Words
From The South |
CHALLENGES WE MUST EMBRACE
"Have I been reviewing at the start of a Masonic year what I have done for my Brethren, for my Lodge, for the Masonic District my lodge belongs to, for the Craft, for the country, for my fellowmen?"
Our general reputation affords satisfactory assurance that we will not suffer any consideration to induce us to act in a manner unworthy of the respectable character which we now sustain.. We shall ever display the discretion, the virtue, and the dignity which become worthy and exemplary Masons.
A worthy and exemplary Freemason never suffers any consideration to induce him to act in a manner unworthy of the respectable character he sustains. On the contrary, he always displays the discretion, the virtue, and the dignity which are expected of him by the ancient and honorable fraternity to which he is affiliated. He considers it at once his duty and his honor to be faithful to every trust; to support the dignity of his character on all occasions; and strenuously to enforce, by precept and example, a steady obedience to the tenets of Freemasonry.
Our task is to build ourselves into inward masters; to build character; to build good men into better ones; to build just and humane relationships; to build bridges of understanding among men of every country, sect and opinion; and to construct passageways of friendship among those who might otherwise have remained at a perpetual distance.
Masonry develops the best traits in man's character; it tends to make him benevolent, kind-hearted, sympathetic, and charitable. We should remember that charity is not confined to financial aid to those in need; it includes looking with compassion upon the faults of our Brother, overlooking his shortcomings, and using our best endeavors to reclaim him if has gone astray.
If only we keep in our hearts the obligations we took at the Altar, we will always be guided in our actions. In all our obligations, obedience is demanded of us: otherwise, there are commensurate penalties.
Albert Pike says, "If Masonry will but be true to her mission, and Masons to their promises and obligations… If we will but give aid to what were once Masonry's great scheme for human improvement, not fitfully and spasmodically, but regularly and incessantly, then we may be sure that great results will be attained and great work done. And then it will most surely be seen that Masonry is not effete or impotent, nor degenerate nor drooping to a fatal decay".
What we do for the welfare and growth of our Craft and Masonic Family, as well as for the benefit of our local and national communities, is an eloquent rejoinder to the query: "Where are the Masons now?" Yes, brethren that's the CHALLENGES WE MUST EMBRACE.
Fraternally,