RELIEF
Freemasonry is founded on the moral and ethical
doctrines of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth. These great Masonic tenets are not the starting point for
abstract speculation. They are the
basis for practical action in the lives of Freemasons. Masons are taught that because all men and
women are the children of God, they are brothers and sisters, entitled to
dignity, respect, and consideration of their feelings. Each person must learn and practice self-control,
to make sure that his or her spiritual nature, the requirement to “do good, and
avoid evil,” guides him or her when dealing with other persons. Finally,
Freemasonry emphasizes that it is important to work to make this world better
for all that live in it.
“Masonry teaches the importance of doing good, not because it assures
a person’s entrance into heaven—that’s a question for a religion, not a
fraternity—but because we have a duty to all other men and women to make their
lives as fulfilling as they can be.
The Grand Lodge of California has defined
Freemasonry as “kindness in the home,
honesty in business, courtesy in society, fairness in work, pity and concern
for the unfortunate, resistance toward evil, help for the weak, forgiveness for
the penitent, love for one another” and reverence for God. These are not
abstract tasks—while not easy, any Mason adhering to the teachings of the
Fraternity can practice them in his daily coming and goings in this world.
Freemasonry teaches that by the “exercise of Brotherly Love” we are
taught to regard all people as the children of God, and therefore part of one
great family uniting the rich and the poor, the exalted and the common
man. The members of this family are
commanded to “aid, support, and protect each other” and to treat each other
with justice and kindness.
Standing behind this teaching is the Biblical
injunction that “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus
19:18). These words mean that the honor
and property of our fellowmen should be as dear to us as our own. They are a comprehensive rule of conduct,
“containing the essence of religion and applicable in every human relation and
towards all men.” Genesis 5:1 proclaims, “This is the book of the generations
of man. In the day that God created
man, in the likeness of God made He him.”
As this verse teaches reverence for the Divine image in man, it
proclaims the unity of mankind, and the resulting doctrine of the brotherhood
of man. All men are created in the
Divine image, and are therefore our fellowmen and entitled to human love.
Closely related to Brotherly Love is the Masonic
principal of Relief for those in distress.
To relieve the distressed is a duty incumbent on all men, but
particularly on Masons. Freemasons are
taught to show compassion for their fellowmen, to treat all in a just and
upright manner, and to commit random acts of lovingkindness.
Freemasonry enjoins us to render our neighbor “every kind office which
justice or mercy may require, by relieving his distresses and soothing his
afflictions; and by doing to him as, in similar cases, you would that he should
do unto you.” Masonry teaches,
“…and as Justice in a great measure constitutes the really good man, so should
it be [his] invariable practice.”
So how then are brothers to treat brothers? Freemasonry‘s answer is that we should treat
our fellow men with Justice and Charity.
Masonry defines Justice as “that standard or boundary of right which
enables us to render unto every man his just due, without distinction.” Justice and righteousness are the major ethical
qualities of God and man, upon which all other ethical commandments rest. The Masonic concept of Justice emphasizes
equality and the equitable treatment of individuals and peoples, so that every
man receives his just due “without distinction” as to rank or wealth or honors.
Because man is created in the image of God, each
individual human life is sacred and of infinite worth and deserving of being
treated with dignity. Masonry teaches
us to honor and respect each individual.
It is important that we treat each individual as a personality
possessing the right to life, honor, and the fruits of his labor:
Justice is the awe-inspired
respect for the personality of others, and their inalienable rights; even as
injustice is the most flagrant manifestation of disrespect for the personality
of others.
But how is charity to be administered? When we as Masons act charitably, we must do
so with kindness and tenderness, so as not to shame the poor or put them in
disgrace. The human dignity and
personality of the recipients must not be hurt or lowered. A wise man wrote in the 12th
century:
Whoever gives charity to the poor with bad grace and downcast looks,
though he bestows a thousand gold pieces, all the merit of his action is
lost. He must give with good grace,
gladly, cheerfully, and with an abundance of sympathy for the poor in his
plight. It is the kind word, the gentle
reception and sympathetic attitude that help and encourage the poor and needy
more than the giving of a coin.
The second highest level is when the one who gives
is unaware of the recipient, and the recipient is unaware of the giver. When Freemasons contribute to communal
funds or to special charity funds, they are acting on this level of generosity
and caring. The Masonic Homes Endowment
Fund in California is a classic example of a fund whose resources give great
benefits to many, but whose beneficiaries never know the countless donors to
this charity.
The highest form of charity is to help sustain a
person before he becomes impoverished, by offering a substantial gift in a
dignified manner or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping him find
employment or establish himself in business.
Thus it will be unnecessary for him to become dependent upon others.
Freemasonry grants scholarships to undergraduate
and graduate students, enabling them to enjoy the benefits of an advanced
education, and to become the teachers, doctors, scientists and philosophers for
the next generation, who in turn will have an impact on the lives of unknown numbers
of people. Charity exercised on the
highest levels creates a ripple effect for the benefit of the brotherhood of
man.
Masonic philanthropy is distinguished by the fact
that with its rich tradition of sharing comes the Masonic ideal of anonymous good
works. Freemasonry has seldom or never
broadcast its charitable activities to the general public. The public may be aware of the Shrine
Hospitals and Burn Centers for children, or perhaps of a Grand Lodge
scholarship program, but it knows little of the Masonic homes, and the extent
and depth of community support given freely by Masons, lodges, and Grand
Lodges.
So private has been Masonic charity in thousands of
small, personal examples, that even Masons cannot fully list or tabulate the
full extent of Masonic charity in the United States. This desire for privacy for the recipient is basic to the
exercise of the Masonic duty to “soothe the unhappy, to sympathize with their
misfortunes…and to restore peace to their troubled minds.”
Freemasonry teaches us to respect the personality
and sacredness of each individual, to extend the hand of Brotherly Love and
friendship to all men and women, and to honor and respect those in the greatest
need of material and spiritual support.
On this basis we form our friendships and establish our connections.