From the Worshipful Master

Brothers

We learn that Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth are the three cardinal virtues of Free Masonry. As members of the lodge we are all charged with practicing these virtues in our daily life. How we apply the practice of Brotherly Love is my topic this month. As Master of the lodge I feel that these three virtues are somewhat intertwined, ie.. the expression of brotherly love may also be an expression of relief and truth. In regards to Brotherly Love, the greatest example I can think of is that we acknowledge that each person is equal and therefore due every courtesy we give ourselves. If we excuse ourselves for being late, being in a bad mood, not being word perfect on a ritual, or some other action, we should also extend that courtesy to everyone else, after all we are no more or less than they are, we are equal. We offer brotherly love by lending an attentive ear, or by giving good advice, or simply giving them a ride to lodge when needed. There are endless acts of kindness and respect we can express that qualifies as brotherly love. The transition from the rough ashlar to the perfect ashlar is to master these cardinal virtues and put them in practice in our daily lives. As Master of the Lodge, it is my goal to practice the act of Brotherly Love by letting each of you know how grateful I am for your support, attendance, and friendship.

I want to thank the Pig Out Committee for an outstanding job putting this event together. We had a big crowd and raised some money, but more importantly it was great seeing new and old friends enjoying each other’s company, well done. I ask that you support our Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters in the OES, and also our daughter in Job’s Daughters and sons in DeMolay and Squires, they are all worthy of your time and support.

As always your time is important to me and I pledge not to waste it, so I look forward to your continued support of the lodge and to the craft.

Fraternally,

Doug Steele
Worshipful Master

From the Senior Warden

One of the most important things we are taught in Masonry is the concept of Relief. What do we mean by it? And how can we apply it to our every day life?

Relief, as Masonry defines it, is the concept of helping another so far as one may do so reasonably. It doesn’t have to be monetarily. It might be as simple as a phone call and telling a well placed joke to make someone laugh who is in the midst of sadness. It might be going over and helping someone trim their yard because they broke an arm. It might even be babysitting so a friend and his/her spouse may have a night to themselves.

There are lots of ways we may relieve one another from the daily troubles of life. The first thing we must do as Masons it to pay attention to each other, listen when others are talking, and learn what may be going on the lives of our brethren to see where we may lend a hand.

We have to remember too that we should never perform and act of relief for our own recognition. We do it quietly, and we do it without pomp and circumstance. We do that to show that we really do care, that we do indeed love each other, and are willing to go out of our way to help one another without the need for a pat on the back.

This is what we learn in Masonry. And it is this that we should practice every day if we can. “To relieve the distressed, to soothe his afflictions is a duty incumbent upon all Masons.” And we should take that very seriously.

As an aside, I would also like to take the time to thank our committee for the work put in to the Pig Out. It was a VERY successful event, and all should be very proud of what we accomplished. We did indeed raise a little money, and the fellowship shared among our Masonic Family Organizations was something of a matter of pride for us all. We all should be very proud.

Yours in the Craft,

Jason Michlowitz
Senior Warden

From the Junior Warden

Truth.

Along with “justice” and “the American way,” it’s one of the things that Superman stands for.

It’s also a Masonic virtue, and we often mention it in conjunction with “brotherly love” and “relief.”

And that’s the thing: society calls truth a virtue. We wrote proverbs and homilies about it, call honesty the best policy, claim it will set us free.

In fact, we make it out to be an unusual thing. Perhaps it is. It’s so easy to lie, after all. We do it all the time; not to cause harm, not even in a conscious way. But it’s easier to say our alarm didn’t go off than to admit we hit the snooze bar one too many times; simpler to claim we sent a card that hasn’t gotten their yet, than admit we forgot a birthday.

We tell lies out of convenience. They’re little white ones, so it’s all right.

Which is, perhaps, the issue. That truth is looked on as a virtue, something special, rather than just the way we should speak and act. As Masons, we are the object of a thousand lies and false stories. We veil ourselves in secrecy, at least, as far as the profane world sees things.

So perhaps truth is something we must always endeavor to present. In word, deed, and, yes, even thought, because when we lie to ourselves, it is easier to lie to others. Being truthful all the time isn’t easy. “Truth,” as a line from a TV show once told me, “takes time.” Sometimes we have to work towards it.

Even we Masons must work our way to truth, at times.

And it will set us free.

Bryan Bullock
Junior Warden