more light #327
The Purpose of Masonry
by Ed Halpaus
Grand Lodge Education Officer
Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Minnesota
What is the purpose of Freemasonry? Why has the fraternity continued to exist
for so many centuries, and why do we, you, me, and countless others throughout
the centuries, love Freemasonry so much?
A while ago I was in the company of some Masons who had the opinion that the
purpose of Freemasonry, what we as Freemasons and members of a Lodge were there
to do, was to make more Masons. These Brothers said we were expected to bring in
new members; that was the work we were to do.
Hearing that, my mind recalled something I heard years ago: A new Mason went
to the Master of his Lodge and asked him when he would begin the work of a
Freemason. He said, “Since I’ve taken my degrees, I’ve seen quite a few other
men take their degrees, that’s all we’ve been doing in Lodge since I joined, and
I’ve been wondering when I will begin the work of a Freemason?” “Well,” the
Master said, “Degrees are the work of a Freemason, taking part in the degrees
and bringing more men into Masonry.” The new Mason said “I thought there was
more to the work of a Mason,” and the Master said, “This is the only Masonic
work I know of.”
When I first heard that story I felt that it was sad. I think it’s sad
because it is so true that there are times when a Mason gets into a leadership
position in his Lodge and does not really understand what the work of
Freemasonry is, or what its purpose is.
The purpose of Speculative Masonry is not to get more men into Masonry but
rather to get more Masonry into men.[i] Membership in our Lodges is extremely
and vitally important; “population means production.” Having said that, the most
important aspect of membership is to deliver to the Masons in our Lodges what
Masonry has to teach, and to give our brethren what they came into Freemasonry
to receive: This improves member satisfaction and retention.
It is important to share what Masonry has to offer with all initiated regular
Masons; unfortunately, many times the mentoring and educating on the lessons of
Masonry ends very soon after the new Mason receives his third degree. From the
beginning of the ritual of the First Degree the candidate is told that Masonry
is a Course of Hieroglyphical and Moral instruction. As the Candidate stands for
the first time in front of the Altar and the Three Great Lights of Masonry, he
is told that the design of the Masonry is to make its votaries wiser, better,
and happier. After hearing what Masonry is in his first degree it’s logical the
new Mason will expect to receive the lessons of Masonry.
“Masonry teaches in signs and symbols, in pictures and parables”. When we
joined Masonry we did so to learn, to improve ourselves, and to subdue our
passions. We were told in the charge of the First Degree that if we are to
improve in Masonic Knowledge we are to converse with well-informed Brethren, who
will be always as ready to give as we will be ready to receive instruction: This
is one way to convey that the Lodge will provide Masons to mentor the new Mason.
We were also told to keep sacred and inviolable the mysteries of the fraternity,
as these are to distinguish us from the rest of the community, and to mark our
consequence[ii] among Masons: this tells us that what Masons can learn from
Freemasonry is valuable; if we will take what we learn and apply it, we can
become the better men we hoped to become when we signed our petition.
In Freemasonry we have degree work, and we have the work of a Freemason; they
are not the same. Freemasonry is an organization that honors work; when our
Lodges are open we are said to be at labor, and we wear aprons much like the
workmen of old did. The comparison of the apron worn by our ancient brethren and
modern speculative Freemasons is well said in the degree work of the first
degree. However, the symbolism of the apron is interesting; a small part of the
symbolism is that a Mason is said to be properly clothed when he wears his
Masonic Apron arranged for his degree, in some other jurisdictions white gloves
are necessary to be properly clothed. I like the requirement of white gloves and
white apron to be properly clothed, because of what they symbolize; the white
gloves symbolize clean hands, and the white apron symbolizes a clean heart.[iii]
Many times when a longevity award is presented to a brother it will be
mentioned that he has labored diligently in the quarries of Freemasonry for all
these many years. Freemasons like to labor. There is a Latin expression from
long ago: Laborare est orare; meaning to Labor is to pray.
