Of Philip, Andrew and Martha

We see plenty of Philips, Andrews and Marthas everywhere, but we could be THE Philip, Andrew and Martha ourselves. We are befuddled with the vastness of our needs, the shortage of our supply, and the distractions that mar our priorities.

Many of us have friends, relatives, or acquaintances at the very least named Philip, andrew and Martha. not that there is an urgent need for any roll call, but these first names inescapably ring an accuracy of certain inevitable truths. If the name Maritess is to a gossipmonger and the name Bogart is to a gigolo (no offense meant to people actually identified with these given names), the names Philip, andrew and Martha represent a volley of circumstances that are too close to us to be ignored. again, no affront intended.

In a rock-strewn journey that could lead to the inevitable realities signified by the three afore-cited names, we begin with a recollection of the technical glitch that affected our air traffic system last week. The Philippine air space outage that affected around 65,000 domestic and international flight passengers on January 1 shocked many. My parents and I were just as anxious as others as we were actually inbound from the US the day after the glitch. As flights immediately before ours were cancelled, diverted or delayed, fears (and shame) that a cyber attack slithered into every Filipino. Lo and behold—the Philippines became a no-fly zone, on the very first day of 2023 to boot! While CAAP dismissed the rumors of cyber assault, it did little in mollifying the panic and curiosity, especially since National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos classified the breakdown of CAAP’S aviation traffic management system as a threat to national security. DOTR Secretary (and former colleague in PAL) Jaime J. Bautista proposed a funding requirement of over P13 billion to upgrade the IT infrastructure of the Air Traffic Management Center, on top of establishing a back-up system outside the Naia area. Such a massive requirement is just too vast to comprehend, especially in an already debt-ridden country such as ours.

Moving on to the next impediment of our journey, a shortage of teachers and classrooms in public schools has been a perennial problem. In August 2022, 28 million students trooped back to school to

a dearth in educators and lecture rooms. This prompted the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) to ask the government for the hiring of 147,000 new teachers to reduce class sizes in public schools. The 28 million reflect a ratio of 49 students per classroom with one teacher on a sixhour grind. This is four times more than the population of Singapore and half the population of Malaysia, as categorized in one national publication, with such a scarcity in educators and learning venues!

As we continue with this excursion, we need not look far and wide to realize that our day-to-day activities are sewn into the woof and warp of a fabric called stress. Countless numbers of people are up and about with work just to put food on the table or to beat deadlines, hurrying to catch a flight or ride, slaving it out to please a superior or a family member, pretty much all the distractions one could ever think of. I for one plead guilty on this matter, as in a glut of times, I would burn the midnight oil or spend Sunday mornings to finish an essential paperwork. I say this with specificity and some tone of exigency because these times could have been utilized for rest and connecting with our Almighty God by reading His Word. And yet, there are just too many things to do in every single day, every week. Our priorities could be misplaced!

These three actualities hover above us like clouds that refuse to be blown by the wind. The billions in funds to upgrade our aviation faovidio cilities speak of the vastness of the need, which we oftentimes discern when confronted with herculean problems, such as “feeding 5,000 people” in one sitting. The shortage in teachers, classrooms, and even the paucity in water, electricity, sugar, and other products denote the shortness of the supply each time we face a situation that warrants an adequate provision, yet what we have on hand is just “5 loaves and 2 fish.” Meantime, stress blurs our priorities and gives us nothing but more stress and trouble. Always ensconced in the hustle and bustle of life, we forget to “sit at the feet of Jesus” and just be immersed in His wisdom.

In the biblical story of feeding the 5,000 with just 5 loaves and 2 fish (John 6:1-14), the disciple Philip answered Jesus’ query by stating that “it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (verse 7). It is like collating a half-year’s salary these days just for a person to have a measly crumb. Akin to Philip’s thinking, our mental orientation on the colossal amount of funds to improve the atmc bespeaks of the vastness of the need. Meanwhile, another disciple Andrew asked Jesus that “here is a boy with 5 small barley loaves and 2 small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (verse 8). This is reminiscent of many a student’s or parent’s woes of how the children can finish school with just a few centavos to push them for tuition or transportation expenses. This symbolizes the shortness of supply that again many of us confuse our minds with. Incidentally, Philip and Andrew were already in the midst of the Messiah, who is the one true source of supply for the need! And yet they failed to see it that way.

Finally, the scriptural account of the sisters Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 tells of the behavior each exhibited when Jesus came to visit them. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to listen to him (v.38), while Martha was distracted with all the preparations and complained (v.39)—all this busyness just for one person! It was a rare occasion for Jesus to come by and converse with them and yet Martha paid more attention to other things neither immediate nor essential for the time being. Similar to scores of ordinary people like you and me, distracted with so many of our tasks, worries and challenges, we fail to accord time for hearing and knowing about the life-saving message of Jesus Christ. In particular, a Sunday church service or a Bible study constitutes only an hour or two compared to six days and 22 hours dedicated for the performance of other stuff, including sleep. Yet I fail at times to intentionally devote such a time to simply rest “at the feet of Jesus” and allow him to fill my heart with his sweet presence and wisdom.

We see plenty of Philips, Andrews and Marthas everywhere, but we could be THE Philip, Andrew and Martha ourselves. We are befuddled with the vastness of our needs, the shortage of our supply, and the distractions that mar our priorities. Distraught with the “humanly impossible,” we lose track of what is “divinely possible.” Our true source of supply is not our work, or business or a family member, but it is our Heavenly Father whose desire is always to bless us. Our peace and wisdom are not founded on how fat our bank accounts are or how many diplomas we have amassed. They are predicated on an intimate connection with Jesus where true rest and Godly wisdom abound. Whenever stress from all sources comes our way, may we be the Philip, Andrew and Martha who can say: “Chill. I have Jesus and He will always rescue me!”

A former infantry and intelligence officer in the Army, Siegfred Mison showcased his servant leadership philosophy in organizations such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Malcolm Law Offices, Infogix Inc., University of the East, Bureau of Immigration, and Philippine Airlines. He is a graduate of West Point in New York, Ateneo Law School, and University of Southern California. A corporate lawyer by profession, he is an inspirational teacher and a Spirit-filled writer with a mission.

For questions and comments, please e-mail me at sbmison@gmail.com.