Originally Published on Jay Simsers Blog as a guest article.
Hurry, hurry! Get up! It’s 5:00 AM, time to
rush to the mall, search in vain for a non-existent open parking place, elbow
your way aggressively through a teeming mass of unwashed humanity, fight to the
front of the aisle to grab that last Nintendo Wii before someone less deserving
earns the opportunity to put it under THEIR Christmas Tree (Whoops, I mean
holiday bush, sorry about that sectarian reference.), and then age (mature) in
an interminably long line, only to increase the balance on your already
overextended credit card.
The holiday season is in full rush. In fact, as I write this, it is only a
couple days before the arrival of the Jolly Bearded Old Elf, clad in red and
white garments (probably made in China), smoking (gasp, gasp, can JEL allow
this) his pipe, driving a team of overworked arctic animals through overly warm
environments, over a full 24 hour shift (What would PETA say?), and although
meaning well, contributing to the conversion of a solemn, insightful, family and
religious event into an excuse for blatant commercialism, thereby encouraging
destitution, bankruptcy, and moral turpitude. Perhaps it’s just as well to call
it “The Winter Holiday”. After all, it is within a few days of the shortest day
of the year. Reality is that most folks view the season as a time of stress and
work, not an opportunity for relaxation and reflection.
Is that they way we also look at Freemasonry?
Are we so busy attending meetings, joining new organizations, working on more
committees, reading more books, planning more events, and being an “active”
Mason that we have forgotten the true meaning of the fraternity?
Of course, the true meaning of the fraternity, the “secret” if you will, is
individual, unknown, and possibly unknowable. It is what we traveled “from West
to East” in pursuit of. It is what we traveled an extremely perilous journey to
obtain, only to meet with a temporary setback. It is the purpose of our
continual study to actually come closer and closer to learning that secret.
Yet, we have hints of what that secret may be, and what it may contain. We are
told that the purpose of the fraternity is to make good men into better men, not
better than other men, but better than they would otherwise have been. The
implication is that we should become better husbands, better fathers, better
employees, better citizens, better followers of God. Obviously, we cannot do
that by ignoring our wives, our children, our employers, our country, or our God
in an excess of zeal for the Fraternity.
In the first degree, we are taught to use the 24-inch gauge as an allegorical
tool for dividing our time. A portion is reserved for the service of God and
deserving brethren, a portion is reserved for our employment, and a portion is
reserved for refreshment and sleep. Prior to taking our first obligation, we are
assured that it will not conflict with our duty to God, our country, our
neighbors, or ourselves.
We are taught that harmony is the strength and support of all societies, and we
are urged “as speculative Masons, to endeavor to erect our spiritual building
agreeably to the rules and design laid down by the Supreme Architect of the
Universe in the Book of Life, which is our spiritual trestle-board.” We are
taught to subdue our passions, and to circumscribe and keep our behavior within
due bounds.
We are taught to revere and apply the four Cardinal Virtues: Temperance,
Fortitude, Prudence, and Justice. Temperance provides a due restraint upon our
affections and passions. This virtue teaches us to avoid excess. Fortitude
provides a steady purpose of mind, which is said to be distant from rashness.
Prudence teaches us to regulate our lives and actions agreeably to the dictates
of reason, and is a habit which helps determine both our present and future
happiness. This virtue should be the peculiar characteristic of every Mason. And
Justice provides a standard of rightness, which enables us to render all persons
their just due.
These are the true lessons of Freemasonry. We should study them; we should apply
them; we should strive to improve ourselves in so doing. But let us apply them,
not just to our lives, but also to our Freemasonry. Let us not go forth blindly,
pursuing one activity after another, while ignoring the truly important things
in our lives. The Fraternity is intended to IMPROVE our lives, not to BE our
lives. It provides a WAY OF LIFE, but is not itself a LIFE. We need to all
remember these things.
So, go ahead, buy that last Wii. Play Guitar Hero until your fingers cramp up.
But remember, the Holiday Season is a time for reflection, a time for
relaxation, and a time to honor God. And so is Freemasonry. Have a Happy
Holiday.