The working tools of Speculative Masonry are for us to work on ourselves; to
be good men who strive to become better as we progress in the science of
Freemasonry. Masonry is not an end in itself; it is not a degree mill. Our work
as Freemasons is to work on ourselves; we strive to fit ourselves as living
stones, which can be used for good and useful employment in the Celestial Lodge
where the Supreme Architect presides: Freemasonry is a means to that end.
However, try as we will we never will arrive at perfection; we never will be
like the perfect Ashlar; that is some of the symbolism of the broken column. The
broken column symbolizes that when the end of our life arrives, whether in a
young or old age, death will find us with work yet to do, our work will never be
finished when we are working on ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we should stop
working on ourselves.
“The great design unfinished lies, our lives are incomplete.[iv]” While this
realization might be sad there is another symbol that will give us hope. The
evergreen, which is the Acacia plant in Freemasonry, is a symbol of initiation,
innocence and the immortality of the soul. The wood from this plant, (called
Shittah wood,[v]) was ordered by God and used by Moses and Bezaleel [BEZ uh lel]
on the construction of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, the Table for
the Shewbread, and other sacred furniture. It was believed that Acacia was
incorruptible, because insects and other destructive creatures would stay away
from it.[vi] An interesting and telling fact from the old rituals of Freemasonry
was about the Acacia plant and the symbolism of the immortality of the soul.
From those old rituals a Mason would say; “Acacia is my name,” meaning he had an
immortal soul.
As far as the Mysteries of Masonry are concerned, Joseph Fort Newton had this
to say: “There were those who thought that the power of Masonry lay in her
secrecy; some think so still, not knowing that its real power lies in the
sanctity of its truth, the simplicity of its faith, the sweetness of its spirit,
its service to mankind, and that if all its rites were made public today it
would still hold the hearts of men.”
The mysteries and the secrets of our “Gentle Craft” are hidden rightly enough
– they’re hidden in plain sight. Where better to hide something than in plain
view where it will be overlooked by most, even those who should know. Masons are
searching and aching for Lodge leadership to lead the way and explain the
lessons and mysteries to them, so that they may improve themselves and their
lives.
In 1998 the Grand Lodge of Minnesota conducted a survey of Masons raised in
the previous 5 years; those who were considered inactive. In the survey these
Masons were asked why they were inactive and, what would help them get active?
The answers were telling. One of the reasons identified is that Masonic Lodges
don’t always deliver what they promise. Which means that the lessons of Masonry
were not communicated and explained to the new Mason beyond him getting his
degrees, also in some cases the fellowship talked about and expected just wasn’t
there.
Past Grand Master Ed Waldon, at a Midwest Conference on Masonic Education,
quoted the ritual; “The design of the Masonic institution is to make its
votaries wiser, better, and consequently happier:” He was talking about Lodge
mission statements, and said; that was the Lodge’s Mission. I believe it is: A
helpful question for Lodge Government to ask when faced with a decision might
be: “Will this help make Masons Happier, Wiser, and better educated, or better
off than before? If the answer is yes, then it might be something to pursue
because it is in the mission of Masonry: Our mission includes teaching our
votaries the lessons behind the allegories and symbols of our craft.
I would suggest, as did Brother and Reverend Joseph Fort Newton, that the
mission of masonry includes making friends, to make their lives, and ours,
better, and to help and encourage Masons to make their lives a quest for truth,
righteousness, and character. Freemasonry upholds every noble and redeeming
ideal of humanity, it is one of the forms of heaven on earth.
One of the purposes of Masonry is to unite men into our Brotherhood through
initiation and instruction.
——————————————————————————–
[i] Paraphrase of what the late PGM Ed Waldon used to say.
[ii] Consequence in this context means “The act, or fact, of following as an
effect or result upon something antecedent.” That implies that we as Masons need
to lead, and teach our new Brothers in the explanations of the allegories of
Masonry.
[iii] Masonic concordance of the Holy Bible #476D
[iv] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #796C
[v] Shittim is plural for Shittah
[vi] Masonic Concordance of the Holy Bible #81E
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