came to Jesus by night,) bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred-pound weight.

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-097: APRIL 7, 2023]